Our Perfectly Real artist this month is Jenna Christina of Jenna Christina Photography. Her fantastic black and white images are full of love, grit, play and honesty.  You should check her out her website, Jenna Christina Photo, or on Facebook.

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you
have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

The Sigma 35mm 1.4  is almost exclusively on my D750 when working in-home sessions; sometimes I get very up close and personal since it’s not a zoom!

I actually use one of my old leather waist belts as a strap; it’s wide which means it levels out pressure more than the traditional camera straps.

What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

When I first started out I worked with open shade or “safe” golden hour light, because that seemed to be the way to go. Something just didn’t click (pun intended) for me during these sessions, though. Once I realized the photos I liked the most were the ones that captured a moment of some sort, I knew I had to rethink the way I do family and newborn photography. That lead me to doing storytelling in-home sessions and now I truly love working with window light, because it can be very directional and dramatic. Using the contrast between light and shadow is a great way to emphasize the important things in a picture, whether it’s a person or the mood. The unpredictableness (I’m sure that’s a word!) of how subjects move in the light keeps me on my toes.

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting
in a more documentary style?

Talk naturally to everyone during the shoot. When you’re showing genuine interest, you get clues about what is important to them as well as what is typical behavior for a family member. It will make your clients crazy happy if you capture those seemingly mundane things in amazing pictures. Another thing I’ve realized is that you don’t need to see someone’s face to create a great portrait of them.

What are you drawn to document? Is there a particular composition,
technique, or mood you love?

In-home sessions are really magical to me, because the pictures are a little peek into someone’s world. I’m always looking for connections between family members, whether it’s a shared look or a touch; something comical or emotional. I have a master’s degree in psychology and I worked with kids for many years before starting my photography business, which I think helps me anticipate those moments.

Our Perfectly Real artist for October is Ashely Dougherty whose selection of humorous and youthful images really made us smile.  You will absolutely want to check out her work. You can find her at www.ashleydoughertyphotography.com or on Facebook.

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

My favorite lens by FAR is my Sigma 35mm, 1.4 ART lens. It rarely leaves my camera. The 24mm is a lovely lens as well, but we’re just dating…my 35mm and I are in love! It allows me to capture, in most circumstances, the right amount of ‘scene’ and I love playing with the distortion it can offer close to a subject. Other than that, I shoot pretty simply…not attached to too much. It’s not gear, but I couldn’t live without a bunch of white tees. I wear them often, and almost always when I am documenting a family in their home, since it serves as a reflector when I am up close and playing with a subject.

What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

My favorite light is early morning window light. I can walk into almost any room in a house in early morning light and get inspired…be it a room softly flooded with light, a room with a tiny window and a slice of light….it’s all just so wonderful.

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

Shooting documentary style is all about patience. I have had many lessons in patience! Waiting for the moment to find you, to reveal itself, is critical. When you don’t pose you have to simply wait for your subject to give you what you want…and you usually don’t know what you want until you see it! I will often move around, playing with light and compositions, so that when a moment happens I am quick to capture it beautifully. Similarly, when you come into someone’s home with the intent of capturing their story, you have to be patient to figure out what that story is. Again, moving around, playing with light and compositions, all the while listening to them interact and taking in all of their “clutter” will help you develop an idea of what their story might be.

Let’s talk clutter.  Embrace it as is?  Try avoid getting it in frame?  Does it depend on the frame?

For me, it depends on the frame. I think about what I am trying to capture and what has inspired me to shoot that particular frame. If I am inspired by the light, I will remove things occasionally that may detract from the light…objects on a reflective surface, large/dark objects that may bring the eye away from the light etc. I don’t always physically remove them from a frame, but I will shoot so that those things are not included. If I am capturing emotion I will usually be close enough to not have to worry about clutter, but if I am pulled back I will try to shoot to minimize clutter. But alllll of that said, I find “clutter” to be so important in my pictures and generally in documentary photography. If I am documenting a family, mine or a client’s, I want to be able to capture life as it is. The clutter isn’t clutter…it is another subject . It is important, it tells a story, and it can often add more to a photograph by being there than it can by not. Especially with children, I find that it is usually better to have MORE clutter…it enhances the chaos, color and free spirit that come with children living their lives. So while I will sometimes shoot to minimize, I am usually approaching clutter with arms wide open!

