Documenting family life

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petemc

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Do you photograph your family as they are on a day to day basis? I'm not talking about weddings, family trips to the park, and things. I mean daily normal life. Those little moments so in 10 years time you'll be able to look back and see this period of your life. Its an odd thing but while I can do street photography I can't document my home life because I feel like I'm intruding. Does anyone do this sorta thing? Even to the point of documenting the bad times as they are just as important.
 
I have done this occasionally, my brother (MisterE) is a past master at it though, his camera is always in his hand when he's at home or visiting relatives.

Note; to MisterE... if the photo of me gardening finds it's way on to TP you're a dead man!
 
i do take alot of pictures of my kids good and bad and plain stupid..


so i would say yes ...:thumbs:

but only my kids :nuts:

md:thumbs:
 
The only time I would say recently that I have documented "family life" and not really people, but things surrounding. Was when my nan passed away [in october this year] and the day of the funeral, the family funeral flowers were laid out on the garden for all the people who were going to nans to see, awaiting for the hearse to arrive. And I was there taking photographs of the flowers. We also took photographs of the cremation-stone plot when that was put on.

A lot of it though was due to my nan's brother living in the Phillipeans, and unable to travel over. But he is so happy that in a time of sadness we have taken the time to "think" to do things like that.

I dont photography the family "moments" as much as I used to. Think I May try to do more of it....over this new year.
 
I have found myself doing it more because of my 365, if I know I am not going to get an 'special' shot that day then I try and get a shot of something happening around the house which usually means whatever my family are doing.
 
I do - the 20D is almost always out on the desk, and so gets used frequently - just everyday shots, like our puppy playing with bubbles, my daughter drawing, my wife or I working, flowers on the window sill, people we've had round for dinner, my nephew's early steps. I forget I've taken them sometimes, and then rediscover them in Lightroom months later :)
 
petemc said:
Do you photograph your family as they are on a day to day basis? I'm not talking about weddings, family trips to the park, and things. I mean daily normal life. Those little moments so in 10 years time you'll be able to look back and see this period of your life. Its an odd thing but while I can do street photography I can't document my home life because I feel like I'm intruding. Does anyone do this sorta thing? Even to the point of documenting the bad times as they are just as important.
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Yup, all the time. Never post the shots as just snaps. I take about 2, 3, 4 a day of me wife, my son at the weekend, loads. Mum, sisters, whenever I am there. And I try and keep it candidish. Reportage practise :D
 
Susane said:
I have done this occasionally, my brother (MisterE) is a past master at it though, his camera is always in his hand when he's at home or visiting relatives.

Note; to MisterE... if the photo of me gardening finds it's way on to TP you're a dead man!
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I wouldn't be so cruel!! Besides, others here would kill me before you got to me.

But as you've brought up family photos, here's one of the two of us. Not taken by me obviously. We haven't changed much. I'm the one on the left.........


00831.jpg
 
:D awww, cute pair.


Like Gary, I often take snaps, but I wouldn't call it 'documenting' as such, because its usually just grab shots when I have the camera out for other stuff. IMO to document would be to deliberately take shots regularly of your day to day life and I don't do that. I suppose there is an argument to say its a good thing to do, but rather like keeping a diary, I would quickly get bored by 'having' to do it [all my diaries have usually become defunct by about march] and is teh reason why I have never felt the need to do any kind of 365 or similar, even though a part me feels I should do something of that ilk just to have somethingto look back on. :shrug:
 
I do like taking shots of unguarded moments although I haven't done so much recently. I do have some lovely shots of my nephews at play and of my in-laws-to-be.


MisterE said:
We haven't changed much. I'm the one on the left.........
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Not much at all :p and how come I have the truck? I don't remember any interest in trucks. :thinking:
 
20081211-m926qh44r3f8wa5e1nwnghcpyp.jpg


So yes, yes I do :D
And I'm a big advocator of it. I started a few years ago when I realised that I hardly had any pictures of me growing up.
I want my kids to grow up with lots and lots of memories to look back on. What about if I or my wife start losing our memory as we get older?
Also for future generations to look back on, I want them to see our family life as it was in the early 2000's.

I haven't taken as many over the past few months, as there hasn't been much eventful happening, but I try and take photos of everything eventful, however small. Even if it's just a picture of some christmas decorations, or my little boys first attempt at a sandwich, it all gets snapped.

Even now, I'm looking back on photos thinking 'Wow, I'd forgotten about that!'.
I used to use the DV-Cam too, but since it got fussy last year, Ive only pulled it out on special occasions. (I have about 60 DVD's worth of raw AVI footage (15 gig per hour), backed up onto about 12 dvd's of compressed MPEG footage).

I don't document my extended family so much, as we don't see them that much. When our paths cross for an occasion I always do though.
 
I photograph my nephew a lot, but its expected. I want to photograph the stuff that isn't expected. The stuff that matters.
 
petemc said:
I photograph my nephew a lot, but its expected. I want to photograph the stuff that isn't expected. The stuff that matters.
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Yes I agree. Its very important to get the mindset that these things that you take as day to day nothingness.... in years to come will be lovely.

All these old photos we see of our grandparents as children etc.. they hold endless fascination for us even though they are just standing in a doorway or walking along with a bicycle or something.

Its far too easy to think.. "Who would want to see a photo of mother standing in the kitchen cooking?". But in 50 years time the family will love it.
 
Yer totally. Back then photography was new so getting that box brownie made you want to photograph everything. Now its everywhere and its easy to become complaicent.
 
There is nothing worse than sitting through an album viewing of kids growing up when they are all school pics or posed sittings year after year. It says nothing about the kids themselves.

Way back when it took a lot more effort to set up a shot so they did tend to be more posed and as Pete said - numerous because of the novelty. Now with the luxury of digital speed we can catch the unexpected comedy and the tragedy of growing up - if we have a mind to do it. I don't usually follow the kids round at home but any parties or events we go to - I carry a camera just in case (and quite often never use it)
 
Oh by the way Pete - starting fluffy threads about family life isn't going to save you from the bad boy nominations - it's too late:lol:
 
My daughter has avidly taken pics from pregnancy through all my grandkids lives they now 3, and 4 she literally has GB's of pictures all mostly P & S ones but she never without a camera with them good moments bad moments she has them all :)she just got 400 processed at asda other week she likes them printed as well as on Disk.She has them stored in memory boxes as she calls them along with things had when young hair teeth etc :)
 
Jaco said:
My daughter has avidly taken pics from pregnancy through all my grandkids lives they now 3, and 4 she literally has GB's of pictures all mostly P & S ones but she never without a camera with them good moments bad moments she has them all :)she just got 400 processed at asda other week she likes them printed as well as on Disk.She has them stored in memory boxes as she calls them along with things had when young hair teeth etc :)
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Dude

When you want to catchup for the D200.....come for a cuppa tonight?

Gary.
 
You'll be changing your avatar to a kitten next
 
Changing your name might help
 
I think i must photgraph my family nearly everyday.... they are so sick of it, but time seems to go so fast I just want to make sure i don't forget the little things the kids did when they were younger.

My problem is street photography, i lack the confidence to snap people who i haven't met...and if i do, i rush it so the end result is always rubbish.
 
I normally have a camera near at hand and use it most days. It's easier to show Ofsted what I do with the children I look after, and this naturally has led me to take pictures of my own family at all times (my wife is starting to become less camera shy).
My father is the same with a video camera whenever we go over there.
 
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