Is this personal work or client work?

This is personal work.  A couple months ago we had a small kitchen fire that forced our family of 6 to move to a hotel for a month.  I love documentary photography so I took advantage of the situation and decided to capture my littles in their daily lives while we lived there.  It was so fun to watch them interact and to see how they were interpreting the world around them

What about this session was most memorable?

The most memorable part of this whole new living situation was watching my 3 oldest kids become more comfortable in the water!  My 2 oldest were jumping in by the end of our stay without hesitation!  This was a HUGE benefit in staying at a hotel for so long!  I brought my camera everywhere, including into the pool to make sure to capture them from all different perspectives!

Where there any hurdles?

My biggest hurdle was bringing a very expensive camera to breakfast.  Being a mom to 4 hungry kids at a breakfast buffet is something you need to be able to focus on and help with, not worry about where to put your camera when you are trying to carry multiple plates with maple syrup on them!  I only brought it with a couple times to meals.  It was causing me stress and I wanted to continue to enjoy documenting this time.  I think that is one key element in documentary photography — knowing when you need to put your camera away to be able to focus on the task at hand so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Your best photographer/session advice?

My best advice is to shoot something from more than one perspective and think about how you can incorporate movement.  You may surprise yourself with changing things up.  Incorporate light from all angles and don’t be afraid of shadows!

What gear was used to achieve these?

I used my Nikon D610 and a 35mm Nikkor lens.

About the photographer: 

I have four amazing children and a very supportive husband.  I started really getting into photography at the very end of 2012.  I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D5100, in December that year.  I now shoot with my Nikon D610 which became a part of the family in June this year.  Photography is my passion and people say whenever I talk about it I “light up”.  I never want that excitement to fade.  I try new things and am always learning.  I love participating in photo contests within different photographer communities and being able to talk to and see the amazing work of photographers that inspire me!  I leave all daily stressors behind in every session I do, not because I force myself to but because I truly love and enjoy what I am doing and I loose myself in the moments.

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