New Idea for a Bliss Session...
This month I am photographing a personal project for three different families. I wanted to do a more "Real Life" session documenting a child in their own home and telling a story of who they are at this point in their lives. I wanted to spend a longer time with each child and be able to observe more than trying to hurry through the session. Kids dont have a very long attention span so I know with a regular session my window of opportunity is the first 3o minutes...anything past that and I am usually pushing my luck. So for these sessions I figured a couple hours with the child would be okay if it was in there home and we just let them play! One of the reasons I really wanted to do this type of session was so I could push myself as an artist to remember to tell a child's story. I always try to get that "money shot" or shot that makes the whole session but this time I wanted a series of great shots. A series that will be placed in an album to tell the story. Another reason is I thought of my own daughter. I just completed her one year album and I thought now what? She is turning two and I dont want to forget her two's! So I thought about how much I would love to photograph her each year and document who she is. Her room...her look...what she loves...our home....etc. Our kids change so quickly and so can how we decorate...our homes and of course what our kids enjoy. We rush through our lives documenting what we can on our phones, which turns into social media posts but how many of us are actually printing our photos? I will soon have long winded, guilt post that I will be posting on my daughters blog (www.babyharlacher.com) that you might check out! (should be posting this friday or next). I look at how our technology has changed so much in such a short amount of time. We look for the instant gratification and the ability to share online but what memories are we leaving for our kids? Seriously. Do you really think facebook will be here in 50 years? I want something tangible to give to my daughter that she can show her kids. A book she can hold and remember her childhood. My blog post on her blog will go into more detail on this but that gives you an idea of what its about. Digital files are not memories. Dont forget to print photos that can be passed on! With all that being said...I decided a book each year of my little princess was what I wanted to do. And why not share that same idea with my wonderful clients! Give you guys the same opportunity that I know I want. Since my daughter is not quite two I decided to snag a couple fabulous clients to help me out with this journey and see what I could do with it.
First volunteer is little Zane. Zane is 3 1/2 years old and I have photographed him since he was a baby. I was so excited when his momma volunteered and welcomed me into their home. Upon arrival I asked Zane what he thought about being my model for the day and he said "Its just terrific". Made.My.Day! And honestly it was terrific. Zane was a perfect model and I really enjoyed hanging out for the afternoon. As I edit photos I see his story and it makes me so happy. I can not choose just one favorite as it requires more than one to tell this complete story. I am looking forward to designing up an album that will be a documentation of Zane at 3! I wanted to post a few images for you to see and I am planning on posting a complete slideshow of all of them once I finish the editing so stay tuned for that. For now...Here is a bit of Zane's Story and a HUGE thank you to Zane and his family for giving me this wonderful opportunity!
If you are interested in this type of session please touch base with me. I will be offering Storybook Real Life Sessions as a complete Bliss Package!
~Whitney