Anna Nodolf | Documentary Family Photographer

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20119 documentary style seasonal mini sessions

People are always asking me about mini sessions. I get it. Your kids are growing like weeds. Your life is busier than you ever thought possible. And maybe that day in the life session that your heart is longing for, just always seems slightly out of budget. 

Honestly, these are all good reasons. Reasons that I, myself, have considered for my own family. 

I used to shoot mini sessions in like 15 minutes. Just cranking through them and onto the next. Told the family where to stand, what to do and got the shot. They were successful, but always left me wanting more. Capturing the essence of a family is nearly impossible in 1/4 of an hour. 

 Then. I had a breakthrough.

What if mini sessions were like short stories?

An activity that brought your family together, spending time engaging with one another, unplugged and focused on the people you love most. Ignoring the camera and just allowing your life to be documented.

Picking blueberries at the farm. Sneaking bites of the plump little pieces of magic. Dirty chunky baby hands with blueberry juice emphasizing the crease in those rubber band wrists that you love so much.

 Running through the fields covered in pumpkins, searching for the perfect one to take home and carve. At the tree farm, arguing over which tree will actually fit in your living room. (Why do they always look so small on the farm?? - we are constantly trimming our trunk to make it fit). Breaking the needles in half to smell the freshness of the pine. Cutting down the trunk with an old school saw, while your daughter helps, her little hand on yours, back and forth, back and forth until the tree falls and you carry it as a family back to your car. 

Similar to a day in the life session in the sense that we are making pictures of family time, but in a shorter window. Just one activity rather than your whole day. Of course, I would love nothing more than to document your Family at home, covered in flour, baking a pie with those juicy fresh picked blueberries. But we can save that for another day. 

Love, your photographer

Anna

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