since resolving in my heart to photograph families almost exclusively in a raw, slice-of-life style, and changing my business to reflect that, i've had a bit of trouble finding people who "get" it. it's felt like, overall, photography-seeking people have expectations that include parks or studios, some posing, smiles at the camera, and coordinated clothing. the idea of someone coming into what seems like the unremarkable chaos of their home is not immediately attractive.
but allie somehow "got" it immediately. her exuberance about the whole idea was actually super encouraging to me. it gave me hope that maybe people CAN begin to love this way of having their families photographed, and that maybe i wasn't crazy to build my business around it. i needed that.
so we set a date and got to work. which, practically speaking, means that allie and her family went about their sunday evening business while i followed them around with a camera. they did a fantastic job ignoring me and not acting too self-conscious. with a house full of 4 boys, this form of photography is probably a great fit, since the boys can just be boys!
there were nerf guns, and there was wrestling. there were tater tots and uno and blocks and running. and in the midst of all of this, deep shalom and joy, contradictory though that might at first appear to be.
and at the end of the evening, i sat down at the table with allie and heard her story. it's a redemption story, a story of heart-level renewal, a story of surrender to Jesus. which gave context the thick layer of shalom. :)
here, once again, are more photos than you probably even need. :) at the end is a funny series documenting our attempt to get one sit-still-and-smile-at-the-camera shot. each one cracks me up, particularly when viewed one right after the other.
stay tuned for a second blog post featuring this amazing family. we did a story-within-a-story, too. and i thought it deserved a second post. it's the kind of little story that will melt the heart of every mother. how's that for suspense? ;)
allie, would you leave a comment below about why you wanted to have your family photographed in this way? i know you'll say it well! Thanks!