The Helmer Family – Cornwall Family Photojournalism
If you’re going to have to work on your birthday, you want it to be with people like this gang. When Megan contacted me about the shoot, I was thrilled that she was interested in doing a documentary session with her extended family. I loved the idea of being able to capture images of cousins as they played together and the older family members as they spent time with one another. What I didn’t realise is that there are three 4 year-old cousins from three different families. How awesome is that?!
Theresa and Dave welcomed me to their family property and we spent the first few minutes doing some casual portraits, before I joined everyone on a walk along the trails through the fields. When we got back, it was time for some tree climbing and ice cream (with 4 year olds and one very helpful 10 year old? YES!). I watched as the chocolate ice cream gradually spread from cones to faces, to hands, to shirts and giggled at the timelessness of it all. Ice cream really IS a classic. Shortly after the ice cream was finished, Theresa’s impressive vegetable patch captured the kids’ interest for quite awhile, so I followed along as different crops caught their attention and produce was brought back to moms and dads for inspection. There were also crickets (watch for Katie’s expression!) and caterpillars, swing sets and taste tests, all of which was unplanned. You just never know where a child’s attention might wander next….
Before I left, I made sure to spend a few minutes alone with each child and tried to capture a little something that showed their individual personality. Although I love working with younger children, it was really special to get a few minutes alone with Cameron. It was easy for her to seem lost in the chaos created by the younger ones, so having a few minutes to chat and capture her on the cusp of becoming a young adult was a treat.
This session is proof that your documentary session doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be about you. Sometimes, time outside with ice cream, trees, and vegetables is all it takes.
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen anywhere in the world. My goal is to capture memories that you will cherish once your children are too grown up to curl into your lap for cuddles and the house seems oddly quiet at night. I love meeting new families in their natural environment and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life. Please explore more of www.momentusstudio.com to see more examples of Cornwall family photojournalism.
