Apr 5, 20204 min read

Documentary by Emily Ockwig

Updated: Apr 6, 2020

The days are long, but the years are short. That was the very best parenting advice I got when my first was born. When I take photos of my kids and our life, I try to think of the stories I’ll want to remember in ten years. What will be important then? Certainly not the terrible faces I get when I ask them to smile. Or my kids standing in fancy clothes in fields (which we get at least once a year, because I love the hanging on my wall.) I want to tell the story of our days, our adventures, our friends. I want to document all of our favorite things about our favorite places.

House selling problems: throw it all in the trunk for showings.

Creative Composition

Use your surroundings to tell your story. I like to use creative compositions to add to my story and draw attention to my subject. By framing a shot in a new way, you can add context and focus to your image.

This shot was taken with a 24mm 1.8, while I stood on a bench holding my camera out over my head.

This shot (above) was taken at a local playground. The playground was beautiful, the skies were so blue, the sun was shining. But I had I taken this shot from ground level, it would have been cluttered, filled with parents and buildings, with cars in the background.

By shifting my perspective and framing my shot differently, I was able to tell a whole new story, show her joy while showing the movement of the chairs. Don’t be afraid to try new things! If they fail, you can always deleted the photos.

Play with negative space. Shoot at the edge of your frame. I like to shoot at the edge of my frame to add variety and scale to familiar photos.

Play with negative space. Shot with Nikon 24mm 1.8

Look for interesting ways to take familiar photos. Here, I shot with the intention of capturing the reflections. By shooting through the glass case, I added layers to the photo, captured Wilson’s intense curiosity, and was able to get Matilda in the frame as well. Had I shot this from the side, I would have gotten a silhouette of Wilson, and missed the layers of detail, the story of the display case, the context of his sister.

Shoot wide.

Shoot wide! When I first started shooting my daily life, I used my 50mm. I bought a 35mm in 2015 and I’ve just kept getting wider. I love the entire story I can tell with my 20mm. I love the flexibility my 24 gives me. I love the focus and intention I get with my 35. Here are some photos taken from roughly the same spot, of roughly the same thing, with 3 different focal lengths.

If you’re on a budget, there are options out there. Nikon offers a pancake 35mm f2, a 24mm 2.8, and a 20mm 2.8 you can buy used. Yongnuo offers 24 and 35 mm lenses for both Canon and Nikon for less than $100.

Don’t leave home without it.

Bring your camera with you. So much of your life takes place outside of your home. It’s your trips to Target, playing at the Children’s Museum. Good light can be so fun to find and pushes your creativity. This shot was in the window at my Target’s Starbucks. While I was waiting for my coffee, my kids started racing cars in this window. I exposed for the highlights, lightened shadows on their faces in post. Look for the opportunities of your kids being kids. Watch them play. They tell amazing stories in beautiful light, you just need to see it.

Start a photo project.

Try doing an Hour by Hour project, or a Day in the Life. I’m always hesitant to commit to shooting a Day in the Life (DITL), but when I’m done, I’m always so glad I did. The first photo of the day is always the hardest for me, but this time, I missed the shot and kept going anyway. Hour by Hour projects consist of taking a photo during each hour of the day. Personal photo projects are personal projects. If they aren’t working for your life then change them as needed.

Shoot for yourself.

There’s nothing really great about this photo. The light isn’t great, it’s kind of a mess. But it’s an important photo to me. This photo is my kids hanging out with my folks, in my dad’s workshop, fixing a monster truck that’s probably 25 years old my dad dug out knowing Wilson would love to drive it. This photo is my kids hanging in my parents’ garage for the last time before we moved a few states away. This photo tells so many stories.

Documentary photography is telling those important stories, even when the light’s rough and it’s a hot mess.

Look for new light.

I am a lover of rich shadows and dramatic light. I like to expose for the highlights, the brightest part of the photo I want to capture. By playing with harsh pockets of light, you can create very clear focus in your photos.

Streetlights, adjustable reading lights, flashlights, and sparklers all create intense and directed light in dark situations. While I don’t tell my kids to stand in the light, pick up the lanterns, or light the fireworks, I’ve found that if I’m ready and wait for it, the perfect moment will come along.

1/250 f2, ISO 16000, taken with Nikon 35mm 1.4

Keep it simple.

Someone asked how I store my photos. I’ve been shooting daily for 3 years. That’s A LOT of photos. I organize my photos in yearly folders, and then months. I label all my photos mmddyy-xxxx. Inside each month folder, I have a folder of edited photos and one of RAWs.

I try to cull my photos nightly. Sitting on my sofa, half watching a show, editing my photos from the day has become part of my daily habit. I’m a quick editor and a terrible culler. I’m an obsessive printer of photos, I love gallery walls, and I try to make multiple photo books a year (although I’m a year behind on my Blurb book...)