Michiana Family Film and Photography - Personal Fusion Film

in ,

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE fusion films? Maybe once or twice? Fusion films are this completely amazing compilation of stunning images and fun video and it takes documenting your family to an entirely new level. While nothing can ever replace wall art and albums, this is the digital age and I have zero doubt that these types of fusion films are the next big thing in family photography. So obviously, I have to make them for my own family all of the time! Here is a fusion film of our amazing family trip to PCB. Enjoy :)

/
,
,

South Bend Family Photography - PCB Personal Project

in

Last week, we packed up our SUV and drove 900 miles to Panama City Beach, Florida. This trip was fairly last minute but so, so important: Miss F needed some extra time with her Gigi (Great Grandma Mary). Miss F is Gigi's only great grandchild and the two of them are cut from the same cloth. Seeing them together definitely made my heart happy. 

Panama City Beach is not only ridiculously family friendly and absolutely beautiful, but it also holds further meaning to my husband and I because about four years ago, we got married there! I love that we are able to go back to the exact spot we said "I do" with out daughter. If you're ever looking for a great place to get away with your kids, consider PCB. Between the white sand beaches, Gulf World and amazing seafood restaurants, you won't be disappointed. 

Anyway, I always struggle when it comes to vacations because I am torn between being present in the moment and capturing the moment. This time around, I decided to allow myself "the first ten minutes," meaning that whenever we went somewhere or did something, I took pictures for the first ten minutes we were there...and then I put my camera away. Let me tell you, this was no easy feat for me! I'm chronically concerned with "missing the moment" and I constantly found my mind noticing times that would have made for a great photo opp. But I fought the urge and left the camera in the bag. And you know what? I'm glad I did. I still got beautiful images that told our story, but I also got to just enjoy the moment. And let me assure you, this trip was packed with beautiful moments.

/

South Bend Family Photography - It's a Special Day

in , , ,

I wrote this last night, right after putting my not-so-baby baby to bed:

"Tonight I went to bed with stickers on my hands. She carefully placed them there and counted them happily only to announce I needed more and scampered off to retreive them. I could have taken them off. I could have put her straight to bed without rocking her. I could have. But the thing is, tomorrow she may not decorate me with stickers or even fit in my arms comfortably enough to fall asleep. So tonight, I sleep with stickers and tomorrow my baby turns two."

South Bend Documentary Family Photographer - Our Holidays!

in ,

A belated Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you all had a fantastic holiday with family and friends and that you made memories that you will cherish forever. 

This year, my daughter is just shy of two and I knew it was going to a pretty epic Christmas for her. She was able to grasp a basic understanding of Santa and many of the other magical elements of the holiday which had her all kinds of excited for the big day. She loved opening her gifts and getting to play with her family all weekend! Sadly though, we realized something: we are going to need a bigger house for all of her new stuff. Holy cow. It looks like someone ransacked Toys R' Us around her - and for a somewhat montessori inspired home, this was complicated to figure out what she got first. But what a blessed problem to have, right?

It was so fun seeing the kids' different personalities showing through in their favorite gifts. One tried out just about everything, one went straight to the cars and mine wandered around singing "Let it Go" with her new Elsa doll. She pretty much hit the jackpot of princesses and baby doll accessories and she was more than ok with that. Getting to document these moment in photo form was so much fun and I am also proud to say that I DID set aside the camera and just enjoyed the moments, too. Here's a sample of some of our fun family memories...

Granger Indiana Family Documentary Storytelling Photography - Happy Halloween!

in , , , , , , , ,

Halloween has always been a fun event but now that I have a toddler, it brings a whole new level of excitement to the table. Dressing her up and watching her face literally light up when she realized that people were putting CANDY in her bucket was such a great experience. In fact, it made me think that this would make for an awesome family photography session next year! What a fun story to capture: all of the costume prep and dress up, bustling out the door, kids hardly able to contain their excitement, the after trick-or-treating candy slam, sugar rushes followed by the sugar crashes...yup, sounds like a must do next year! 

Keeping the post short and sweet today. Everyone have a safe and fun Halloween! 

Love this little sequence! The candy hand-off, the investigation of the bucket, the "AHA!" moment. 

Like what you see? CONTACT ME.

