Alain & Gen's Family - Day in the Life Session

This is a session from September 2019.
Yes, I’m that behind on blogging but trying to catch up by posting my favorite sessions.

What makes a successful day in the life session?
A glimpse of the absolutely normal everyday stuff and a family that invites me in to see it. That’s it. And it’s magic.

I arrived right when their girls were waking up. I was there for the early morning snuggles in bed bathed in early morning light. Most families think, oh we need to get ourselves ready before you come over. No you don’t.

Next it was onto a bit of dress up, breakfast, and getting ready for the day. Finally one quick impromptu dance party before the girls were off to their own Saturday morning dance classes. (Did I mention both Gen and Alain are dancers too?)

After dance classes were over they walked down to a corner cafe grabbed a snack and joined some friends at a neighborhood park.

Then a quick stop at a little free library and back home to relax. That’s it!

A normal Saturday routine captured in a way they’ll be able to relive for years to come.

Thanks to Alain and Gen who graciously welcomed me in and trusted me completely to be there for all the little moments.

Check out their entire session through the slideshow below.

Thierry and Marisa - Newborn Day in the Life Session

There’s nothing so sweet, tiring, and fleeting as those first newborn days. Marisa and Thierry welcomed beautiful little Ella and about two weeks later I swung by their home to document their life as a family of three.

As I was documenting their sweet family and watching them take in every little moment with Ella I was transported back to the hazy newborn days with my son. I have a million pictures of my son but very few of our family and myself with our new family member in our new daily routine. I so wish I could look back on some photos and see how beautiful those moments were, because as most parents will tell you, those first days and weeks are hard but amazing.

The joy of having a documentary session of those first few days with a new baby really comes later. When the baby has grown and is crawling or walking or talking and you view those photos with a new set of parent eyes and see how glorious those days were when you were just meeting this perfect sweet little family member. The secret all parents know is that those days are numbered and never last long enough.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the few hours I spent with newborn Ella and her parents. Scroll down to see their slideshow.

Full Slideshow

Thurber Family - Day in the Life Session - Family Documentary Photography

Because they won’t stay little very long…

I met Claudia pretty soon after moving to Montreal. Almost two years ago now, she was the first fellow mom to welcome me to the city. I remember my son was so little and her youngest was so much smaller too when we met up for coffee.

Two years later, a winding road of exploring my photography passions and here we are. Family documentary photography has captivated me for years now. I’ve been actively documenting my own family in the same journalistic manner since, well, my journalism days. Seems natural right? My kids have so many moments, everyday and milestones, captured by mom’s camera. As my own children age I can see more and more clearly the value of freezing these fast paced years in photographs. Our everyday lives are just as valuable to cherish as the yearly family portrait, if not more so. Now I am turning my camera on other families to document the fleeting and beautiful everyday moments for them to treasure as well.

After documenting just a regular Saturday morning at the Thurber house, Claudia and I again met for coffee (and tea) and I showed her the photos I had taken of their daily and weekly routines, and all the hidden beautiful real moments mixed in there. My goal was to capture their family in a way that was truly 100% them and tell their story. When she teared up watching the slideshow I knew I had accomplished just that. (And then I started to cry too.)

Below are just a few of my favorite photos from their session, scroll to the bottom to see their complete slideshow.

Thurber Family Day in the Life Slideshow

Interested in a family documentary session for your own family? Contact me here.