Tiny Life Stories
Tiny life stories are stories that capture small moments in life. They may be moments of joy, sadness, discovery, surprise, or any other emotion. These stories can be about anything from a special memory, a time spent with a loved one, or a moment that changed your outlook on life. Tiny life stories are about capturing the little moments that make life special.
My parents gifted me a box of old family photos. Looking through those images brought back so many memories and stories. I asked about the people in the images I didn’t recognize what was happening at the time it was taken. They told me what they could recall and I remember seeing the joy in their faces as they remembered people and places they hadn’t thought about in years. It was an afternoon of storytelling, lessons and discovery that started me on an unexpected chapter of my photography journey, documenting tiny life stories.
Tiny Life Stories are a powerful way to bring stories to life, and can be a meaningful way to share your story.
They are stories that capture small moments in life. They may be moments of joy, sadness, discovery, surprise, or any other emotion. These stories can be about anything from a special memory, a time spent with loved ones, or a moment that changed your outlook on life. Tiny life stories are about capturing the little moments that make life special.
How to Record Tiny Life Stories
Recording your tiny life stories is a great way to capture and remember special moments. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Start by recording the moment that you want to remember. You can take a picture, video or a combination of both to capture the moment.
Include details such as the time of day, the people involved, and any other special details that make the moment unique.
Finally, write a few sentences to summarize the story. This can be a few sentences about the story, or it can be a reflection about what the moment meant to you.
By recording your tiny life stories, you can look back, remember the special moments in your life.
You can use these stories to reflect on the past, to look forward to the future, and to appreciate the small moments that make life so beautiful. An old family photo is a great way to start, but you can also include images, videos, and audio recordings from other points in your life.
My project will have a mix of old and new photos. I will use the old images to trigger my memories and write about people and events I’ve long forgotten about. I’ll also talk to my parents to get the stories behind some of the images, New images will be documented for my family and kids. I want them to look back and see their childhood, their life in words and images. I will also take video, but I haven’t figured out how I’m going to past those down to my kids.
Creating this collection of memories can be a meaningful and powerful way to share your story, so start collecting your photos and other materials and begin creating your visual memoir today. Feel free to join my newsletter to follow along and get tips on how you can start to document your stories.
Do you have any old photos from your childhood? What are you doing to preserve your memories now, lets talk about it in the comments.
Family Lifestyle Photography vs Posed Portrait Photography
Lifestyle photography captures the relationship between you and your partner, between siblings, parents and children. Its unscripted, but planned; it’s not posed, but directed. Its about connections and emotion between family and loved ones in portraits that are relaxed.
I've been photographing children and families for awhile now and until recently, I considered myself strictly a "portrait photographer". In fact, it took me a while to even realize that there were other types of photography out there! However, as I started to grow and my skills improved, I found myself posing my clients less and capturing their interactions more. I started to capture clients with the kinds of images I took of my own kids and family. I know what you're thinking...…
Whats the difference between lifestyle and portrait photography, glad you asked.
Lifestyle photography captures you in real life
Lifestyle photography is about capturing your family in real life situations and your unique personalities. The photos are designed to feel more authentic and genuine. Think about the photos you see influencers and celebrities post on Instagram. Those are often lifestyle images. It's about capturing you in a way that reflects your personality and interests. Lifestyle photography captures the relationship between you and your partner, between siblings, parents and children. Its unscripted, but planned; it’s not posed, but directed. Its about connections and emotion between family and loved ones in portraits that are relaxed.
Lifestyle photography is perfect for children because it allows them to be themselves. Rather than having them sit still and posed, they are encouraged to talk and play. I often have clients bring their kid's favorite toy. It gives me something to talk to the kids about and they get excited talking about their favorite thing.
Portrait vs. Lifestyle Photography
Portrait photography is typically more formal and posed. The goal of portrait photography is to create a traditional, polished image. With portraits, you're usually told on how to pose, whether to sit or stand, how to angle your body, where to place their hands or feet. This helps to create a more structured image where you look natural, but also be prepared and ready for the camera. Portraits are usually captured in a studio or outdoor location with controlled lighting and background. Traditional portrait photography is a great way to document how you and your family looked at a specific time in their life.
