'“Nothing is better than real life”
I’ve read that quote in so many places. I heard an incredible mentor, Kirsten Lewis, say it first when I was watching one of her many lessons on documentary photography. I’m not sure if she’s the “owner” of that phrase, but since then, I’ve seen it on instagram, in articles and on other facebook posts. But what the hell does it really mean when it comes to photography?
To me it means, “shit happens and while we’re laughing at it, let’s photograph it.”
That is why I do the type of photography that I do. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve heard all of this already, but for my first official blog post, I’d like to dive into it just a bit more.
Our brains are wired to remember the worst of things first. It’s something in our system, like a fight or flight, that makes us remember the worst part of a situation before the fun little things. Doesn’t that suck? We almost have to wire our brains differently to focus on the good. When I pick up my kids from school and they tell me that so and so pushed them at recess, or the teacher yelled at them, or whatever might have happened, I try to ask “did you have a bad day, or did you have a really bad 10 mins?” I don’t mean to demean their feelings, I honestly want to know. It’s something that I ask myself and my husband, when we’re in a bad mood. “Has the entire day been bad or was it just a few mins that have now spoiled the rest of it?” Then focus on the good. With my boys (who are 8 and 6, for those not keeping track ;)), we try and go over what fun things happened at school? Did you laugh today? Did someone make you feel good today? Did you make a cool drawing or start a new project? Maybe not, and maybe it was just a shit day, and Lord knows….those happen.
My point is, with documentary photography, I want to know and see ALL of it. I like to think of the movie Inside Out. Have you guys seen it? The one where the girl, Riley, has the emotions Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear in her mind that control everything. I really loved when Joy figured out that Sadness was in so many of the “joyful” moments before they happened. Like Riley missed the final shot of the hockey game and she was crying and disappointed, but then her teammates came over and lifted her up. I want to show our struggles in life and how we then grow and are “lifted up” by them to make the little, happy moments that we have as families. We’re not all happy, all the time, but we have moments in every day where we feel a little lighter.
Parenting is HARD!! Let me say that again, PARENTING IS HARD! No one ever tells you how hard. Juggling a newborn who needs to be breastfed, a toddler who’s potty training and a 5 year old who’s melting down is just the beginning! I don’t even have 3 kids and I still feel like I can relate to that situation. Beyond being in the thick of parenting little ones, then you come into your school aged kids. They’re in sports and making new friends and learning what it’s like to lose or be a good sport and win. They’re struggling with homework which you, as the adult, may or may not need to google to figure out (me..I did that). Feelings and emotions get bigger. We struggle, as parents to find the balance between being the “bad buy” and teaching them what’s right and letting them figure it out for themselves….which is even harder. Regardless of what stage you’re in, it’s hard!
I first started taking these kind of photos with my own kids, so I wouldn’t just focus on the shit-end of parenting. My memory sucks and I don’t know about the rest of you, but that first year is a blur with both of my boys. My sister gave me one piece of advice when I had my kids. She said, “don’t just take images, take video so you can remember their little voices and the way they move.” She’s so right. I have these little videos of Jonny when he was 2 or 3 and I don’t know when, but that little voice faded and now I have an 8 year old with a whole different sound and look. I started taking as many photos and videos as I could until I realized I wanted them to be better, to look better, to say more. I started taking classes on Lifestyle photography. You needed to pose the kids. Or look for the right light. Has anyone noticed the small attention span toddlers and little boys have and how fast they move? Yah, posing and lighting wasn’t working. And sometimes those amazing moments happen in crappy light, and then what?
Then you take those damn photos anyways.
I found this whole genre of “documentary family photography” where people just show life as is! The toys everywhere, the mismatched clothes that, messy faces after having a piece of chocolate, the tickle fights and temper tantrums. That’s real life! That’s not just real life, that’s your every day life.
I know we all want to capture the beautifully lit family photos, walking through a field with clothing that compliments one another. I did that too! (I have yet to print that….but I have those!). However that’s not what I want to remember. I want to remember the silly string fights, jumping on the bed and wrestling, fishing at sunset and catching the first bass, kayaking, finding frogs and turtles on the beach, bubble baths that go awry, face painting, impromptu kitchen dance sessions. Dress up, lego building, blowing bubbles, learning to ride a bike two wheel bike, decorating cookies and grabbing that first prize from the claw machine. Those are the things I want to remember. Those are the types of things I want to document for you.
I am just started a new course this week that’s 18 weeks long and it’s about incorporating sound into videos or slideshows of sessions. This is incredibly important to me and I think to my clients. This is not about recording the sounds of that particular moment in time of the photograph, but interviewing you, as the parent, or your kids about certain experiences. I would love to get into more grandparent work with this project as well. I envision grandparents’ hands holding their new grandchild and having them speak in the background of what it was like to hold you as a baby or how they felt at that moment. Images can only go so far to encapsulate a moment in time. We experience life with all of our senses, and sound always brings us back to another point in time. I’m really excited about this project and how it can elevate my client’s experiences and products they receive.
If you’ve read this far…..well done….I blabber A LOT! And as an incentive, I would like to offer 5 people an opportunity for this new project. I would love to photograph grandparents either with or without their grandchildren/children and interview them about their lives. If this is something you would be interested in, please email me at sarah@sarahwimmersteffen.com or message me on FB.
Attached is a slideshow of an extraordinary family on a not extraordinary day. It was just a normal day at home and I am truly thankful they allowed me in their space for that time.
The Nooblers
I would love to do the same for you!
Take the damn photos!!
