belly :: the ayoub family

Elizabeth and Nick are quickly approaching the EDD of their miracle baby girl. And while they wait, they are dating. I met up with them downtown as Nick was leaving his office for the day, and followed them around on a brief date around town: hot chocolate at Kilwin's, a walk through soft-falling snow around Rosa Parks Circle, and then some wandering around the city's famous old Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

They were drawn to this form of maternity photos because they see this pregnancy as an unfolding story. We paused for a few belly portraits, but mostly they had a very typical date. Through it all, these two engaged in animated conversation, punctuated by laughter and bolstered by great affection. I might as well have been invisible. And that's exactly how I like short story photojournalism sessions to go. :)

family photojournalism :: the tenderos

it's "off season" here, which means it's time to do some back-office work, add up all the miles i've driven in 2015 for tax purposes, tweak the website, and reflect some on my evolution as a photographer in the past years, as well as what i want to be/do in 2016. 

i've been thinking a lot about family photojournalism sessions, and how I can continue to refine how i communicate about them and shoot them for maximum impact and value. that's multifaceted. in thinking about that, i've been returning mentally to one of the first family photojournalism sessions i ever did. at the time i was calling them "Slice of Life" sessions. this was a portfolio piece, which means i begged my dear friends - who live every detail of their lives with intention and beauty - to let me test this idea out on them, and they graciously agreed. 

i gave them firm instructions not to dress up or do anything special. they obeyed. even though i knew her daughter's florescent green t-shirt was absolutely annoying to my friend, she stuck with the plan. they ignored me, they left their messes out, and i just shot away happily while they did their thing, just being a family. they did some homeschooling, played outside, welcomed dad home from work, prepped dinner, sat on the porch, had some screen time, chopped wood, and then sat down for a meal.

i'm sharing this one from the archives. it's very long (i spent an entire afternoon with them), but so full of beauty. 

(ps: if you make it to the end of this post, there's a little coupon code available for your use)

These friends have since moved from this house. They've been on long, testing, and life-changing journeys since we made these images. And looking at these photos now -- from an "era" in their family that feels so distant -- they seem even weightier with worth than ever. 

Book your own Family Photojournalism session between now and January 31st, 2016, and enjoy $50 off. When you contact me to set up your session, just mention the code MESSYANDREAL. 

personal :: day in the [messy] life

waking up before my kids is an elusive ideal. i know the day will go better when i can manage it; i will be alert, caffeinated, showered, dressed, and filled with the Words of Truth. but when the baby wakes me 4 times in one night for a week straight, and then wakes me once a night and fusses for an hour before falling back asleep... well, i turn off the alarm. i've been feeling so worn down by the sleeplessness, and so scattered from the lack of morning time to center myself for the day. 

this morning as my husband left for his weekly early tuesday morning meeting, i was sitting in bed in the dark, listening to the children's voices coming from down the hall. they were already awake, the sun still below the horizon. i nearly cried. but while they were playing relatively happily, i snuck in a quick shower and while in the shower i had the idea to use my camera as therapy. so much for perfect, i thought. why even try today? i'm putting on the baggy, fraying blue jeans and crappy fitting t-shirts. i'm saying yes to the mess today. and i'm going to capture that mess. i'm going to capture it with a sense of humor, and perhaps even with some affection. 

so what lies below is the result of me doing that from about 9 am to 2:30 pm. this is our perfect imperfection. i'm offering it up as a little gift to say to you, mamas, that though my house cleans up nicely it rarely cleans up at all. i may make photographs that look idyllic, but sometimes that's because i know how to leave things out of the frame in such a way that you can't guess at the mess surrounding a spot of beauty or harmony. you can see my mess. 

first, a note about the cast of characters, so that these photos can speak without you getting confused along the way. the characters are my three kids, Hazel (4.5), Gus (2.5) and Walt (8 months), my husband Tim, my housemate (Mark), and my friend Bethany and her two little ones (ages 2.5 and 14 months) who came over for a playdate this morning and just fell right into the chaos with grace and humor. there's also a cameo appearance from one of our ministry's interns (our interns live in our ministry house across the ally), who had stopped by with Tim for a minute.

