Today is the last day of World Breastfeeding Week and since August is dedicated to breastfeeding awareness, I wanted to take a moment to send my love for all those breastfeeding moms out there. The sole purpose of this week is to help promote and support breastfeeding moms on their journey. Whether your breastfeeding journey is successful, you’re struggling, or you tried and weren’t successful, I see you all and I am proud of each one of you. Breastfeeding is hard. No matter how your story turned out, you deserved to be honored and celebrated.
My Story
Breastfeeding comes easier for some than others, but I think we can all agree breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try or want it, breastfeeding doesn’t work—this was exactly how my journey wound up.
Like most new moms, I wanted to breastfeed my babies. I mean, all the research said it was the best for my children, and what mom doesn’t want to give their children the best? I took classes, read everything I could, bought all the “stuff” I was told I needed. I was prepared—or so I thought. It wasn’t until I brought my brand-new daughter home that our struggles began. Between an undiagnosed lip/tongue tie and low supply due to PCOS, our breastfeeding journey was over before it even began. However, through this journey I did make some incredible friends from lactation consultants and breast milk donors.
When it came time to try and breastfeed my son, I knew better. I addressed his ties early on, I did what I could to help my supply (even though it was still low and I still had to supplement) and we were able to breastfeed for about 9 months. It was at the 9-month mark my supply tanked and no matter what I did, I could not get it back up. So, while I am disappointed I couldn’t breastfeed longer, I’m happy we were able to make it work for as long as we did.
There is always a silver lining to every situation and my breastfeeding journey was no exception. The most caring people have been brought into my life through my breastfeeding struggles. I have developed life-long friendships as a result and for that, I am grateful.
Model Call
I wish someone would have warned me about how hard breastfeeding was going to be. Time and time again, I see the majority of breastfeeding discussions revolve around the numerous benefits it has for baby and how incredible the connection you both develop will be. It glamorizes the process and, when this is not our experience, moms tend to think they must be doing something wrong. They believe they are the problem—the exception, not the rule. We don’t often talk about how hard (and sometimes improbable) it can be for mom. For this reason I have decided to take on a personal photo project which will document reality of breastfeeding.
I am looking for several moms in the Rochester and surrounding areas who would be interested allowing me to document their breastfeeding journey. This would be a long-term project and would involve a monthly commitment and open lines of communication. The goal of this project would be to shed some light on the realities of breastfeeding, help inspire other breastfeeding mamas, normalize breastfeeding, and most of all, let moms know they are not alone in their struggles.
Breastfeeding is hard and it’s not always glamorous, but it’s also pretty damn beautiful. That is what I want to focus on.
I am looking for moms who fit one of the following categories:
- An expecting mom who is planning to breastfeed
- A new, breastfeeding mom
- An established breastfeeding mom
- A extended breastfeeding mom
- A low supply mom using an SNS or supplementing via bottle
- Mom + breast milk donor Pair
- An exclusively pumping mom
- A nursing mom of multiples
- An adoptive mom who has induced or will induce lactation
If you would like to participate in this ongoing project, please fill out the questionnaire by clicking here. I can’t wait to chat with you!
All applications will be reviewed and families will be contacted if selected. Those selected will receive 10 high-res images suitable for printing up to 11 x17 as a thank you.
If you have any questions regarding this model call, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
*Must be willing to sign a model release as these images will be used for my portfolio, a possible photo book, and advertising purposes.
Recently, I have been seeing a lot of photographers using the terms “documentary” and “lifestyle” interchangeably in regards to the type of photo sessions they offer. Being that documentary photography is a fairly new genre, I can understand why there might be some confusion. There is a distinct difference, however, between lifestyle and family documentary photography. So before lines are blurred further, I thought it would be helpful to explain the difference.
Lifestyle Photography
Most of the candid, natural sessions you will come across in your search for a photographer will fall under the “lifestyle” umbrella—they are a stylized version of real life—everyone’s outfits are coordinating, the background is clear of clutter, lighting is absolutely perfect, etc. … you get the idea. Lifestyle photographers tend to capture “real moments” within stylized scenarios they guided into place.
For example, your photographer will ask you to tickle your child and then capture the resulting giggles—the moment is real, but the way in which the moment came about is fabricated, or guided into place. They may say “How about we go near this window and play?” which provides them with the perfect scene and lighting to capture whatever unfolds. They could also have you repeat something you did in the moment. This allows them the opportunity to capture a moment they may have missed or allow them to get a better composition or angle.
