family trees

 
Photographing families can be tricky business. Or perhaps I should rephrase that by saying photographing families in an intimate, natural and somewhat artful way is the rascally part. Clustering them together and asking them to smile certainly isn’t rocket science, but boy is it boring and all too common. And then there’s the other end of the spectrum: overly clever portraits of families doing oddly orchestrated things together in places they would probably not otherwise frequent. I personally don’t even get the “family group jumping in the air” shot. In all my years on this planet I’ve yet to come across a family simultaneously leaping towards the heavens with arms and legs splayed everywhere. I just don’t think this is what they do on a normal basis unless perhaps they‘re playing volleyball together. But photographers seem to find these super springy relatives everywhere they turn.

The thing is, families are inherently messy, and family portraits for the most part need to be clean and somewhat organized to not be confusing for the eye to view. So the photographer who really cares about his work has a challenging task before him. Usually when families are gathered together they like to spread out and leave a little space between them. Maybe a couple of them will snuggle together on the couch or share a chair, but it’s pretty rare to gather at the grandparents home and find everyone sitting together in unison on the fireplace hearth. And yet, this is just what the photographer suggests needs to happen for the session to even begin. “Are we comfortable now shoulder to shoulder?!?” “Look natural please and smile!”

People love their family portraits though, no matter how artificial they may end up appearing. There seems to be this need to have visual record and claim our clan, no matter how dysfunctional the average family is underneath their photoshopped skin. I suppose because these are the people who if we’re lucky enough, will largely see us through our earthly experience from beginning to end. The ones who stick when others drift away.

It’s part of my job to observe family dynamics. To look for the love that built their foundation and find a way to convey this honestly on film. Sometimes a family comes along such as the one featured here whose deep unconditional affection for each other is so rich and palpable I feel unnecessary. Anyone with a camera couldn’t miss capturing what was between them if they tried. Nothing about the shoot went especially smooth, not uncommon when both a toddler and baby are involved……..and yet the parents, who’ve been together over sixteen years, took this all in stride and maintained a sense of humor through it all. It was a privilege to witness their love in action and just plain fun to be in their presence. They inspired me and reminded me of the best that “family“ can be.

 
~Cynthia

 
The parents liked this particular image because it showed their youngest son’s dramatic and often loud nature. I thought it was great that they appreciated who he is more than one of the more “well-behaved” staid family portraits.