When I came across the idea of personality minis I was immediately intrigued. But the more I thought about it, the more hesitant I became… See, I grew up in the era of family portraits where families once a year took pictures at a dark studio with bright lights and sat in stiff backed chairs and donned tons of hairspray. Think JcPenny’s, but in the 90’s. Those types of portraits to me have always felt forced. Clinical. Cold. In my experience, the photographer (mostly always male) felt detached and unaware of who we actually were as a family. This detached form of portraiture is exactly what I run from when I shoot for families. And exactly what I was afraid of replicating when I began planning for this type of shoot.
The more I thought about it, the more I was drawn back to ONE element: Storytelling. How can I, as the photographer, best tell the story of the person/personality before me? How can I honor them as a person and get them comfortable enough to show true emotion in front of the camera? For the whole process of a photoshoot to go well and be a success (from my point of view) I must begin with being true to the season of life the person before me is in. Let them be themselves. Let them breathe.
When I booked this session and began planning I asked the mom— “hey, what are the girls into right now?” The answer: Taylor Swift. She could not have given me a better answer, and I ran with it. I loved this session for so many reasons— we put on Taylor Swift, we talked about music and school, and I let the girls dance and laugh and be themselves. They shined, and I couldn’t have had a more lovely time with this shoot!!
