Lifestyle Photography and why I chose it.
I have had a love for photography for as long as I can remember! The history in the photographs was always so intriguing. Who was this person? What was their life like? Where was this photo taken? Who took it and what were they thinking when they snapped?
As I got older and decided on portraiture, one of the main decisions I had to make was what I wanted my specialty to be, and why did I want that specialty in the first place. In my thought process, I looked back on photos that were important to me, those of family and friends and what memories those photos represented. One thing that hit me hard was that the only professional photos that my family had taken where those very formal photos taken in a studio with those fake smiles and no real memories attached to them at all.
It was at that moment that I decided to specialize in Lifestyle Family Portraiture (everything from infant to weddings and all those moments in between) because I could take my clients out and allow them to create memories in a beautiful setting so that when they looked back on those photos they would remember being out with their loved ones, tossing a ball, flying a kite, watching their little one dig into their first cake, playing in the flowers or rolling around playing in the field. To capture REAL memories for them means everything to me.
The second thing I had to determine was, would I have a studio or would I work with Natural Light (sunlight) and I chose Natural light. My reason for this was simple, to me, manufacturing light to much took away from that natural feeling I was capturing and would make it feel more like a studio session and less like I was just capturing the memories happening in front of me. Is it less perfect? At times it is less than perfect light, but I feel that my clients see those finished photos and memories and would choose it over the perfect manufactured photo every time. That is not to say that I don't enhance for the best effect for what I am capturing.
To see their child with a real smile, a real emotion. To see their fiance with that genuine look of love and admiration while they stroll together down a beautiful pathway or while they sit by the water enjoying each others company.
I just hope that the memories I capture for them become their most treasured possessions as they also mean the world to me. My work brings me tremendous joy. I am happy to share that will all of you!
By Alicia Donovan
Owner/Photographer of Moments Enshrined Photography