A GUIDE TO DOCUMENTARY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY From Moments of Motherhood â„¢ Photographer, Shelley Torgerson
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LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Thank you Shelley, for capturing so perfectly how much love there is between me and my little guy. -Erin R.
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WHY DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY? Because your real moments, they are beautiful. They are full of emotion and honesty and love. And there is nothing more beautiful than that. Because it will give you the opportunity to look back on this time in your families life and remember exactly what it felt like. Because your children are growing and changing faster than you can keep track of and this will allow you to preserve those little things that makes them so them. Because you need to be in the picture. Moms, I’m especially talking to you! So often as moms we are taking the photos and if we aren’t taking them we are making excuses about how we look so that we are not in them. I can say this to you, because I am guilty of both things myself! Let’s change this together! Because we are creating a time capsule of a day in the life of your child. They will be able to look back at these photographs and remember what it felt like to be in your house, remember how each detail looked, how dinner being cooked smelled. You are giving your children and you such a gift by capturing a day like this. Because you don’t have to get ready! And you will still end up with gorgeous, heart felt photographs of your family. I mean that right there is reason enough isn’t it?! 5
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MAKE YOUR PHOTOS MEAN SOMETHING Be in the picture. Create an heirloom to pass on to your children and your children’s children. Stop waiting.
There will never be another now.
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MOMENTS OF MOTHERHOOD Is this the session for you? If you are nodding your head yes to anything below, then yes this session is for you. YOU are mom, mother, mommy, mama. And you are a great mom, no you are a FANTASTIC mom. YOU love all the little moments with your children, all the tiny little things that they do that melts your heart and makes them so THEM. You can’t believe how quickly each age, each phase, is flying by and you so desperately don’t want to forget all the little things about this time now, but have no idea how you will be remember all of these amazing moments. YOU look at all the pictures you have of your family and you are barely in any of them. You realize that you want to be in the family photographs that you and your children will cherish and reminisce with forever. YOU know that what you are doing is important, but darn it, sometimes it just doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes it feels like no one really values all the small stuff that adds up to your entire day, that no one sees all that you really do, day in and day out. Moments of Motherhood was created for YOU
TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW FROM THIS SESSION, VISIT: Brooke, Gisele, & Pearl’s Slideshow
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Shelley, these photos are amazing amazing amazing! - Jenny
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DAY IN THE LIFE Do you want to include the whole family in your session? Do you love the idea of a Moments of Motherhood session, but also really want your partner in these pictures too? This session is for you. The idea behind a Day in the Life session is similar to a Moments of Motherhood session, the only difference is that it includes everyone. It will document the ins and outs of a day involving everyone in your family. The kids playing, mom and dad sneaking a kiss or a chocolate bar in the closet, one of the little ones grabbing a crayon and writing on a wall when no one is looking. (Yep, unless they are really going to hurt themselves or someone else, we will let the day unfold as it normally would.) Sisters pulling each others hair, but then the next minute being each others closest confidant. Any of the moments that make your family, your children uniquely YOU, that is what I will capture. A Day in the Life can include anyone in the family. Mom and Dad, Mom and Mom, Dad and Dad, of course the kids, and mabye even Grandma & Grandpa will stop over. Who ever would be in your regular day, they can be in this session.
TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW FROM THIS SESSION, VISIT: Jenny, Ian, & Gabriel’s Slideshow
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ALL THE DETAILS
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“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind
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GLIMPSE OF A DAY 90 mins | Session Fee - $150 Your session fee holds your date and INCLUDES: Pre-session consultation. Travel to your home or location. Professional hand editing and processing of your images. Online slideshow. Web ready, watermarked files for facebook and instagram. Online gallery for proofing, sharing, and ordering of your images.
Digital Files | $600 High resolution digital files, approx 30 images per hour. Each image is hand edited.
Digital Files & Album + Bonus | $850 Purchase a 30 page storybook album and the digital files and save $100 and receive a complimentary downloadable slideshow to keep.
90 MIN & 4 HOUR SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE 15-30 MINUTES OF RELAXED PORTRAITS DIRECTED BY ME ALL DIGITAL FILE COLLECTIONS COME WITH A PERSONAL PRINT RELEASE FOR UNLIMITED PERSONAL PRINTING 17
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HALF DAY SESSION 4 hours | Session Fee - $350 Your session fee holds your date and INCLUDES: Pre-session consultation. Travel to your home or location. Professional hand editing and processing of your images. Online slideshow. Web ready, watermarked files for facebook and instagram. Online gallery for proofing, sharing, and ordering of your images.