Check BBP out at:
www.facebook.com/borneback

IG: bornebackphotography

South Bend Indiana Documentary Lifestyle Photographer - Cherished Moments

in , , , , , ,

Going in a slightly different direction today and discussing my personal projects...

I think it's safe to say that nearly all photographers, especially documentary photographers, challenge themselves with personal photography projects. This year, I decided to take on a modified 365 project (modified in that rather than starting on January 1st, I started my year at my daughter's first birthday). So that means, Baby F's entire second year has one photo per day. At first, I took this on because I wanted to improve my photography skills but then, it turned into something entirely different - and so much more. 

I'm about to hit my 200 day mark and I took a minute (or hour) to go back through her daily photos. It was like reading your favorite, best written novel where you cry, laugh, smile, cringe. You get the full array of feels. Seeing how much she has changed in just 200 days and seeing all that she has experienced is humbling. Having made the transition to a stay-at-home-mom less than a year ago, I was fearful that our days would be mundane and repetitive but after looking through those images, it was stunningly clear how amazing her little life is and how blessed I am to be experiencing it alongside her. 

How does this apply to BBP? Well, it just emphasizes the importance of capturing your children while they are little and making sure that their little milestones don't go unnoticed. It reiterates how quickly our babies change and how valuable it is having images that show them as they are, in unique, beautiful, fun ways. 

So, in conclusion, here's a little taste of the our daily lives behind the lens (please forgive the inconsistent watermarks as I upgraded a couple of weeks ago):

Why don't I post my daily images publicly? While I don't mind sharing my daughter's images with the world, I also try and consider her future feelings as an adolescent and adult. Occasional image shares I think are fair game from ANY momma, but some of her life deserves to stay private. 

 

Like what you see? CONTACT ME.

Check BBP out at:
www.facebook.com/borneback

IG: bornebackphotography

Camping - North Liberty Documentary Lifestyle and Storytelling Photographer

in , , , , , , ,

While editing these pictures tonight, a couple of things hit me:

1). THIS is why I do this. Sifting through your photos should bring an instant smile to your face and some of these images even made me laugh out loud. So what if they don't mean anything to someone else? They made MY heart happy. That's the great thing about storytelling and documentary photography; its YOUR story that matters.

2) Nothing makes my heart smile more than watching littles play together or seeing the BIG littles play with the little littles so willingly. 

3) Camping is not my thing. There, I said it! But just to see how purely and deeply happy Baby F was...totally worth it. I mean just look at that dirty face at the end of this gallery. THAT is the face of a day well spent. 

BBP Storytelling/Documentary Photography - Family Reunion

in

There's something so heartwarming about a family that is spread out across the country that will stop their daily lives, pack up, and fly or drive crazy distances to get together once a year! I sat with my grandma this past weekend while we watched all of my crazy uncles and cousins create an epic whirlpool and couldn't hide how awesome it is that all of these people even exist because this amazing 87 year old woman sitting next to me fell in love a half century ago.

My family is not shy about having a good time and this year's reunion was no exception! It was so difficult to not just sit and photograph every minute of the entire weekend but I am working on forcing myself to click once and then, as hard as it is, set. the. camera. down. I don't ever want to regret missing out on the moments myself because I was stuck behind a lens. Baby F had a ton of fun, too. Need proof? Just check out all of the moments below! So many great stories to share with her when she's older (and some that I will purposely keep to myself haha). 

A Day in the Life - South Bend Storytelling/Documentary Photography Session

in , , , , , , ,

"Do a day in the life shoot," they said. "It'll be fun," they said.

It's funny, because before I got into photography, even as a hobby, I was like everyone else and underestimated how difficult it is to get THE shot (let alone a multitude of shots) in one session. And now, after nearly a year of practice and a very painfully acute appreciation for the difficulty of having everything come together to get THE shots...I still underestimate the difficulty! Every. Single. Time.

Good thing I like a challenge!

In all seriousness though, this was such a a challenging but fun project. It wasn't a special day; just a random Tuesday which equates to swim lessons, outings with friends, grocery shopping, and good ol' fashioned home time. I can't wait to look back on this type of day 5, 10, 30 years from now and smile at the way Baby F practiced facial expressions that look JUST like Daddy, or turns away random bites of food and devours others, or smiles with her whole self . This is what storytelling and documentary photography is all about. All the memories. All the feels.