Documentary

Top 4 activities for a Winter Day-in the Life session

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Winter and the holiday season is such a special time of year. We spend time with loved ones and do specific activities that can only be done during this season. We also partake in certain traditions we were raised with or create our own. These traditions and special moments deserve to be cherished.

I’ve put together a short list of ideas of how you can document this special time of year with those you love:

1.Picking out a Tree from Tree Lot/Farm

2. Decorating your Christmas Tree/ your home with Holiday decor!

3. Making Hot Cocoa

4. Simply existing/thriving in the holiday season

Additional Ideas:
- Baking and Decorating Cookies
- Playing in the Snow (if that’s possible near you)
- Ice Skating
- Holiday crafts

If you’re interested in booking a Winter storytelling session with your family, let’s chat! We can talk on the phone/zoom to discuss your ideas or feel free to go ahead and book if you know what you’re looking for!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday season with those you love!

Leave a comment and let me know what traditions you and your family do.

xo,
Sarah Jean

Stroll down memory lane with me

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I absolutely LOVE being nostalgic. Nostalgic for memories. Don't get me wrong, I love my life right now, but I find so much joy looking at candid photos of my childhood and adolescence. I was blessed with being in a loving home with memories I truly cherish. So I view all photos as a gift because of the everlasting gift it gives me.

 

This was “newborn photography” in 1988.

 

I have tons of photos of just me and my mom or me and my dad but the only ones of us all together are posed photos in a portrait studio or another person took them real quick to commemorate that moment of us all together. Those annual photos are to mark each year so that we have a chronological view of our loved ones. I know this to be true of everyone reading this blog post. I believe there is so much more to gleam from family photos than just a static view of the passing of time.

Studio Portraits

Homemade Portraits

I'm so glad someone was taking photos of me growing up but I definitely wish I had candid photos from a professional so that all of my family was able to be present in the moment.

The candid photos are what make my heart soar! This is why I focus on candids in my own photography.

During a sibling Christmas photo session I had a total meltdown!

Swing dancing with my best friend at a middle school dance. Still friends to this day! This photo takes me back to those days at dances of trying to get boys to notice me while also having a blast with my friends.

These photos I have are mostly from big events and holidays. Typically we don’t think to take photos of the small intimate moments because we are busy being IN the moment. What I wouldn’t give to have photos from my night time routine with my mom as a child or photos of me practicing pitching softball with my dad. Those everyday moments also bring me a ton of joy but they are buried deep in my ADHD brain. It’s the simple truth that I have a better memory if I have a photo as proof of the moment. With the photos I can unlock the feelings I had doing whatever I am doing in the photo and feelings I had about the people there with me.

This is Darren, one of my best childhood friends. We lost touch mid- High School and he has since passed away. I cherish this candid photo of us getting ready for the Portuguese Festa that he walked in with me.

It’s been a tradition to have a picnic twice a year with my mom’s side of the family. Once on Easter and during Labor Day weekend. I am seen here hugging my grandma. Her and my grandpa have since passed and the Labor Day picnics always landed near her birthday. They are a bittersweet event nowadays.

We have been tricked into thinking that there are only two ways to have family photos:

  1. Photos taken on our phones or point and shoot cameras taken by a family member or handed to a stranger to snap quickly. These photos live on our phones/computers and maybe printed in a box somewhere (those kids from the 90s can relate!). They have memories attached to them that make them special and necessary.

  2. Professional photos in a studio or on location with planned outfits and everyone saying “CHEESE” hoping there’s a few decent shots with all eyes open and pretty smiles. These photos get printed and displayed in our homes to show off to visitors. They are high quality but the purpose they serve is largely to document what your family looks like and to document milestones through the years.

I am here to tell you that there is a third option!

3. Professional candid photos. Blend the first two options together! With this option, you can have beautiful high quality photographs that will last. You can feel proud to show them off on your walls and know that these photos are showing your authentic life.

I used to sell lemonade in front of my house. How precious is this moment?!

Think to yourself, how can I honor my loved ones and their memory? Is it through photographs? Photographs that hold memories close? If so, I would love to talk about what that means for you and how I can help.

I was a stylish kid on Easter in the early 90’s. That hallway in my grandparents house was such an important part of that house. It was narrow and used constantly and thinking about gatherings of dozens of family members moving through that house in a place I’ll never step foot in again… bring tears to my eyes.

Thank you for strolling down memory lane with me. If you feel inspired to chat about booking your own day-in-the-life sessions where I document all the little and big moments, let’s chat! If you are interested in booking me for year-round sessions, subscribe to my year in the life service!