Digital Files | $850 High resolution digital files, approx 30 images per hour. Each image is hand edited.
Digital Files & Album + Bonus | $1050 Purchase a 30 page storybook album and the digital files and save $150 and receive a complimentary downloadable slideshow to keep.
90 MIN & 4 HOUR SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE 15-30 MINUTES OF RELAXED PORTRAITS DIRECTED BY ME ALL DIGITAL FILE COLLECTIONS COME WITH A PERSONAL PRINT RELEASE FOR UNLIMITED PERSONAL PRINTING
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FULL DAY SESSION 8 hours | Session Fee - $650 Your session fee holds your date and INCLUDES: Pre-session consultation. Travel to your home or location. Professional hand editing and processing of your images. Online slideshow. Web ready, watermarked files for facebook and instagram. Online gallery for proofing, sharing, and ordering of your images.
Digital Files | $1250 High resolution digital files, approx 30 images per hour. Each image is hand edited.
Digital Files & Album + Bonus | $1450 Purchase a 30 page storybook album and the digital files and save $200 and receive a complimentary downloadable slideshow to keep.
ALL DIGITAL FILE COLLECTIONS COME WITH A PERSONAL PRINT RELEASE FOR UNLIMITED PERSONAL PRINTING
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DON’T LET YOUR IMAGES GET LOST AND FORGOTTEN ON YOUR HARD DRIVE
MY FAVORITE WAY TO DISPLAY YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS FROM YOUR SESSION IS IN THE FORM OF AN ALBUM. 22
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” - Dr Seuss
When I come and spend time with you, I am capturing a series of moments that tell a story. Each moment is special on it’s own, but I really love seeing these moments unfold one after another in the form of a book. An album allows you, not only now, but years later to be able to flip through the pages with your children and your grandchildren and be able to get the feeling of what that time in your life felt like. Being a busy mom myself, I know that as well intentioned as we are, we often don’t have our photos printed and after sharing one or two on social media, they sit on our hard drives for no one to see. My goal is for you to walk away with a finished product and not have there be any more work for you to do. An album full of photos will be passed down from generation to generation, our computer hard drives will not. Please have your photos printed, your children will thank you, YOU will thank you, and your grandkids are going to think it’s the coolest thing ever.
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ALBUMS 11 x 8.25 Storybook Album - $350 custom bound with your choice of a fabric cover, photo dust jacket, and archival quality, recycled interior pages. Includes 30 images, one image per page.
additional images - $10 each additional image, one image per page
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & INFO .
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Omg!!! Can’t stop watching!!!! Can I share? Thank you so much! Me and Lars are so happy! - Eve C. 28
TESTIMONIALS “It’s perfect!!! I just balled my way through this. Thank you. These are so beautiful. This project is beautiful. I cannot wait to share it. Thank you for this beautiful gift.” - Kelly “Thanks, Shelley! I’ve looked at this slideshow so many times, and each time have found a new detail I love. It’s so overwhelmingly beautiful. I’m so grateful to you for showing me what my motherhood looks like” - Stacy W. “Thank you! That is beautiful, now you made ME cry. I really love my babies so much, I know we will enjoy these pictures for the rest of our lives. I never want to forget this time with them. I remember when Cameron started getting really sick, I would just watch him and try to study every single part of him, I knew he wouldn’t be around for long and I didn’t want to forget anything. I wish I knew you then. I am so thankful for what you do. You are passionate about family and it shows.” - Eve C. “...I don’t have the words. What a gift you have given me. Thank you, so truly. This is exactly what I needed right now, a mirror into myself mothering. It’s so beautiful, I can’t thank you enough, seriously....” - Erin R. “Omg I have like 50 of them I want to frame!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! These are just so so so special and amazing!!!!!!!!!” - Brooke M.
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WHAT TO EXPECT You think you’ve decided on a Moments of Motherhood or Day in the Life session, but it may feel scary to say yes not knowing exactly how a session works. Let me tell you a ittle about how my process works, so you’ll understand what to expect from start to finish. Going beyond the photos, your experience is important to me.