It’s a cleaned-up version of real life— nobody’s house or child is ever as clean as they are in these pictures in real life (if it is for you, please teach me your ways).
Documentary Photography
Love this genuine, authentic moment between father and son during bath time.
Documentary photography is all about capturing life as it unfolds—whether the photographer was there or not—the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. It is moment-driven, authentic, real, and unique to each family. They aren’t necessarily meant to always be “pretty;” they are meant to tell a story.
With documentary photography, the photographer has the ability to freely tell your story while it is unfolding in front of them. The images you see happened in the moment, with no guidance given. These sessions accurately depict a particular stage in your family’s life and the relationships you have with one another. It focuses more on emotion and ultimately provides you with a photographic time capsule of those moments in your life.
Family documentary photography is built upon the principles of photojournalism (documentary family photography is also often referred to as family photojournalism). With this particular type of photography, it is expected that nothing is moved or touched in the scene, subjects are not directed, light is not altered, and post-production is minimal.
I believe this type of photography is instrumental in fighting constant societal pressure to always be what it deemed as “perfect.” Nobody is perfect, life especially, and this gives us the opportunity to show the beauty within the imperfect parts of family life. Perfection is found in our life’s everyday moments—the good, bad, and everything in between.
No One Way is Better Than the Other
I don’t want you to believe I think one style of photography is necessarily better than the other. I believe each style has its place within the industry, yields totally different photographic results, and solves the needs of individual families. I do believe “knowledge is power” and hopefully now you have a better understanding of the differences between lifestyle and documentary family photography. Hopefully, this information can help you to better identify the type of session you would want for your family moving forward.
If you want to learn more about differences between these two styles, check out this blog post by Jenna Christina Photography. She interviewed family photojournalists from around the world to ask them what they believe the difference is between lifestyle and documentary photography. And of course, if you have any questions regarding the difference between these two genres, please feel free to contact me.
“There are moments that I know I will long for even as I live them.” -Judith Katzir
I recently came across this quote and I have to say, this is something I can completely relate to—I feel it in the depths of my soul. As a parent, I think this resonates with me even more—every snuggle, family dinner, game played, story read—I realize just how amazing life is and how much I will cherish these small, fleeting moments for as long as I live. I also know when I think back to them, my heart will ache a little because my babies will be a little bit older and that particular season of my life will be over.
Time flies and our lives change, there is no way around it. No matter how much we try and slow things down, life seems to go faster. I know personally I try to desperately remember all the new things my kids are doing each and every day—whether it be a new skill learned, a funny thing they said, etc.—because I know tomorrow they will be a slightly different person than they are today.
Recently, I was re-watching the Jim and Pam wedding episode of The Office (the ones before Steve Carell left, you know, back when it was good). In this episode, Pam brought up the idea of taking “mental pictures” throughout the wedding day to help try to remember the special moments happening throughout the weekend. It was her way of trying not to forget the little things.
I think as parents, we naturally do this. I can already tell you my list of mental pictures: the first time I locked eyes with each of my children, watching my husband develop into an amazing father, my daughter becoming a big sister, the way my son stroke’s my face when he’s nursing or drinking a bottle, wrist rolls and chubby baby thighs, watching the “moon” before bed, even our messy, chaotic house … I could go on and on.
However, there’s one problem with mental pictures: they only exist in our minds. I don’t want memories to just live in my head because like it or not, memories fade over time. Things that were once clear in our heads become fuzzy and details are forgotten. This is why photographing your every day is so important.
Even now, when I look at pictures of my childhood, the memories instantly come flooding back. Looking at a picture, I can instantly recall a memory. I can remember almost everything from that particular moment—the conversations had, how I felt, even the smells. I want to give this gift to my children—I want them to look at a picture from their past and have the memories come flooding back. I want them to remember how they felt when they watched The Lorax or Elmo for the hundredth time, the excitement they felt watching a light parade at Christmas time, the love (maybe even the inside jokes) they had with family members who won’t be with us in the future. I want them to have a tangible piece of their history.
As much as I try to live in the now, I also do what I can to document what our lives are like currently. My life has drastically changed since my son was born and that was only 8 months ago—going from one to two children was definitely a life changer. Even within the last 4 months, our family dynamic has changed … we have a crawler on our hands, so there is definitely no more downtime and life is just a little more hectic (and fun).
