Practical tips and gentle steps to help you feel comfortable, present, and fully yourself.

You’ve booked your documentary session, and I couldn’t be more excited to spend this time with you. Now that the date is on the calendar, you might be wondering how to prepare or what to expect. The good news is, you don’t need to do much!

Documentary photography is different from traditional portraits. These sessions aren’t about staged smiles or picture-perfect settings. They’re about connection, honesty, and the small details that often go unnoticed. The very things you’ll want to remember most when you look back years from now…

Step 1: Shift Your Mindset

The most important way to prepare for a documentary session is to let go of expectations. These sessions aren’t about perfection. They’re about intentional presence. You don’t need to plan the perfect outfit, stage your home, or keep everyone smiling and playing on cue. The beauty of this kind of photography is that it leaves room for real life to show up, exactly as it is.

Instead of worrying about how things look, lean into how they feel. Notice the way your partner makes you laugh, the way your best friend wraps you in a hug, the way your child grabs your hand or the quiet comfort of simply being together. These are the kinds of details that often slip past in the rush of everyday life. But they’re the ones that carry the most meaning when you look back.

When you approach your session with this mindset, it creates freedom. Freedom to laugh a little louder, to let the mess stay on the counter, to allow moments to unfold naturally. That’s when the camera fades into the background and the most honest images appear.

Step 2: Trust the Process

Trust is the heart of a documentary session. My role isn’t to direct every move, but to notice. To watch for the way light falls across a room, the way laughter bubbles up unexpectedly, or the gestures that pass between you and the people you love.

I don’t want you to feel like you have to perform for the camera. These sessions aren’t about acting a certain way or keeping up an appearance. They’re about relaxing, sinking into the moment, and letting life unfold. When you give yourself permission to just be, the most natural and meaningful images surface.

This is one of the reasons I send out a questionnaire before every session. It gives me a window into what you hold most dear. The routines, the relationships, the little details that matter to you. When the day comes, I keep my eye open for those things, making sure they’re preserved alongside the unexpected moments you didn’t even realize would matter until you see them again.

When you trust me to observe, you free yourself to be fully present. And that’s when the camera fades away, leaving space for your story to be told with honesty and care.

Step 3: Know What to Expect

Every documentary session runs at its own pace, but knowing the general flow can help you feel more at ease. Most sessions last between 60–90 minutes. This window gives everyone time to ease into the experience, for nerves to soften, and for me to quietly observe as your story unfolds. It’s long enough to capture a variety of moments while still feeling relaxed and natural.

For those who want more space, I also offer extended sessions, anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. These longer sessions are perfect for experiences that naturally take more time: cooking dinner together, exploring a favorite trail, spending an afternoon with friends, or even setting out on a sunset sail. With more time, there’s room for both the vibrant, playful interactions and the softer, slower pauses that reveal just as much of your story.

Choosing the right session often comes down to the kind of story you want told. A shorter session is wonderful for capturing a season of life in its everyday rhythm. A longer session gives us freedom to step into an experience without watching the clock, to let the day unfold fully, and to preserve it all from the excitement of the adventure to the quietness that follows.

No matter which option you choose, the heart of it remains the same. The session isn’t about rushing through a list of poses, but creating space where life can breathe. The structure gives us a framework, but the story is always yours.

Step 4: Gentle Preparation

Preparing for a documentary session doesn’t require much… and that’s the beauty of it! You don’t need to overhaul your home, buy new outfits, or plan a picture-perfect day. These sessions are meant to capture life as it is, not a polished version of it.

A little tidying can help if being surrounded by clutter makes you feel distracted. But remember, it doesn’t need to be spotless. Choose clothing that feels comfortable and true to you. Think of the pieces you reach for when you want to feel yourself, not a costume for the camera. For kids, I encourage simple, comfortable outfits. Keeping tones more neutral helps the focus stay on you and the story you’re living, rather than your clothing.

What to Bring (and What to Leave Behind)

If your session involves walking, opt for shoes you’ll be comfortable in. If we’ll be outdoors, hats are always welcome. They not only provide shade but also become part of the visual storytelling. And a small note on accessories: purses, bags, or anything you carry with you will likely appear in the images. Be sure to bring along something you don’t mind being photographed or consider leaving it aside for a more natural look.

Above all, think less about what you should be doing and more about what you’d naturally be doing if I wasn’t there. Maybe that’s making coffee together, painting in the backyard, reading with your kids, or simply sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone you love. These familiar rhythms create the perfect space for authentic moments. When you allow yourself to lean into what feels natural, the story becomes effortless to tell.

What It Feels Like

At the start of your session, it’s completely normal to notice me and my camera. You might wonder what to do with your hands, whether you should look my way, or if you’re “doing it right.” Let me reassure you, there is no right or wrong here. That initial awareness fades quickly as you ease into simply being with the people you love.

As time passes, the camera begins to blend into the background. You’ll laugh, talk, move, or fall into moments of quiet togetherness and that’s when the magic begins. The gestures you don’t think twice about, the unguarded expressions, the natural way you reach for one another… these are the things I’m paying attention to.

A documentary session feels less like a photoshoot and more like time well spent. There’s no pressure to perform, no need to hold a smile or strike a pose. Instead, there’s freedom. Freedom to relax, to be yourselves, and to trust that I’m seeing what’s unfolding. Not just the obvious highlights of our time together, but the small moments that tell your story best.

In the end, what it feels like isn’t being photographed at all. It feels like living your life, only with the gift of being able to look back and remember it exactly as it was.

Every Session Includes a Film

With every documentary session, you’ll receive more than a gallery of photographs. You’ll also receive a short keepsake film. These films bring your story to life in a way still images alone cannot, weaving together movement, sound, and imagery so you can experience not only how it looked, but how it felt in that exact season of life.

A photograph can freeze a single instant. Like the curve of a smile, the warmth of an embrace, the joy in a child’s laugh. A film allows those same moments to unfold. You’ll hear the voices, see the gestures in motion, and feel the rhythm of the time you shared together.

Each film is edited with the same care and intention as your photographs, typically lasting 2–4 minutes, depending on the session length. They’re delivered in a format that’s simple to watch, easy to share with loved ones, and timeless to return to again and again.

Whether it’s the way your partner reaches for your hand, the echo of children’s laughter, or the soft quiet of a conversation, the film preserves these fleeting details in a deeply immersive way. It becomes more than documentation, it becomes a keepsake you’ll treasure for years to come.

After the Session

When our time together ends, the work of storytelling continues. I’ll carefully go through everything we’ve captured, selecting the images and film clips that best reflect the emotion and rhythm of your day. My goal is not to overwhelm you with quantity, but to create a collection that feels intentional. A gallery and film that carry the essence of your story.

Each photograph is edited with care. I take time highlighting the tones, textures, and light that make the moment come alive. Your keepsake film creates a narrative that reflects both the energy and the stillness of your time together.

What you’ll receive isn’t just a finished gallery and film, it’s a record of feeling. A way to step back into this season of life, to remember not just how it looked, but how it felt to be there.

Preserve Your Memories

Life doesn’t wait for perfection and that’s exactly why you’ve chosen a documentary session. The moments worth remembering are already unfolding: in laughter, in conversation, in the quiet ways you show love to one another. My hope is that this session gives you a way to hold onto them, exactly as they are.

If you’d like to dive even deeper into the heart behind this work, I invite you to read Documentary Photography: The Most Honest Way to Remember. It shares more about why these unscripted, everyday moments often become the most treasured memories of all.