Before your session I will answer any additional questions you might have and we will pick your session date. Reserve your session date. Next, I will send you my contract and an invoice to pay your session fee. Once your session fee is paid your date is reserved *(Session fees are non-refundable but can be applied to a future session if re-scheduling is necessary) Waiting for your session day. This is when you will start to wonder about what you should wear, is your house going to be clean enough, etc? This is when you will start to feel like you should be getting ready. I get it. I’d probably do the same thing. But here’s the great thing, DON’T DO IT. What you should wear for your session is whatever you would normally wear. If you have something you wear regularly and you feel great int, choose that. As for your house, your house is perfect exactly the way it is. This session is a representation of how your life is NOW. If that means that there are dishes in the sink and toys on the floor while you are in the middle of more important things, like pretending to be a panda bear eating bamboo with your four year old (yes, I’m speaking from experience ), then that is exactly how your house should look.
Your Photo Session Getting comfortable. Once I arrive at your house, we will spend a little bit of time talking and hanging out, maybe 10-20 minutes. I might talk to and play with the kids for a bit to get them more comfortable with me being there. Whenever the time feels right, I will pull out my camera.. You will just continue to go about your day. We will still talk and you and the kids can talk to me. I won’t be a silent fly on the wall, but I also will not move, change or alter anything as we go about the day. You do not need to worry about what you are doing or how it looks and I’ll help you through any of those fears. This is where my talent lies and why you hired me, so trust in that. Your job: enjoy our time together. Simple as that. 30
You be you and let the kids be kids. The great thing about these sessions is that I’ve yet to have a kid mind me being there. Why? Because it’s unlike a typical photo shoot. They get to still have fun and be themselves. Unless someone is really going to get hurt, I’m not going to stop your children from doing anything. If you leave the room to go to the bathroom and they write on the wall, I’m going to photograph it. If normally you take them into the bathroom with you so that doesn’t happen, then I’m going to photograph you dragging them into the bathroom. They get to be exactly who they are and kids love that. When both you and your kids look back on these pictures you are going to be so glad to see that you valued both you and them and exactly who you are enough to document it exactly how it was. How beautiful
After your Session I will begin to hand edit the photos from your session. For one hour sessions I will usually have your photos ready in about 3 weeks. For four or eight hour sessions, it will usually be about 6 -8 weeks. If there is any reason these time frames may be different, I will let you know. Receive the link to your slideshow. The first thing you will receive from me is your slideshow. After I send you your slideshow, I sit and anxiously wait to hear from you. Hearing from you after you see your photographs for the first time is definitely one of my favorite parts of this whole process. Your reaction to seeing your Receive your proofing gallery. The next thing you will receive from me is a link to your proofing gallery. From here you will view your images and where you will decide which photos you would like for an album or any printed products. Order your album and digital files. The next step is to let me know what products you would like. Like the entire process, I am here for you if you need any help deciding or have any questions. I have had moms who have chosen the images themselves for their albums and I have had moms who have me do all the choosing for them. I’m happy to do either way. WE’LL STAY CONNECTED. You’ll hear from me to see how you’re doing, fill you in on what I’ve been up to, send you inspiration for our next session, and let you be the first to know if I run any kind of a promo.
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FAQS How is a documentary photo session different than a typical portrait type session? I am going to come into your house and your life for a part of your day to document it exactly as it happens. I will be documenting you and your child or children, and you will go about your day as you normally would. No getting dressed up, no getting ready or prepping yourselves, no cleaning the house, or finding a location. There will be no posing, no matching outfits, no dressing up, and prepping for days. All you have to do is be there and be your wonderful selves. It is my job to show you how awesome that truly is, and I am excited to do just that! So should I clean my house, plan outfits for the kids, or ask them to act a certain way? No, no, and no. The idea behind me coming to you and documenting you with your children is to capture you as a mother with you children, exactly as you are on any given day. The good, the bad, the hard, the boring, the loving. All of it. What is going to happen when you come over, how will it work? I will arrive at your house and talk with you and the kids. I may not even take my camera out right away because I want to spend a few minutes getting to know everyone and letting the kids become more comfortable with me. I will talk to them, maybe play with them for a bit. After that, you will go about your regular day and I will document moments as they happen. I won’t exactly be a fly on the wall, as I will interact and talk with you during our time together, but I won’t ask you to do anything specific or change anything. I won’t move items in your house or adjust your clothes or hair. But my house is not clean enough, I want to lose weight first, I only have one child, our days are probably too boring... The point of these sessions is that none of these things matter when it comes down to what you do, and who you are as a mother. All of the time you are spending with you children is beautiful and worth it. This session will be the physical proof of that. You will look back and cherish the memories of exactly how your time together was at this very moment. None of the things that you might be worrying about now will be what you notice when you look at these photos later in life. You will see how you and you child loved each other and spent your days together. However, these pictures are not just to be looked back on, you will look at them now, and see how important you are as their mother, and how valuable this time with your children is, right now. 32
I would rather the photos from my session remain private and are not shared do you offer a non-disclosure agreement? I do! I fully respect you wanting to keep your family life private. A NDA can be added to any session for an additional fee. Please inquire for rates. However, if there are just a couple of images that you would like me not to share like breastfeeding photos or naked baby booty photos, let me know, and I am happy to honor your request and leave those out of your slideshow and off of social media. Do you travel for sessions? I love to travel for sessions. There are two ways that we can work a travel session. The first way is that you can just cover my travel expenses, give me somewhere to sleep, and feed me some food while I’m with you. The second option is if you and a few of your friends or family want to plan sessions for around the same time, we can plan for them all to be done within a few days of each other and work out the travel expenses.
