I have chosen to work outside of a studio because I want to capture those genuine interactions that you share on a daily basis. Memories are created on your couch where the Tickle Monster is most prone to attack, at the breakfast table where your little one gives themselves an ice cream facial, or in the park down the block where you go for a walk every weekend (and where your spouse finally got up the courage to propose). It is those moments I want to help you treasure in the years to come.
Another reason why I like to come to your home, or meet you at your favorite park, or join you for a stroll along Tremont St. is because these are familiar locations, and more importantly, that you won’t feel like you have to perform for the camera. Too often, people in front of the lights, in a photographer’s studio they have never been to before, either tense up because this is a unfamiliar situation, or are ebullient, turning into a hyper version of themselves because they feel the need to perform. In a studio, people are not being genuine, and that’s not what I want in your photos.
When I was living in Olympia, WA, I was an assistant to a wedding and portrait photographer for two seasons. He did a great job crafting the light in the studio. The shots he produced were consistent, and looked great in the wedding albums he created, but I rarely got a sense of personality from the subjects he photographed. He had a formula, and he stuck with it. To him, all engagement photo sessions happened at Tumwater Falls, and all formal wedding photos were shot against the same purple background. He posed every bride in one specific way, positioned the parents in the exact same spot for every wedding, and followed his formula that he has used for the past 20+ years.
After working with him, I knew that I did not want to be a photographer who follows any formula. I want the personality of families or couples to provide substance and depth of emotion to the photos, and I want to talk with you to determine your favorite places, then go there to have our photo session. I want your home, your life, and the love you feel to shine through. Years from now, when you look back on these photos, the laughs that come with them, the love that is evident in them, will be felt across generations.