Year-In-The-Life aka YITL - Orange County Photographer

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A NEW service I offer is Year-In-The-Life (YITL) sessions. Starting in January, I photograph you (and your family) at your home, work, or out and about on an adventure on a monthly basis through December. Throughout the year you get an online gallery of your photos and at the end of the year, I put together a "yearbook" album for you to cherish for years to come. It's a great way to document your life without having to worry about missing those big or small moments. And this yearbook can be passed down to your kids and grandkids. I started YITL this year and it's been amazing! Each month it's a condensed version of Day-In-The-Life and my clients pick an experience they want memorialized each month. It's been really fun to watch growth (in many ways) over the course of a year as an outsider.

For the PSP Class of 2022 I am only taking on 5 clients, so if this is something you want to do next year, let's chat ASAP ! Imagine what you can have documented in a whole year of your life!

These documentary sessions are not just for families that include children and two parents. They can be for a couple, a single parent, just you, a business (I have a slightly different package for brand content you can ask me about), etc. Skies the limit! If you are seeing this blog, these sessions are for you!

If you’re interested in being part of PSP Class of 2022, let’s make it happen!

Lifestyle vs. Documentary

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Being an artist among so many others in Southern California is tough with stiff competition. You may be familiar with the popular Lifestyle photography style. Many of my photoshoots have been considered Lifestyle over the years. With this style the photographer stages the scene by asking questions or prompts their subjects to do a certain thing that would look great on camera and can capture emotion based on what they envision in their heads.

LIFESTYLE

About 6 years ago I discovered a different style of photography. It has many names: documentary style, photojournalistic, organic, etc. This style is used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. And because I am interested in working with families and couples, I want to focus on documenting everyday life as well as the big stuff. I believe that the chaos of everyday life is just as beautiful and meaningful to the subjects as the big important moments.

DOCUMENTARY

Some examples of BIG moments that can be documented in this style: nesting, birth of a child, birthday celebration, baptism, graduation, wedding, anniversary, family reunion, celebrating sobriety, celebrating remission, spending time with loved ones in their last days, funeral/celebration of life, etc.

Some examples of every day life moments: morning routine, bath time, bedtime routine, breastfeeding/bottle feeding, playing in the living room or child's room, play dates in the park, doing chores together, swim lessons, pool parties, picking a Christmas tree and decorating it, carving pumpkins, holiday decorating, hiking adventure, going out for ice cream/a treat, baking cookies, cooking and eating a meal together, arts & crafts, taking your kid to school while you still can, girl scout/boy scout/other community group gatherings/events, family camping trip, getting a tattoo/cover up, meeting up with friends, Disneyland Days, trips to the farmer's market, block parties, etc. So many memories waiting to be frozen in time.

I want to be there to capture memories, not create memories.

This style has captured my heart in a big way and I have recently decided to exclusively shoot in this style moving forward.

So I found my niche and want to share it with all of you and the world!

Day-In-The-Life sessions are the best way to shoot in this style. In these sessions I spend several hours (3-4+) with my clients either in their home or out and about (or both) capturing their normal routine. The Lynns were the first clients of mine to indulge me in this style and it was perfect! The Evans family was fantastic as well! Learning about a family, their dynamics, personalities, and capturing that with my camera is what makes me come alive.

These sessions can include video or be video only. With these sessions I have prints and products you can purchase to give the photos life after the session. Things like a box of mounted prints, to large artwork for your walls, and coffee table books you can flip through for years to come. If this is something you would be interested in booking, you can download and fill out this questionnaire and email it to me or we can chat on the phone!

Hope to see you and your loved ones in front of my camera soon!

[Picture Life] Pierson Family | Documentary Family Photography | San Diego Photographer

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Melissa and I were in the same Girl Scout troop as kids. Her older sister was in my grade and their mom was our troop leader. Melissa and I reconnected on Facebook a couple years ago and she recently reached out for a documentary family photo session before undergoing chemotherapy.

Melissa booked a Slice of Life session where I spent an hour with her family playing legos, blowing bubbles, baking 1 giant chocolate chip cookie, and playing in the neighborhood party, all typical Sunday afternoon activities.

[Picture Love] Mrs & Mrs Cupa

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Bettie and I skate together at High Tide Roller Derby. She entered our free LGBTQ+ family giveaway this past Pride month and won! One way her and her wife bond is by being tattooed by her. Bettie’s left arm is almost completely covered in tattooes that her wife did. How cool is that?! I absolutely love capturing people in their element and this session was no exception!

If you are interested in booking your authentic session at home, or on an adventure, drop me a line!

Thank you for stopping by. Check out our Facebook and Instagram for daily updates.

xo,
Sarah C.

[Picture Life] L.A. Pride 2018

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This year was the first time I participated in celebrating Pride month as an out pansexual woman. My husband and I went to the festival on Saturday and then the parade on Sunday so I snapped a few photos to commemorate the magical occasion. 

Did you celebrate in your area? I would love to hear a few words about your experience this year! 

Thanks for visiting
xo Sarah