Old Fashioned Dreamer Photography

What Does Documentary Photography Look Like?

Documentary photography is the art of capturing real life, as it unfolds. There are no posed moments, only the raw truth. And you know what? It’s absolutely beautiful!

A documentary photo session takes place in a location that is special to you or your family. Often times that’s in your own home. Sometimes it’s a place that you enjoy going to, like the library, ice cream shop, your local park, the river. Basically, any spot that makes your heart sing. The goal of this type of session is to capture memories in an artistic way – to translate these moments into something physical that you can look at, hold, laugh at, cry with.

One of my favorite things about documentary photography is its ability to show a piece of childhood, something that your kids are sooooo into right now. The image below shows my youngest with his dinosaurs. He is OBSESSED. Like, straight out insane about dinosaurs. Everything about them. He plays with his dinos every day, talks about them all of the time, wears clothes with dinosaurs on them, and we plan special events for him that allow him to see dinosaurs. I love that documentary photography allows me to have photos that will recall this short time for me in the future. When I’m 70, and he’s in his 40’s, I can pull these photos out and say “oh, yes, that dinosaur phase. You were always our Sullysaurus!”

Another thing that I love about documentary photography is that it lends itself so easily to capturing connection. Not just posed moments, but real, honest connection. A small touch between two people, siblings bonding over a shared interest, a quick look between parents. These small pieces are captured beautifully in this genre.

But….what if our story isn’t interesting? It IS! I promise! The details that make up your life are the details that you will long for and remember years from now. Everyday life is more beautiful than you know, and your story is begging to be captured. I’d be honored to put your family’s story into photo form for you.

Contact me today so we can begin to plan your documentary photography session in Northern California!

October 23, 2018

coleyclineLeave a comment

Birth Photography Model Call

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Birth. It is so many things! It is hard, it is (a bit!) scary, it is often a marathon! But it is also beautiful, and empowering, and courageous! There are only a small handful of times in life that a woman uses her entire being to do something as selfless as grow a human and then PUSH THAT HUMAN OUT OF HER BODY!

There are few other times that involve as much emotion, either. Catching those raw moments are what I live for!

Old Fashioned Dreamer Photography is looking for 5 expecting mothers who are due in August 2018 or later to participate in a model call. Models will receive 75% off of a birth session. Images from the session will be used for advertising and put on social media, but model will be able to approve images.

I am looking for all types of birth: Hospital birth, home birth, scheduled csection, underwater mermaid birth……(you get the idea!)

Applications will be accepted until May 15, so apply today!

Click Here to Apply!

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May 6, 2018May 6, 2018

coleyclineLeave a comment

Why Your Family NEEDS a Lifestyle Session!

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Lifestyle photography is my JAM! I am constantly documenting my own family’s daily life. I want to provide an heirloom for my children, something tangible of their childhood, and for me – that’s gorgeous photographs that tell the story of their youth.

I know that when I look back on my own childhood, the things that I remember most are the everyday, the little things that made up our life. I fondly recall our family traditions, and all of the silly things we did growing up. Dressing my little brother up as a girl? Check! Wearing my Walkman and dancing along to New Kids on the Block? Check! Swinging as high as I could on our backyard swingset? Check! Walking around the neighborhood to “explore” and making up stories for the houses along our road? All of those little details help to make up my life. Those are all things that I vividly remember. Imagine if I had high quality photographs of those things to go along with the memories?

So, why would you hire someone to come into your home and photograph YOUR everyday life? Can’t you just take these photos on your phone? Well, yes, you could. But hiring me guarantees that you have a professional to capture these memories. Someone who is confident in finding the best light in your home, capable of using my camera in all lighting situations, someone who understands capturing a photograph in angles that are pleasing to the eye and that focus on the moment, not the background. Hiring me also provides you with high resolution, edited images that best reflect your family.

Hiring a professional for lifestyle family photos also guarantees that all family members are IN the photos! Too often, moms aren’t in the photos, because we are the ones taking them! I’m guilty of this, even in my own work capturing my family. Your kids will also want to know that mom and dad were there! Someday, they will pore over the photographs that you are in, remembering every detail of your face, your hands, your smile. These photographs may help them recall your laughter, or your voice telling them “I love you”.

So what are some other benefits to choosing a lifestyle session for your family photos?

