Personal Documentary Work

Just as I tell visual stories for the families and small creative brands I serve, I’ve created a large body of personal work to tell my own family’s story. I consider my role being my family’s storyteller as one of my most important and cherished roles. The images in this gallery are a small sample of some of my favorite shots, taken (mostly) with a documentary approach.

Teenage boy in pink headband gets blush applied to face while making defeated expression.
Two boys in swimming pool, one facing upwards with eyes closed atop a surf board and one floating face down.
Overhead view of boys hugging a brown dog as he looks into camera and light and shadow dance across his face.
Double-exposure view of child in blue tie-dyed t-shirt with serious expression standing against navy blue wall.
Overhead view of mother lying in bed with a cuddling child on either side of her, while she kisses the forehead of one child.
Man lying down holding hand in front of face while sunlight streams in, creating strong highlights and shadows.
Close-up of two brothers' faces pressed cheek-to-cheek and gazing at the camera, cropped to show one half of each of their faces.
Smiling child peers through wet and fogged-up shower door that has a smiley face drawn onto the door.
close-up portrait of two teen boys' faces pressed cheek-to-cheek
Man standing against ocean horizon takes photo of child walking towards camera wearing a shirt that says "Sea Ya Later".
Boy playing basketball wearing red sneakers, while the shadow of him making a shot is cast on the blue, green, and yellow outdoor court ground.
Overhead view of boy in indigo-dyed shirt sitting on pink chair blowing large pink bubble from bubble gum.
Child in snorkel mask floats in aqua water on vacation
Two boys stand in backyard and one boy has just shot the other with a Nerf gun. The boy who was shot winces in pain as the other looks at him.
Boy lying in bed looking sideways toward the light that is coming in bright streams through window blinds.
Dark silhouette of child's head and shoulders indoors, framed by window with Warsaw Old Town square outdoors.
Woman wearing flowered blouse takes self-portrait into gold-framed mirror with gallery wall of paintings behind her.
Child in bathtub looks at their reflection in the shiny chrome bathtub fixtures.
Overhead view of dad and sleeping child in bed of flowered sheets, dad gazes at camera.
Mother stands in doorway and takes photograph into mirror while her two boys stand at mirror and fix their hair.
Overhead and close-up view of child looking up toward camera , wearing no shirt, with hands on hips and eyes and top of head cropped out.
Portrait of child against black backdrop wearing messy eye make-up, cheek tint, and lip gloss.
Profile of child wearing a baseball cap and being tested for Covid by nurse wearing purple gloves.
Young child riding scooter along the Domino Park High-line in Brooklyn, with the Williamsburg Bridge in background.
Boy in sharp focus with blond hair and dark blue shirt stands in front of wooden wall, while second boy in shadows walks in front of camera and creates a dark silhouette profile that frames the subject.
Motion-blurred view of child jumping on pogo stick with another child blurred in movement in foreground.
Overhead view of child in bathtub with only face peeking out and surrounded by bubbles.
People riding colorful swing carousel, shot from down low.
Four kids stand evenly spaced out on lava rock cliff and look out at the sea.
Two kids sit at table in sunny room while eating breakfast, with a violin hanging on the wall behind them.
Overhead motion-blurred view of child's back as they vigorously swish their hands through their hair in light blue bathwater.
Black and white, motion blur of boy standing in front of tiled wall and brushing hand across jawline while looking at camera with tough expression.
Boys shuffles cards while sitting at diner counter, shot through the window with reflections of nearby trees adding texture to composition.
Child stands in dark hallway with vertical blue neon lights framing him and one small spotlight above illuminating a sliver of his face.
Young child walks through glass sculpture that creates a triplicate reflection, while the mother taking the photograph is reflected as well.
Child wearing orange jacket and blue pants walks away from camera in soft focus in the background, with green grass and yellow flowers in the foreground in sharp focus.
Motion blur swirl of child in indigo-dyed t-shirt, lying on bed and looking up at the camera.
Kid siting at dinner table, drinking water, while cats sniffs at kid's mostly empty dinner plate, with candle burning in the foreground.
Motion blur profile of boy swinging on yellow swing, wearing a red top and blue shorts, with Long Island beach at sunset in the background.
Boy balances on back two wheels of a skate board with desert scenery behind him, in Joshua Tree National Park.
Two tween boys sit on stone bench and look at camera with serious, grown-up expressions while a large Ferris wheel looms in the background.
Boys run through gallery with wall of windows that look out to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
Double-exposure of two boys seated and looking at camera holding a blue and a green balloon.
Boy lies facing the cameras on a wooden bench in old church while beam of sunlight enters on left side that lights of the floor and his face.
Shadow of person waving hello against a white painted fence with large blooming pink Camelia bush peeking over the top of the fence.

My approach to family documentation…

Life is big and full and complicated and while we think we’ll remember particular moments that feel special, we often forget them. Scratch that, in my case, I almost always forget them. 😉 The one exception to this is that we remember things when we document them. I think of family documentation as both a creative outlet and a way to remember. I believe it to be one of the most important things I do as a parent, as wild as that might sound.

I’m not the best at documenting the obvious things like, like fifth grade graduations. But I am really good at noticing the small things and capturing them in a way that evokes the feeling of that moment. I might even say that’s one of my superpowers. As my kids have grown, their relationship to me and my camera has evolved. What was once silly antics and asking for more photos to be taken has morphed into questioning why this moment matters. But they’re usually willing to entertain my whimsy and almost always appreciate the images I take of them and with them.

Each December, as I look over the images I’ve taken in that year, the story of my family’s year emerges and it never ceases to delight and surprise me. ❤️

Boy in bathtub looking up at camera.

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