Behind the Photographs: Nanay’s 99th Birthday

I was honored that this family was getting together at Nanay’s house to celebrate her 99th birthday, and they asked me to stop by and document the day. There wasn’t really a plan beyond that—which is my favorite kind of assignment. Everyone was there to eat, visit, drink coffee, and spend time together, while the kids did what kids do. I just moved around the house, paying attention to what was happening and looking for the little pieces that would help tell the story of the day.

One of my favorite things about documentary family photography is that the best photograph isn't the one where everyone is together and looking at the camera. It's the one that shows what being together actually looked like.

Below are a few of my favorite photos from the day, with an explanation of what I saw and why I took the photo.

Behind the Photograph: Calm amid Chaos

The women had settled around the dining table with their coffee, laughing and talking while the kids moved around them. I loved the contrast happening in this room—the adults completely engaged in their conversation while the kids were doing whatever kids do when there are a lot of cousins together. In this case, cornhole in the kitchen.

I watched the scene for a minute before taking this photo. If everyone was looking at me, that wouldn't have really told the story of the afternoon. Instead, I backed up and let everything happen in the frame: Nanay drinking her coffee, the women gathered around her, and the kids playing in the room.

Behind the Photograph: Environmental Portraiture Lets the Place Tell Part of the Story

I also took this portrait of Nanay while everyone else was gathered around her celebrating her 99th birthday. This is an example of what I mean by environmental portraiture—instead of isolating her against a blank background, I wanted to include the room around her. Her dining room, the wooden chairs, the dishes and containers in the cabinet, the clock on the wall, even her coffee are all part of the photograph. They tell you something about her and the life she's living in this house. I could have taken a tighter, more traditional portrait, but I like this better. When you look at it, you don't just see a 99-year-old woman—you get a little sense of where she was, what she was doing, and what her home looked like at this point in her life. That's what makes environmental portraits so useful in documentary family photography. The setting becomes part of the story.

Behind the Photograph: The Age Dynamics

These four cousins were all gathered around drawing, although technically only three of them were drawing. The youngest was mostly standing there watching the older kids and taking it all in.

I love photographing moments like this because you can see the different ages and personalities without anyone having to explain them. The older kids are busy doing their own thing, while the youngest is right there, watching and learning. Give them a few years and the dynamic will be completely different.

That's one of the things I love about photographing families over time. You get to document not just the kids themselves, but who they are to each other at this particular age.

Behind the Photograph: A Picture for Nanay

At this point, everyone was on the back porch when Nanay’s great-grandson came over with a picture he had drawn and wanted to show her. It was a really simple moment, but that's exactly why I wanted to photograph it.

He was proud of his drawing, and Nanay was happy to see it. I didn't need to direct them or ask them to look at me. I just stayed close enough to catch the interaction as it happened.

These are the kinds of moments I look for during a documentary family session. These little exchanges might not seem particularly important in the moment, but become part of the story of what it was like for all of these generations to be together.

Are you interested in documenting the beauty of multiple generations in one place? Click below to start the conversation.