You literally don’t have to do anything you don’t already do. Seriously. I will come to you, and take photos of you LIVING LIFE. And trust me – that’s not boring! There is so much beauty in a normal life.
You don’t have to make the kids stand still and look at the camera. You know how when you schedule a photo shoot, and you’re stressed out because the kids won’t STAY STILL AND SMILE? That doesn’t happen in lifestyle sessions. Your kids are free to move around – I encourage it! They smile because they are doing things that they love, with people that they love.
They’re perfect for the family member who hates getting photos done. No need to force someone into clothes they aren’t comfortable in and take them away from their happy place. I’ll come to you!
You could stay in your PJs if you want! Seriously! If your family has a special tradition of waking up on Saturday morning and making pancakes together, I can come capture that! Stay in those PJs if that’s the real you! Stay comfy! Plus, you can’t argue that little kids in their pajamas aren’t some of the cutest things in the whole wide world!
You get the chance to remember your kids the way that they really are. Typical family photos can be absolutely beautiful, but they don’t capture your kids true personalities quite the same way that a lifestyle session can.
Its REAL life and REAL memories! When you look back at these photos, you will remember how you felt in these moments.

Sooo…..what should we do during our family lifestyle session? The possibilities are endless! Really, we should be doing something that’s meaningful to your family. Here are a few ideas:

Baking (cookies, pancakes, cake, etc)

Bedtime Routine

Playing in the yard

Trip to the park

Trip the Ice cream parlor

Trip to the Library

Out on the Boat

Playing board games

Morning/weekend routines

Doing arts and crafts

Playing in the sprinklers

Going shopping at Target (seriously!)

Decorating for the holidays

Swimming

The possibilities are endless! A lifestyle family photo session is truly a photo session that is designed to capture who your family is, and to provide you and your family priceless memories. I can’t wait to start photographing your family’s stories!

June 20, 2017

coleyclineLeave a comment

Why Choose a Fresh 48 session?

Fresh 48 newborn sessions are still a relatively new thing in the photography world, let alone up here in the Chico, CA area! Many people may wonder….what is a Fresh 48 session? Why would I choose this over a posed newborn session, the kind of session that I am used to seeing?

Quite simply, a Fresh 48 newborn session is a photo session that takes place within the first 48 hours of your baby’s life, and at the place of their birth. Quite often, that would be in the hospital, although there are definitely a lot of precious home birth babies in our area of Northern California as well! These sessions are significantly less posed. In fact, I will rarely pose you, and try instead to capture the authentic interactions between you, your baby, and your family (although I may set up a shot or two as well!)

So, why would you want a session like this? Especially when you’ve seen all of the beautiful posed work all over Pinterest? Let me tell you! First, Fresh 48 sessions are just SO much easier on mama. You literally don’t have to go anywhere at all. Often I’m able to capture gorgeous, emotion filled images of mamas and their brand new babes while mama is still in bed!

Second, it’s easier on baby! Posed newborn sessions are a LOT of work for everyone involved. Not just the photographer and the parents, but for baby as well. Newborns aren’t huge fans of being cold, or of feeling “alone” (hence that multi-million dollar swaddling industry!), so the job of getting a handful of gorgeous posed images can often take several hours. There are many, many diaper changes, feeding breaks, and sometimes just good old fashioned cuddling sessions involved, as well as a very warm room that is perfect for baby, but can often be uncomfortable for a freshly postpartum mom. Fresh 48 sessions are easy on baby! Getting their diaper changed, taking feeding and cuddling breaks are all part of the session and documented, so there’s no need to stop for those. Baby is also typically swaddled or partially dressed, not naked, so the risk of baby getting too cold is very minimal.

Third, Fresh 48 sessions are beautiful ways to document the first few hours that you and your family are meeting and getting to know your newest addition! New big siblings are always so proud and infatuated with the baby for the first few days, and are more than willing to show off their new baby! Grandparents are so proud, and as the parents, you are so full of awe and amazement at this little person. All of those emotions come through in Fresh 48 sessions.

Finally, some of the details of your baby will only be this way for a few short days. I’m sure you’ve heard it time and time again: to enjoy it, because it goes so fast! Well, that is incredibly true. A baby at 1 or 2 days old is already vastly different than a baby at 2 weeks old. When your little one is “fresh from the oven”, they often have gorgeous details such as long fingernails, wrinkly/pruny fingers and toes, crazy hair, and occasionally even big old bumps on their sweet little noggins from how they came out. It is amazing how quickly these details change, and how badly you will want to remember them once they’re gone. A Fresh 48 session is the perfect way to capture this part of your family’s story, and such a fun way to share the story of your child’s birth with them each year on their birthday. Not only will they get the story, they will have the photos as well!

The time immediately following the birth of your child is such a magical, wondrous time. It can speed by in a blur, as there are so many changes (and so little sleep!). It is my pleasure to help you preserve these moments in time.

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017

coleyclineLeave a comment