Family Life and Found Portraiture

I see you. Your heartwork. How you show up. Make yourself available. Care for your loved ones. Even when it’s exhausting. Especially when it’s exhausting. The messy truth about family life is that it’s not always the bee’s knees. It’s rather tumultuous at times. Rather grueling. Yet, here you are. Showing up. Managing mayhem. And modeling love. I believe that’s worth recognition. I offer sessions that acknowledge the realities of family life, the feels that arise from it, and the development of heart that takes place within it. And yes, I offer candid portraits too. Because photos of loved ones — be they furry sidekicks, cheeky kiddos, or endearing partners — warm the soul.

Short Session

Short sessions are 3 hours long and possibly, but not necessarily, planned around a few intentional activities: morning cuddles with a favorite blanket and a stack of picture books or a family outing. It could simply be a found portrait session - an opportunity to create candid portraits of loved ones. It’s up to you. After your session, you’ll receive a slide show and an opportunity to purchase á la carte items.

Fee starts at 750

Half-day Session

A longer session means more natural and intimate photos of you and yours. At 6 hours, a half-day session provides an opportunity to tell a fuller story of your life together as a family. After your session, you’ll receive a slide show and an opportunity to purchase á la carte items with a $100 gift certificate towards your purchase.

Fee starts at 1500

Full-day Session

A 10+ hour session, this session begins the moment your kiddos rise sleepy-eyed from bed and ends at bed time, when the lights go out. After your session, you’ll receive a slide show and an opportunity to purchase á la carte items with a $200 gift certificate towards your purchase.

Fee starts at 2500

“As a dad, I’ll admit I was kind of dreading the typical family photo shoot, but this experience with Rob was completely different and genuinely enjoyable… Highly recommend Rob, especially for parents with little extra time in their lives to schedule something else.”

— Nathan

Ready to collaborate?

I’m available in Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the greater Pacific Northwest.

Photos that reveal all the feels of family life.

Questions?

What is documentary family photography?

It’s a low-key, schedule-friendly approach to photographing your family in your home and community. It’s you, me, and a camera. Just hanging out. There’s no need to subtract time from your already busy schedule. There’s no need to coordinate outfits, contort yourself into an uncomfortable pose, or conjure up an artificial smile. A personal favorite: there’s no need to clean house! Unless that’s your thing. More importantly, there’s no need to be anyone other than your genuine self. You be you. Do what you normally do throughout the course of a day, and I’ll photograph the organic, un-orchestrated moments that make your life uniquely yours.

Why children and families?

I’m a former homeschool teacher and ESL educator who taught both in Seoul and in Hong Kong. Before that? An early childhood educator. I could say that working with children and their families is simply what I know, so photographing them is a progression that just makes sense. I could say that kiddos and I operate on a similar frequency: we’re eternally curious, always wondering how and why, and not always excited about following social norms. But what I will say is this: having traveled around the sun 51 times, I understand in ways that I previously hadn’t that the years are far too few, time spent with loved ones is far too short, and memories irrevocably fade with age. An emotive photograph holds memory, so offering my skill with a camera to families — with this in mind — feels like a beautiful act of service.

You’ve got more questions, don’t you?

I’ve been told that I’m a quiet, calm presence who smiles more than he talks. And it’s true. I’m an autistic individual with ADHD and expressive language “hiccups”. When it comes to speaking while working, let’s just say I’m a classic “can’t walk and chew gum at the same time” kinda guy. But I feel that this particular characteristic is an advantage. It reduces my influence in an environment, placing you and yours right where y’all need to be during a session: at the center of your story.
Bring it! I’ve been a stay-at-home dad for ten years and a homeschool teacher. Before that I worked with kiddos in a number of settings - in classrooms, childcare settings, and shelters. Do my joints creek? Sure they do. But I’m all in for photographing whatever chaos comes my way!
I prioritize my client’s personal feelings of emotional safety and their right to set boundaries over photographic opportunity. Your body is yours to advocate and set boundaries for. You say what gets photographed and what doesn’t. I honor it. My partner breastfed our kiddo. She found the experience deeply connective, and it served as an important foundation in their relationship. Some mothers who breastfeed want to be photographed. Others don’t. Similarly, some parents want potty training or bathing documented. Others don’t. The most important part of my job is to listen to you and only photograph what you want incorporated into your story. Prior to and on the day of your session I’ll regularly check in with you to determine what your boundaries and comfort levels are. Likewise, if you allow me to post photos from your session online, we’ll have a discussion around what can or cannot be posted.
During a session, I’m always on the lookout for those brief windows when something of a loved one’s personality is revealed in a split-second expression. That said, if I’m not confident that I’ve gotten a portrait of your kiddos or family as the session nears its end, I can offer minimal direction to ensure you’ve got a portrait.
I rely on natural and ambient lighting almost exclusively as I find flash too intrusive for longer documentary sessions. In the event that you have a specific activity or location in mind that might require external lighting, we’ll talk about it prior to the session.
I value the right to privacy and will honor yours. But if you allow me to, then yes! Doing so helps me advertise myself as a service provider: the more people see my work, the more opportunity I have to provide photographic services to other members of the community. So, at the risk of repeating myself: if you allow me to post your family photos online, that would be helpful! If not, respect.