In March, spring in New York is often more theoretical than actual. Outside, Brooklyn was still cold. Inside a loft in Brooklyn Heights, two sisters in lavender and butter yellow sweaters supplied most of the season’s color themselves.
Their family would be moving later that summer. There was no dramatic finality to the afternoon, the apartment was still very much their home, but the fact of leaving gave the photographs a different kind of attention. Not only to the people, but to the rooms around them.
The girls did most of the directing without knowing it. They played, climbed, made one another laugh and shifted rapidly between affection and the particular kind of silliness that belongs to sisters. Their personalities were distinct and so was the relationship between them.
The family stayed inside, moving through the rooms they used every day. The session was photographed on film and allowed to be slightly wintry despite the calendar: soft indoor light, layers of clothing, the muted tones of early March interrupted by those two sweaters.
A home places a family inside its own visual history. Rooms change. Furniture moves. Children’s things disappear from shelves. Apartments are renovated, outgrown or handed to someone else. Even when a move is planned only six months away, it can be difficult to imagine how quickly a familiar place will become inaccessible.
By the time spring properly arrived, the family was already moving closer to another chapter.
A few questions about in-home family sessions
What if we are planning to move?
That can be an especially meaningful time to photograph at home. The session does not need to become a record of the apartment itself; the rooms simply provide the context around the family as it is now.
Do we need to plan activities for an in-home session?
Usually not. With young children, playing, reading, talking and moving through the house tends to be enough. The aim is not to fill the session with activities, but to give personality enough room to appear.
add a comment
+ COMMENTS