:: The Moments In Between :: MA Lifestyle and Documentary Photography

THE MOMENTS IN BETWEEN

When I was shooting my Project 365 in 2013, my camera became an extension of me.  I was shooting constantly, always framing images up in my mind- looking for a photograph in everything.  I realized a few things after I completed that project.  The first was that 7653 photos of everyday life really takes up a lot of space on an external hard drive.  Second,  I am inherently drawn to the moments rather than the milestones.

I believe that most of us are really good at documenting the milestones in our lives: birthdays, first steps, graduations, weddings, births, the list is endless.  These are otherwise known as the “hey everyone, get together and smile!” photos.  But what about remembering the moments in between?  These seemingly forgotten units of time are really what help make up the bigger picture. It’s easy to overlook the little details in the experiences that are shaping us.

I think that life constantly finds us caught in the middle of things, whether intentional or not, and if we slow down and pay attention, we’ll find ‘happy accidents’ tucked into the spaces between.   Think about this:  if we can take one look at a photograph from our past and be pulled back into a memory or even better, an emotion, then we’re lucky.   In the familiar click of the shutter we’ll find that our experiences can indeed be frozen in time.  In just one single frame we are able to go back to a moment otherwise lost and possibly bear witness to the gentle quiet in a child’s eyes and really remember.  More than that, we’ll feel something.

We need to ask ourselves this question: what do we really want to remember about our lives? We’re digitally documenting everything on our phones and sharing (excessively) on social media, but are we  just manipulating our stories for the benefit of everyone else? Is that really what our lives look like? Good storytelling is sometimes an exhausting dance between reality and art, always chasing that sweet spot nestled in the moments in between.  It is essential to our legacy though.  Someday in the future when a pair of tiny hands grabs a dusty album off the shelf and starts looking through your story, what are they going to find?  What do you really want your story to say about you?

It’s important to me that the images I make speak beyond the obvious.  This is why I shoot the way I do,  moving away from the scripted sessions and perfectly posed portraits and towards a unique blend of lifestyle and documentary photojournalism. 

I want to capture the real you; the you that doesn’t apologize for a messy toy room/kitchen/bedroom, the you that lets your kids dress themselves because their individuality is important (and sometimes it’s just not worth the battle).  I want the you who embraces the beautiful chaos of the now.  As for me, well,  I don’t ever want to tell you to “look at the camera,” or try to recreate a photo you saw on Pinterest, or ask you to stop what you’re doing and pause so I can get the right angle.  I don’t want to fake it….EVER.   I want this:

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Here’s the thing, whether we like it or not– life is happening right now.  Life is messy and complicated and rarely looks like the picture we imagined in our heads.  Life is never perfect, but then again, perfect is not realistic.  Perfect is boring.

I dare you to shift the way you think about family portraits.  I dare you to think outside the box and toss the matching khakis and blue shirts.  I dare you to pick a location other than the beach.  I dare you to let me shoot you right in the face.

I’m now booking sessions in for the 2015 season.  As a salty New Englander, the summer finds me firmly planted on the Cape with a few visits up to the NH Seacoast.  If you’re in or around those parts and would like to schedule a session, let me know and I’ll keep you informed of my travel dates.