This session was such a riot to photograph! I wanted to know if it was possible to do mini sessions in the traditional sense of the word (by sticking to a truly abbreviated session length) but keep to my documentary roots and leave the session completely unscripted. I offer a 90-min documentary “mini” session, but wanted to really challenge myself to create a compelling series of images in a much shorter window of time, so I joined the McDougalls for a little driveway time and they joined me with a couple of hoses and some soap for this Cornwall car wash mini session.
Lennon and Asher not only proved that a documentary mini session is very definitely possible, but that you can create award-winning photos in the process. I’m thrilled that this sequence of images was recognised by This is Reportage: Family and given a Story Award (a sequence of 15-20 completely unposed and undirected images).
I was completely enamoured by the emotional highs and lows that the girls experienced over the course of my 30 minutes with them. I found their glee, despair, betrayal and curiosity creatively inspiring and personally hilarious.
Here’s a look at my winning story:
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario wedding and family photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. Documentary photos can be done anywhere at any time – including in your driveway while you wash your car. I love meeting new families in their natural environment, whether that’s a rural farm, a back yard in the city, or a local gymnastics lesson, and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life with images like the ones from this Cornwall car wash mini session. Want to see more examples of how unique Cornwall documentary family photos can be? Start here!
