“At the end of the day your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” – Shanti
Jodie Byrne
Kym Vitar
Celina Bailey
Michelle McDaid
Heather Bowser
Jenny Rusby
Erika Roa
Natasha Kelly
Lacey Monroe
Elisa Elliot
Chrystal Cienfuegos
Vicki Hull
Robin Stephenson
Gemma Robillard
Robin lives in North Carolina and has managed to take at least one photo every day for the past 5 years!!!
Where can we find you online?
www.theeverydayphoto.wordpress.com
https://instagram.com/_robin_/
What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work? And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?
I love my Nikon 24mm 1.4 lens because the wide angle lets me get so much in the frame in tight spaces and allows me to shoot in low light. The lens has rarely left my camera since I bought it three and a half years ago.
I don’t have any favorite camera accessories. I’m still trying to find the perfect camera bag.
What are you drawn to document? Is there a particular composition, technique, or mood you love?
I don’t have a photo business, so I just shoot what I want because I’m my only client. I enjoy documenting the details of everyday and finding something beautiful or interesting in things that most people don’t give a second glance.
I like moody photos and dramatic lighting, but neither one of those are something I’m good at right now. I’m working on it though! Instead my photos tend to be funny or quirky.
What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?
Compose your shot and wait before hitting the shutter. I don’t always know what I’m waiting for – whether it be a gesture or an action – but I’m looking for something that makes the photo special before I push the shutter.
Why is storytelling photography important to you? Why do you feel compelled to shoot with this approach?
I want to document those little details of my family’s life that are fleeting, so that when we look back on my pictures years from now, we’ll say “Awww! Remember when our son used to do that all that time? I had forgotten about that.” Also my son is young now, so I’d like for him to be able to see what his childhood was like when he’s older. Instead of posed shots of us all smiling at the camera, he’ll be able to see the toys he liked to play with and the way he ended up covered in dirt and mud most days in the summer, and those other daily details that I think he’ll love later on.
Briefly tell us about your journey into family documentary photography.
I started taking pictures in 2006, and I would take pictures of everything just to learn how to use my camera. There were a lot of flower photos from the early years. I started my first 365 in 2010 and my son was born later that year. I tried a lot of different types of photography over the years – landscape, portrait, macro – but documentary just felt right. I didn’t know it was documentary photography at the time, but it’s what I enjoyed the most. Taking at least one photo a day for years has helped me to figure out what I’m good at and what I like best.
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it.”
– Confucius
Michelle McDaid
Jenny Rusby
Jessica Uhler
Celina Bailey
Lacey Monroe
Heather Bowser
Gemma Robillard
Chrystal Cienfuegos
Robin Stephenson
Erika Roa
Elisa Elliot
Natasha Kelly
Vicki Hull
Jodie Byrne
Kym Vitar
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.”
– Annette Funicello
Erika Roa
Lacey Monroe
Jenny Rusby
Natasha Kelly
Gemma Robillard
Kym Vitar
Chrystal Cienfuegos
Michelle McDaid
Elisa Elliot
Celina Bailey
Vicki Hull
Robin Stephenson
Jessica Uhler
Jodie Byrne
Say ‘hey’ to our May Perfectly Real artist, Phillip Wise from Bend, Oregon. He’s a father who has moved from photographing brides and grooms to photographing his wife and kids. We just loved how much his submission varied use of light, technique and composition. You can check out his work at the following spots on the web:
Phillip Wise Photography, Facebook, and Instagram
What’s your favorite lens for shooting this type of work? And do you have any accessories you just love (filter, bag, camera strap, etc.)?
My all time favorite lens is my 85mm f/1.4. It’s been by my side for over ten years now, and I can’t even imagine life without it. I do love a wider prime lens sometimes too, though. A good 24mm f/1.4 or 35mm f/1.4 are close seconds. Another thing I love is my LowePro Flipside backpack. We’re outside hiking, biking, climbing, and playing a lot and it’s a bag that I don’t have to take off when switching gear.
What is your favorite light to shoot in?
I’m definitely a natural light shooter. There is always amazing natural light, anytime and anywhere, you just need to find the right way to use it. I always have my Nikon flashes and pocket wizards with me, but only use then occasionally. Even when I do use artificial light I tend to use it in a non-traditional way (backlighting rain and silhouettes, putting filters on the flash to play with white balance and colors, using a snoot to make little shafts of light, etc.).
What is the most valuable tip you have learned in pursuit of shooting in a more documentary style?
Know the camera inside and out. It needs to be second nature. There’s nothing worse than missing a perfect moment while messing with camera settings. Photographing weddings for seven years made me realize how truly important that is. Even though I don’t shoot weddings anymore, I still constantly work on being quick and completely comfortable with every piece of my camera and equipment.
What are you drawn to document? Is there a particular composition, technique, or mood you love?
I’ve always been drawn to photographing people. I love shooting the emotion and interactions between people. I started out wanting to be an outdoor/sports photographer (which I do still like to do), but completely changed when I got an assisting job with a wedding and portrait photographer. I could almost feel the emotion coming through the lens and fell in love with that feeling.
For composition and technique, I kind of came up with my own thing that really helped me back in my wedding days. I called it my “BARNS” method, and it’s something I still have in my mind every time I pick up a camera. BARNS is just an acronym I came up with for my five favorite techniques.
BARNS:
Backlight (natural, or where I might be able to make it artificially)
Above (shooting the situation from above)
Reflections (windows, mirrors, puddles, shiny table tops, etc.)
Negative space (I just love negative space)
Shoot-through (shooting through anything that might add colors or patterns in the foreground)
Running through that in my mind instantly helps me look at any situation in five different ways, then I can decide which one I like the most, and try it. Of course, sometimes things happen too quickly to think through those options, and I love those times too.
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