To learn how you can become a Perfectly Real Artist please visit our Submissions page for details!

This month’s Perfectly Real Artist is a little different.  We wanted to take a month and feature Molly Flanagan whose Visual Storytelling course (through The Define School) is where we all met.  You can check out Molly’s work on her website, Facebook, or Instagram.  Here is what she has to say about documenting families.

What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work?  And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

My favorite lenses are Canon 24L and 35L.  One accessory that I love when photographing a family in their home is a small cross-chest purse I found on clearance that is big enough for a lens and my memory cards.  

What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

I don’t have a favorite type of light.  However, I love the challenge of trying to make the best of what I am given in any lighting situation!  

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

“Stop talking theory.. and do not over-think the image. Lose the ego and let the photograph find you. Observe the life moving like a river around you and realize that the images you make may become part of the collective history of the time that you are living in.” – Eli Reed

Let’s talk clutter.  Embrace it as is?  Try avoid getting it in frame?  Does it depend on the frame?

As a mother of 3 I am fully aware of the all-consuming nature of clutter!  However, the endless lego pieces, leaky sippy cups, and bread crumbs under the table are all a part of my story.  When my children are grown I want to remember all of those details.  And if I am constantly moving things out of the frame or composing to exclude them, I will be recording a false reality.  Depending on what story I am trying to tell, there maybe times when certain areas are excluded from frame in order to draw attention to my subject.  For instance, the sun may be hitting the milk jug in a way that makes it a bright white ball of light on the kitchen counter, competing for attention as I look through the viewfinder.  So I may compose to exclude the milk jug or change my vantage point to draw more attention to my subject.  There are two Fine Art photographers that include home-life clutter in their images:  Jessica Todd Harper (Home Stage) and Julie Blackmon (Domestic Vacation).  I like how they embrace the chaos of life with small children in such an intentional way.

Why are you so awesome? 😉

Ha!  I have a strong passion to document real life, and real life is often boring — not really all that “awesome”.  So, I often wonder if the pictures I produce will be perceived as uninteresting.  And I worry the families I photograph will get their pictures and say, “Is that all?”.  As more photographers embrace a documentary approach to family photography, I see a trend towards tweaking moments so they are a easier sell.  Setting up candid moments then moving dad to the left or asking mom to smile bigger — maybe moving the entire activity into a prettier pocket of light.  These things are definitely ways to make more awesome pictures — but I don’t want to be awesome.  I just want to be genuine and be content with life the way it is, even the boring parts.

August’s Perfectly Real artist is Nina O’Brien from New South Wales, Australia. We just fell in love with her raw and gritty monochrome submission.  You can check out her work online at www.ninaobrien.com or on Instagram.

What is your favorite lens for shooting this work? And do you have any accessories that you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

Say hello to July’s Perfectly Real artist Melissa Hines.  We loved her detail-oriented submission that was full of light and shadow.  You can find her online at www.melissahinesphotography.wordpress.com, Facebook, and Instagram.

What is your favorite lens for shooting this work? And do you have any accessories that you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?

My Nikon 35 mm f/2.0 lives on my camera. I have a Nikon 50 mm f/1.8, but I haven’t found the need to use it since getting my 35 mm in March. My house has tiny rooms, so I love that I can include more in my images without being as far back. And besides my Nikon 610, that’s all I have. I love keeping it super simple.

What is your favorite type of light to shoot in?

I have two favorites: shooting towards the sun during golden hour to get sun flare and the drama of window side light.

What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?

To just trust myself, let go, and shoot when I see something that I need to document and remember. I have learned that when I try to force it, I hate it no matter how technically correct it is. But when I allow myself to let go and just shoot, I find that it brings back the feeling of the moment that I wanted to remember in the first place. And then I’m done documenting the moment a lot faster so that I can be a part of the moment, too! That is something I have really worked on this last year.

What are you drawn to document? Is there a particular composition, technique, or mood you love?

I love to document the everyday details. Those moments that you can easily overlook because they are such a part of your everyday until your kids move onto the next phase and you realize you no longer remember the details. Capturing those moments for my family and the families I work with make me feel alive! I love to use creative crops, leading lines, and of course the light to highlight those ordinary moments and bring out the beauty in them.

To learn how you can become a Perfectly Real Artist please visit our Submissions page for details!