Warm and Cinematic Family Photo Session in Asheville, NC

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If you live in Asheville, or anywhere in greater Western North Carolina area, look to see how beautiful and ethereal that unposed, documentary family photography can be. This Asheville family of a three year old and a baby were dreaming of an unposed half-day in the life, which is a four hour window of photography. We made those dreams come true on a clear, frosty cold sunlit day. The mom and dad shown here are originally from Moldova, which I find absolutely splendid! They speak Ukrainian and Russian, and because I am complete lingua-phile, I absolutely shivered in delight when the dad was reading the girls a Ukrainian children’s book. I am fascinated by languages that utilize a different alphabet than ours.

Film-grained light and mirror neurons.

Of course, you can live anywhere in the United States or abroad and I will show up at your doorstep to shoot a Half or Whole Day in the Life. I am a travel photographer. I have shot full DFP (Documentary Family Photography) day in the life sessions in Washington, New Hampshire, Vermont, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ireland, The Netherlands and Chile! The images that result from long-form family photography are absolutely unparalled. I have so much time to be deliberate and patient and wait for all the elements that make a strong image - exposure, moment, composition and vibe- to come together.

This baby is so perfect she looks like AI! But she’s real!

You all know I’m always on the hunt for good light- but there was so much light pouring through the endless windows of this house in the River Arts District of Asheville that I was actively seeking areas of shade! It’s very rare that I go seeking low light when there’s huge puddles of white light splashing into the house from all directions, but this was one of those times.

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For longer sessions like this one, I have the time and freedom to shoot with multiple cameras. I bring a mirrorless DSLR, a Nikon 750, my medium-format film camera (Pentax 645 for other fellow camera nerds out there) and a typical 35 mm film camera. I was happy to have film with me on this day because film transmutes light in such a soft, delicate and detailed manner. Far superior to digital!

Lovely grain and detail captured in 120mm film

So what does a family with two little kids, one toddler and one baby, choose to do during their half day in the life? The secret is, with kids of this ages, you don’t have to plan much. We spent time doing what they normally do: playing, reading, grabbing snacks, making coffee, following the lead of the children. They had hoped to walk to their favorite coffee shop, Pollen, and I was super excited about that because I’ve done branding shoots there in the past and it is a beautiful and incredibly photogenic spot. Unfortunately it closed before I arrived for the shoot, so the family decided to just go for a cold walk instead.

Again, the world’s most beautiful baby.

I know that a lot of people experience some anxiety when wondering how to pass the hours during a day in the life family photo shoot, but I assure you, there’s no wrong way to go about it. And I’m there to guide you if you start to feel lost! You can chill at home and cuddle your kiddos and do your typical peaceful routine around the house like this family did, or you can go full-steam ahead like my full DITL (Day in the life) client in Conshohoken, PA this summer who took their four kids to breakfast, hiking, playground, pool, ice cream, library and more. We were out from dawn to dusk! It was excellent! Most families fall somewhere in the middle, of course, with an excursion or two and then hanging out around the home.

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The family takes an evening walk to explore their neighborhood in the River Arts District of Asheville

If you want to know more about documentary family photography, click here! There’s a video of me and everything! I also offer shorter sessions, the 1.5 hour Classic Family Session which is also shot in your home, in addition to Newborn sessions, maternity sessions, and family shoots up on the mountaintop. If you’re looking for warm, cinematic story-telling images, you’ve found yourself in the right place. Make your images count. You’ll thank yourself when you’re older.

xo

Melina
Documenting the sublime absurdities of raising children in the modern age