Is documentary style photography right for me?

When I was starting my photography business, the first thing that felt important to me was to establish the kind of photographer I would be. And knowing what I liked was as important as knowing what I didn’t like.

We’ve all seen the highly staged photos of families in coordinated outfits, meeting in a remote location during golden hour, to take posed photos. If you love that kind of photography - great! - I have a lot of talented photographers that I can refer you to. But if you’re like me, you look at those photos and feel like something was missed.

I can't understand anything interesting about anyone in the same field, in flowy clothes, with perfect light on their face. To me, what make photography so special, is that it’s capturing us at a real moment in our lives. We’re all so specific and unique in the ways we live, and we’re more likely to capture that story when we do it in your real space.

Documentary photography is special because it’s different than posed photography. There's no one telling you where to stand, no countdown, no direction to look at the camera. I'm just there: in your kitchen, at your table, in the middle of whatever is actually happening, and I'm paying attention.

For families, that looks like Saturday morning breakfast before anyone has fully woken up. The kid who can't sit still. The half-eaten plate. The inside joke that makes everyone lose it. I'm not recreating those moments, I'm just there when they happen.

For restaurants and food businesses, it looks like mid-service energy, hands working, the food that actually comes out of your kitchen on a Tuesday. Not a styled shoot. The real thing.

So is it right for you?

It is if you care more about remembering how something felt than how it looked. It is if you're a little skeptical of photos that seem too perfect. It is if you've ever looked at an old, slightly blurry photo of someone you love and felt more than you do looking at a polished portrait.

It probably isn't if you have a specific, styled vision in mind that needs to be executed a certain way.

But if you want photos that look like your actual life — messy, warm, and real — that's exactly what I'm here for.

Serving families and food businesses in the New Jersey area.