In TV and film production – they call it the 4th wall. THE CAMERA. The biggest rule of thumb to filming anything that is to be believable and authentic is to NOT break through the 4th wall. Basically, don’t look at the camera. Never, ever, not even for a second. For the second you break down the 4th wall, the story feels staged. A moment before that you may have been lost in the story that the artist was trying to tell. You were wrapped up in the emotion and in the landscapes and in the people that were all around them. You were a PART of it. Feeling everything they were feeling as an unknowing observer of an intimate story being told.
Over the past few months I’ve been looking at my body of work as a whole and by far my favorite images are the ones where the 4th wall was not broken. The images that pull an emotion out of ME when I look at it. Even more than that, my favorite images are the ones where my clients were willing to go a little deeper. To allow me to be the storyteller of their life in that moment and to draw authentic emotions out of them. The ones that allowed me to engage them in a way that would welcome that kind of raw, real, emotion. I slowly realize that is the art that I *truly* want to create. The kind that inspires me as a person. The kind that makes me go home and squeeze my own family tighter. The kind that reminds me how special this life is and how truly blessed we are to be in it. The kind that makes me feel like we were given these gifts to be used for a deeper purpose.
I know how important it is to have a family portrait, at the beach, hanging in a canvas over your fireplace. The one that all the neighbors see when they come over for coffee. The one that is in the background of your casual family pictures while opening presents on Christmas morning. There is great value in that. Your family legacy. That is important and needs to be documented for future generations.
But what about your STORY? Your love story? The story of you life? The story with your children? How did you FEEL when he said those words to you? How you FEEL when your child was born? How did you FEEL when she said YES? I want you to share this with each other, so that I can capture as you tell your unique story. To each other. To showcase the bonds between you. And when others see the images we’ve created together, they can feel the same emotions you felt. They are drawn in to that moment with you. That preservation in time.
And when YOU look through your new album or series of canvases on your OTHER wall, maybe opposite the fireplace, you will feel it too. That day. That moment. That bond and that emotion all over again. That intimacy that is uniquely yours. I want you to look at it and see each other. And once again be in that moment.
Not everyone wants to go deeper. I get that. Some people “just need some pictures”. I get that too. Gathering your whole family together for a portrait session should probably be an award winning accomplishment! I am happy to continue to provide that service to you with custom photography and beautiful imagery.
But today I’m asking for those who would like to consider going deeper with a different kind of portrait session. To think about WHY you are choosing to be photographed at this time. Is it to celebrate a birthday? An anniversary? To capture a particular time in your life? To celebrate just being you? These are all part of a greater story – YOUR story. And I’m asking for you to trust me as we dig a little deeper and extract these emotions from you during this kind of session. These kinds of sessions will be longer and more planning will be involved for both of us, but I promise you in the end it will be so worth it.
“A good photograph either tells a story or is beautiful, a GREAT photograph does both” ~ Mary Marantz
Maybe you are the artistic type and the idea of a “family portrait” makes you cringe. Maybe you are the kind of person who needs to be inspired again and are ready to let your walls down and allow someone to capture the “real” you. There is a special collection exclusively available for just this kind of session. One that will properly tell your story and give you the tangible products that will tell that story to future generations. Be sure to “like” the Facebook page HERE to stay updated.
.jpg)
