I had the opportunity to make it home this summer to spend time with my family in Nebraska. While I was there, I made sure to dig out some old photographs (“some” meaning a huge storage container from under the house). The second I started digging through, I was blown away by the amount of emotions the mostly unposed, off-centered photographs seemed to evoke. These old photos weren’t simply snapshots of relatives and old family friends, but moments frozen in time. “Who’s old motorcycle was that?” “Look how much dad looks like my brothers!” “My mom’s handwriting hasn’t changed since 1974…” So much nostalgia contained in one box.
It got me thinking about the images we’re going to pass down to the next generations. My favorite shots of our daughter are always the spontaneous, in-the-moment shots where her personality is seeping through. It’s very possible that this is solely because, being the daughter of two photographers, she refuses to look at the camera and smile…but that’s beside the point. Loving these shots so much, we began to let her do her own thing and document the moments as they played out: picking up vegetables at the grocery store, trips to the library, picnics at the park…you name it. And it’s only fed our desire to capture real moments.
Documentary-inspired photography might not be the norm, but it’s gaining momentum and there is a reason for that. There is something to be said about beautifully capturing the love in our everyday moments. Your yard may not be perfectly manicured, your house may not be spotless, you may not even feel like changing out of your yoga pants today…but that’s not the point. The point is the people, the point is the feelings, the point is capturing these now moments. Twenty years from now you’re going to want be looking back at these photos and see your life as it was, feel how you felt…and most people don’t live in a place pulled straight out of Better Homes and Gardens.

That being said, let us document your now moments: A trip to the baseball game, picking out that perfect pumpkin for carving, running through the sprinklers in the back yard, eating pizza while watching Dr Who. Anything that makes your family a family. Let’s get the conversation started. We can’t wait to hear from you!