Lifestyle photography is more relaxed and candid type of portrait. It’s less about creating a polished image and more about telling a story and capturing your personality and emotions. The location of the session can be anywhere from a local park, coffee shops, and in clients homes. One of the big differences between portraits and lifestyle photography is that you’re prompted more than posed. This is only to draw out natural interactions and the emotions that follow.
Prompts might include suggesting an action, “tell each other a joke” , or a pose, “carry the baby while holding the oldest child’s hand”.
The flexibility of this style allows me to interact with my clients on an individual level, rather than relying on pre-set poses or lighting setups.
Traditional Portraits and Lifestyle Overlap
Portraits and lifestyle photography do overlap and can be incorporated into your session. During your session there will be moments where you're directed to "hold that pose" or stand or sit in order to get a portrait style photo. What I have found is that most people feel nervous, or awkward during the session. By incorporating an activity, movement and their real life, we're able to get authentic smiles for portraits.
Portraits = posed and scripted
Lifestyle = prompted and planned
Hope this helps you when you’re looking for a photographer for your next family session and come across these types of family portrait sessions.
No matter what type of session you book with me, I will always make sure that it's tailored to your needs and preferences--whether that means capturing everything from candid moments to posed portraits.
The Importance of Printing your Images
We are taking photos more than ever, but they’re nearly all digital files with very few prints being produced. By now we know that digital never means safe, phones are lost or stolen, hard drives crash and people are locked out of their social media accounts every day. Yet millions of memories are currently being entrusted to websites, clouds and phones.
We are taking photos more than ever, but they’re nearly all digital files with very few prints being produced. By now we know that digital never means safe, phones are lost or stolen, hard drives crash and people are locked out of their social media accounts every day. Yet millions of memories are currently being entrusted to websites, clouds and phones.
The risk of losing our stories could be felt by an entire generation, as we grow up without a printed record of our lives.
The most photographed generation of all time could wind up being the next Lost Generation.
Data from a survey conducted by the Professional Photographers of America found that 42% of people will likely look back and wonder where photos of their childhood, holiday get-togethers, relatives and friends have gone decades from now. It was also notes that 67% of people store their photos solely on a computer or phone.
53% of people have not printed a photo in more than 12 months, 70% don’t have photo albums, and 42% no longer print photos at all.
We know that family heirlooms like pocket watches, quilts and wedding dresses have survived the disruption caused by technological advancements.
We have to remember the value and importance of printed, framed, and mounted photographs in our lives and for the generations after us.
Children love to see images of themselves around the house, newlyweds have fond moments when they see their wedding photo on the mantle or walls, and our most beloved pets are sealed in time all thanks to the power of print.
Why Print Your Images?
Because technology comes and goes.
Because your prints are for today, tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that.
Because prints remind us of what love really feels like.
Because they’re only young once.
Because the place to save money is not on the most important purchases.
Because so many photos get lost, or even worse, deleted off of old hard drives.
Because you can touch and feel your memories.
Because you put too much work into your family not to show them off!
Because a hard drive doesn’t trigger a smile.
Because memories are tied to touch.
Because there’s nothing like sitting down by a fireplace and flipping through the pages of a family album.
Because your parents and grandparents won’t be around forever.
I carry a wide selection of print products designed to show and preserve your families’ memories. Contact me here to learn schedule a portrait session that includes a print credit; and join my mailing list below to get tips and tricks on learn how to get started on preserving your families stories
Senior Portraits - Ashley
Its Senior Prom Season! Ashley looked absolutely stunning in her custom made gown. She had no special requests for her session, only that she wanted to take pictures on a grand stair case. We found the perfect location and was able to get these beautiful Senior portraits of her.
Location: Lake Shore East Park - Chicago
Senior Portraits - Chayla
Lake Shore East Park - Chicago - Senior Portraits
Chayla is a gorgeous Senior from Chicago, who wanted flowers and a city back drop for her Senior Year images.
The Harris Family
Met the Harris Family. I was excited to photograph this family. The kids are students at my son’s school. The parents are super cool and it really felt like I was having a session with old friends.
Met the Harris Family. I was excited to photograph this family. The kids are students at my sons school. The parents are super cool and it really felt like I was having a session with old friends. A plus, they bought their dog!! As you can see from the photos, this was a great session and I had so much fun taking their family portraits.
Modern Portrait and Lifestyle Photography in Chicago.