as i did this, my mood shifted from exhausted and defeated, to patient and wondering (because i was trying to document everything, even/especially the naughtiness, i had to wait and observe non-judgmentally before i reactively jumped in to stop anything), and eventually to gratitude and affection. it truly did. by the time we had seen hazel off to school and gotten the boys down for naps, i remembered again how much i love them, and love this crazy life we're living.

this is family photojournalism in it's purest form. there was no wardrobe premeditation, no house-sprucing, not attempts at good behavior. and you know what? that felt SO RIGHT, so freeing... and so stinking beautiful in the end. 

can i do this for you?

geeky photographer notes for those who are interested: i shot with my 24mm lens all day. the wide angle made it nearly impossible to leave out all the messy contexts, which is what i was shooting for today. a wide lens tells a bigger story oftentimes, though i'm often too shy to use it much in shoots for clients; it's a risky lens. i also shot in aperture-priority mode with the aperture wide open (f/2.8 for this lens), as well as auto-ISO mode (capped at 5000). i made this choice because by refusing to engage in the perfectionistic detail work of shooting in manual, i was more able to just roll with the punches, picking up my camera to take a shot when a moment was happening, while still participating in my family life fully. i needed that flexibility today.

family photojournalism :: the melville family

janna and jeff, after living in other cities during college, put down roots in their neighborhood nearly a decade ago. they love it just as much now as ever, and all that affection and settledness is evident in the home they've made together, into which they welcomed their sweet son Oliver this spring. 

you're invited to come take a peek at an evening at home with them. there's nothing spectacularly unique going on here, and yet it is absolutely, authentically and only THIS family's story: blocks, books, and the doggie always nearby, kisses and baby seats, bath time and meal time, cooking while wine-sipping, nursing and bedtime, grown-ups relaxing after baby is sleeping. this is the good stuff. 

and on a shallower note, i'm a bit enamored with the way they decorate! oliver's nursery is amazing and features the best wallpaper ever! and their kitchen cabinets!? bold and delicious. :)

thanks for visiting, friends. leave a little love for this family in the comments!

family photojournalism :: the srebinski family (part 2)

last week i left you with half of a session with this darling family. and this morning i'm bringing you the second part. in which we walk -- in fits and starts -- to the neighborhood elementary school to run and play. and back again. 

we also stopped a couple times to take a few smile-at-the-camera family portraits. and here i must insert a brief aside: if you've been on the fence about family photojournalism because at the end of the day you're a sucker for a good, smiley portrait of everyone's faces, you needn't fear. i get that. and that's why i always include it in a family photojournalism session. in a typical family photojournalism session, you'll mostly just do your usual activities while i document it all, but once or twice i'll pause you and ask you to cuddle up, look at me, and smile. in this really laid-back, fleeting, and candid manner we'll make a few solid portraits of the entire family. then we'll move back to the slice of life stuff. 

just a simple walk on an autumn day can be filled with so much beauty. 

Also, it is NOT too early to get in touch about booking a session for this winter or early spring, as I'll be taking on a pretty limited number of sessions each month. Reach out if you're at all tempted. 

family photojournalism :: the srebinski family (part 1)

this session is going to have 2 blog posts because I just can't narrow it down. i break all the photo blogging rules in the world with pretty much every blog post. were you aware of that? "they" say that you should only show like 20-30 photos per session MAX. but I say, "to heck with it! there's so much beauty to share!" and then i proceed to share like 60+ photos per session. and that's not even the full gallery that my client has, guys. i'm totally out of control. but in a good way. i think. 

anyway, this family is just great. recently transplanted to Grand Rapids from Chicago, they have been living in this sweet apartment built in an old church building, having rented it sight unseen. and though it's unique and new and has sweet stained glass windows, and is located in a really fun historic district downtown, they are looking forward to an upcoming move into a house next month. at first, Erin wasn't sure she wanted their family photos done in this temporary home of theirs, but she quickly realized that actually YES, she does. because someday they'll be sentimental about this place, and because this is where their life has been unfolding in this season, and it is where their curly-haired, lively boy has been coming into his own as an almost 2 year-old. 

i joined them on a sunday morning as they made pancakes from scratch, played with cars and trucks, sat down for a meal, and then got ready for a walk. (i went for the walk with them, too, which is what part 2 will be about). 

so here they are: erin, keith, theo, and mosley (the dog)...

Join us next week for a walk to the playground. 

And get in touch to set up a session like this for your own family. I have limited sessions available each month, so don't delay.