Remember, every day that passes is gone forever, but every photo taken allows us to preserve our moments so we can relive them in the future. You will never regret a photo you took, only the one you wish you had.
I am often asked how I found my love for photography and like many of my peers, it has been an innate love since the first time I picked up a camera. However, like many long-term relationships, my relationship with photography hasn’t always been easy.
My relationship with photography really started in high school, when I took my first photography course. It was there I learned about the technical side of photography and experimented with different styles (Thank you Mr. Martin!). By the end of my high school career, I knew I wanted to further pursue photography as a career in college. I applied to Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts & Sciences and, much to my delight, I was accepted.
It was when I started my training at RIT that my relationship with photography had hit a bit of a rough patch. I don’t know if it was the stress of classes or what, but photography slowly started to become something I dreaded—no longer was it something I did out of enjoyment for me. It was then I decided to switch majors to marketing (which is what I do full time) and keep photography as just a hobby, hoping to salvage whatever spark I had left. Honestly, after I made the decision to change majors, it was years before I ever picked up a camera; a thought that makes me sad even to this day.
As the old adage goes, “If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.” This is exactly what happened to me and how I now know, without a shadow of a doubt, that photography is a part of my being and is something I could never truly give up.
Photography slowly eeked its way back into my life slowly over the past 3 years, but it wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I truly realized I had rekindled that love. I saved up enough money before my daughter was born to buy a high-end point and shoot camera with fully manual capabilities and that was it…once again I was hooked. Now to be clear, my appreciation for photography never wavered, I constantly viewed other photographers and their art, secretly longing to pick up a camera again. I booked photo session upon photo session for my daughter’s first year since I knew how fleeting these moments were and photography was my way of preserving them.
They say having children changes you and it does, but it can also help you find yourself again. This is what happened to me. I realized I had found the love I had let go of so long ago and it was so much sweeter the second time around. I love all the memories I get to preserve of my daughter and now my son. I love how slowly, I am finding my photographic voice again. I love the sense of community I am building through connecting with artists like myself.
I am slowly familiarizing myself with my camera, becoming more and more addicted to the craft. The pictures I produce not only bring me joy, but are filled with meaning. It’s a piece of me I had long forgotten and am so glad I get to know again.
The last two sessions I had covered evening routines, so when the Dooher family told me they wanted to cover their morning routine I got a little giddy. Now when I say morning routine, I mean, kids are just barely awake morning routine. When I arrived at their house at just about 6:30 am, I was greeted by the glow of their TV and a very groggy James (Dad) and Anthony (4) watching Arthur. However, it wasn’t long until Kim (Mom), Deaglan (2), and Vivian (6 months) joined us as well.
Kim and James were definitely working in sync throughout the morning, working tirelessly to get three little humans ready for the day. They were definitely a team, and you could see it in everything they did. From entertaining the boys to working with Vivian on her physical therapy requirement, these two did not skip a beat. Before breakfast, they each took the time to spend with all the kids in the playroom.
After a bit of playtime, everyone went into the kitchen to make French toast. While James was diligently working on breakfast, it was Deaglan that stole the show. From trying to put plates on his brother’s head, just randomly sticking his face through the kitchen chairs, or just stuffing his face to the brim with food, he was just hysterical to watch. Believe it or not, he was the one that was slow to warm up to me—I’m grateful that was short-lived and he eventually had no problem showing me his goofy, playful, and inquisitive personality.
After breakfast, we all went into the playroom for more playtime and this time, it was Anthony who really stood out to me, he was so sweet and caring towards his little sister. He constantly made sure she was included and had no problem showering her with affection. It was absolutely heart-melting. Vivian was the most laid back baby ever. You could tell she just loved being in everyone’s company, especially Anthony’s, and enjoying the action happening around her.
The boys eventually went over to their “cave” (a closet in the guestroom) and had some fun there until they eventually kicked me out. But it wasn’t long until they came out for some reading time with mom while dad helped Vivian with some physical therapy. By the way, have I mentioned how much I just loved their house! Their guestroom had a loft, and of course, I couldn’t help but use it to my advantage to take some great pictures.
Before I left, I was able to capture the kids as they met their new baby cousin via FaceTime. The kids’ reactions to their baby cousin was so sweet, you can already tell they are going to be the best of friends.
Kim and James, thank you for allowing me to get to know your family, especially that early in the AM!
Be sure to check out the slideshow below to see some of the highlights from our evening together. For optimal quality, be sure to view in at least 720p H
