When the restrictions eased after the first lockdown, my good friend Marie came to visit for a day. Marie is an amazing documentary family photographer based in Clare.
Documentary family photography differs to Lifestyle photography (what I do) in that there is no posing, no prompts and no interfering with the scene whatsoever. Whereas with Lifestyle photography, I give prompts to get the interaction going, I direct, I move you to good light and I capture the connection and the moments in between.
Documentary photography is such a beautiful genre of photography, capturing genuine real moments.
My kids usually take a long time to warm to strangers, but Marie has such a way with children they warmed to her instantly!
I'm constantly telling my families not stress about how they look or how their house looks or how their kids behave - I promise them that they will love the photographs because they are beautiful just as they are, that their house is the story of their time right now and that the kids can be themselves! But easier said than done ey?
Being on the other side of the camera I got to see it from the other side! I was nervous about how I looked & getting my photograph taken, I was nervous about the messy house, I was worried about my kids behaving… but within half an hour of Marie being with us, all that went out the window.
Marie is such a nice person, so easy to talk to, non obtrusive and non judgemental, this is so so important in a photographer. We all soon forgot about the camera.
When I saw my beautiful images, there were so many that I can’t even remember her taking! I knew the photographs would be gorgeous, but nothing could prepare me for the emotional aspect. I got shivers when I looked through them. I was able to see how I was with my kids for the first time, my hands in their hair, the way they look at me, how crazy busy our days are.. our messy house and our imperfections were captured so so beautifully I've never been so proud.
She allowed me to see me in a different way. A way that I could never have seen! I’m so grateful for the images she took, and I know as the years go on I’ll be all the more grateful. I cannot WAIT to have Marie capture our family again! Either can my daughters!
This experience made me realise how important it is for us mothers to be in the photograph! No matter how we think we look, how we feel our house looks, all that does not matter. To see yourself from a different perspective, to see how you are with your children, it's such an invaluable gift.
You can check out more of Marie's amazing work here : www.marieomahony.com
