Summer is in full swing, but I realized it's been a while since I shared anything from my 2023 Year in the Life sessions. They have been so much fun, so I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures from spring of this year. Of course, narrowing down which pictures to share is the hard part, but here it goes:
I want to make art out of your life.
When I look over these favorite photos from my spring Year in the Life sessions, it's the images that show how extraordinary everyday family life is that I like the most. It's the giant step over the creek while holding Dad's hand, Mom helping her daughter on the monkey bars, and the joy on a little girl's face while spinning at the playground. Nothing staged, just real life documentary family photography.
What is Documentary Family Photography?
Documentary family photography is a genre of photography that aims to capture candid and authentic moments of a family's daily life, typically in their home or other familiar surroundings. Unlike traditional portrait photography, documentary family photography focuses on capturing real moments and emotions, rather than posed or staged shots.
Documentary family photographers typically work with natural light and avoid using artificial lighting or props. They also tend to use wide-angle lenses to capture more of the environment and the context in which the family lives.
The goal of documentary family photography is to create a visual record of a family's life that will be cherished for years to come. It seeks to capture the essence of a family's relationships and dynamics, and the special moments that make up their everyday lives. Documentary family photography can be a powerful way to preserve memories and tell a family's story. It can also be an opportunity for families to reflect on their lives and appreciate the beauty in their everyday routines.
What is the Year in the Life Project?
A sort of set it and forget it, the Year in the Life project is a one year family photography subscription for Atlanta families. A kind of family yearbook, at the end of our year together I create a coffee table style photo book of the best pictures from our time together.
The subscription has three levels: one session every month, every other month, or seasonal. Each photo session is a documentary photography session--completely authentic, artful candid photography, with some portraits thrown in here and there.
Why is this project so amazing?
This project is all about the album at the end. That hit me hard as I was designing last year's albums. These families will have a book they can pull off of their shelf and look through together for so many years to come. In the album they will be able to see the love and remember these days that might otherwise be forgotten.
Because some sessions are big life moments that I tag along for, but most of the sessions are just normal everyday moments. The regular, often mundane days of family life. But through pictures I am lifting up the magic of childhood, the highs and lows of parenthood, and the connections between family members.
When can I sign up?
Sign up for Year in the Life opens December 1st, if there is space. Available spots open first to the waitlist, and then to the broader public. This project is based on the calendar year, however individualized subscription packages are available based on life events, like your baby's first year of life.
Chanda Williams is a natural light family photographer and videographer in Atlanta near Decatur. She makes artful photographs and films for awesome families of all kinds.