January 5-on-5 Documenting The Everyday

I recently saw a post on a photography Facebook page where a photographer mom was asking for tips on how to document the days and moments of her older children.  My days of raising babies and toddlers is gone, but my days of teaching, loving and living with my "babies" isn't completely non-existent. Here are my tips for great storytelling images with older children.

Know your children's interests:  Is it clothing, makeup, sports, art, dance, Legos, video games, cooking, friends, or cars?  For one of my boys it is hunting.  The other day I followed him and my husband down to their hunting "room" where they keep all of their hunting gear. A part of me got a little itchy when I thought about others seeing my guys (organized to them) mess and our unfinished basement, with sewer pipes and all, but this is storytelling, right?  This is my real, so  I stood back and took photos of him getting ready.  Pretty simple really, but it is a routine that is extremely common for him and something I don't want to forget.

Make it painless:  My boys (20, 17, 15) don't particularly like to have their pictures taken. However, when I ask them if I can take photos of them as they work, play, or learn, they usually will let me.  My 17 year old (pictured below) especially does not like to have his picture taken. For about a year he told me he didn't want any senior portraits taken.  I agreed with him, no portraits.  Instead, I let him get dressed up in his camo and we went out back to our stream. He hunted. I took his senior photos.

Seek them out where they are:  Getting my children all together for a photo at this stage in our lives is close to impossible. I have accepted that.  At this age they often find quiet places to hang out away from the family unit. That doesn't mean they don't want to be with us. It just means they are striving for independence and their own space.  Every so often I will seek them out and take a few photos of them (even if they are on their phone or playing video games).

 Use your heart to see:  Documenting means to take the photos of life as it is. A posed photo will never tell a deep story.  Take the time to open your eyes and heart to what is happening in your children's lives. It may not seem much at the moment to take photos of your sixteen year old with his eyes glued to a screen and a game controller in his hand, but it is reality and it is your life at this moment in time.

Keep it real:  Embrace the mess.  All three of my boys share a room. Enough said.  I need to photograph it. Document it. I need to tell the story of my boys and the life they have now in my home.  Our house is pretty simple.  Just a ranch home nothing fancy.  There have been times I have been reluctant to share my images, because I was playing the comparison game.  If you find yourself playing the same game it's time to STOP!  Documentary photography isn't about the material possessions we don't have.  It's about what we do have, family and memories and love.

Finally,

If it's happening right now, document it!

 5-on-5 is a group of documentary photographers capturing the real in their lives through photos. To continue seeing more storytelling through photos head on over to the talented Melissa Clark an Iowa Documentary Photographer.