I met the Ripleys years ago. Before they were the Ripleys. Lindsey and I met back before we were moms, and even back before we were wives.
Life fast forwarded.
Years later, we crossed paths and it turns out we had both become birth workers and we both had two daughters. Lindsey is a doula and co-owner of The Doula Sisters of South Florida, and she's a pretty rad chick and amazing mother, balancing it all like a pro.
For Lindsey & her hubby John's family session, we decided to do something different. They were trusting and willing to take my hand and follow me on my path through growth and evolution from lifestyle and posed portraiture photography over to documentary family photography. For that I am ever so grateful. I have been documenting my own family since my first daughter was born 4 years ago. And long before that, I was always the one documenting my two older sisters, my big brother and my folks as a teen. I needed this break out session in the dark, so to say, to discover who I am and what I love. Portraiture photography has filled my heart over the years and served me well. I have respected and followed some of the great portraiture photographers over the year, and I am still awed to this day by their consistently fabulous, on-point work. Birth was my gateway into documentation. What I enjoyed about births was the beauty of the first day of life, the struggle and journey and empowerment of women, and most of all, everyone having and knowing their role, even if it to silently support and encourage mama in labor. Bringing my documentarist traits into family photography has always been a challenge for me. How do I prepare my families for this? When they're not quite sure how to act, what to do, what to bring with them. So I took a different approach with Lindsey and John and their two daughters. I had them invite me to a morning with their family at the playground, and I just followed them from there.
You would never be able to guess that the Ripleys received nearly no direction or posing from me during their session. I think I maybe suggested something 2-3 times during their session, but the rest... is all... Ripley Family November 2016.
I hope you enjoy this documentary family session as much as I did, and that you will eagerly follow me into my journey in to family documentation as 2017 rolls around the corner...