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WHY SHELLEY? So you’ve decided yes to documentary family photography. There are many photographers out there, and you want to know why you should hire me? Because I am meant for this. I have a passion for other peoples stories. I have a passion for knowing more about every one I meet. I am genuinely interested. I consider myself a moments photographer and I SEE your moments. The moments you don’t even realize are happening., I see YOU. There are moments with my son where I suddenly find myself wishing so hard to be able to hold on to that exact moment forever. Where I can start to feel a sliver of myself as an older woman with a grown child, so badly wanting to be able to reach back in time and have that moment again, to look down and see my adult sized foot stepping on each step next to my three year old’s squishy little foot, holding his hand, step by step, walking up the stairs, counting together. Where I can feel the happiness from this seemingly small activity flowing from his hand to mine. As I write this, I feel like there may be nothing more important for me to do with my life than to help people preserve a little of this. It brings tears to my eyes. It makes my heart skip a beat and drop into my stomach a little with excitement. It feels necessary. That’s what I want to do with you, I want to come into your home and capture you and your children in all your messy, loving, ordinary, but extraordinary glory. I want to preserve these moments, so that you will forever have them to look back on, to maybe make it feel a little less someday like these moments are gone. And these memories are not only to be looked back upon when our children are grown and we are older. I want these photographs to be a reminder now, on the very days that these moments are happening. A reminder that you and your children are beautiful together just as you are, that what you are doing as their mother has so much worth. There is beauty in our everyday. The most beauty, the best kind of beauty. Give me a little of your time, let me into your day, show me a little of your soul, let it all hang loose a little, and I will show you your beauty as I see it, the best I know how. 34
ABOUT SHELLEY I AM MOM TO A SUPER CUDDLY, SUPER RAMBUNCTIOUS FIVE YEAR OLD BOY Being a
mom is something I have always wanted, and always knew I would do. I had always thought I would have a whole gaggle of kids running around. In the end, I have one son, and honestly, I know now that this is exactly how I want it to be. Being a mom is honestly my favorite thing I’ve ever done. It is also strangely the easiest and hardest thing I’ve ever done- at the same time! How is that even possible?! But it’s true! I COULD GO HOUSE HUNTING EVERYDAY I love looking at and for houses. So much so I have often thought of getting a real estate license. I almost always have a good idea of what houses are
for sale in our area. And sometimes I’m looking online in other states and islands just to see what is out there. I love the excitement of moving and setting up a new house. (Not the packing though! Of course not the packing!) I just really love houses, and especially old houses. I fulfill my need for a change of house by rearranging and changing our furniture often. It used to drive my husband crazy, but now he loves it too. I LOVE ANIMALS Like really love them. It is one of my dreams to hug a baby cow. I AM OBSESSED WITH KNOWING PEOPLES STORIES My husband lovingly teases me about
how I am always the one with a lot of questions. About how if there is a situation where anyone needs to know anything, they should take me with them because I will make sure nothing is missed. (And people often do take me!) He also laughs at me because as we drive though different neighborhoods, or go on vacation, I will wonder out loud with genuine curiosity what it migh be like for the people living there. As I start to talk he’ll say, “I know, you wonder what it is like for these people who live here. You want to know what their life is like.” And the truth is, I do. I CRY WHEN SOMETHING FEELS REALLY TRUE TO ME I know that may sound a little strange. If
something really resonates as true to me, I will often start to cry. It also happens if I am really moved by something or really inspired. .
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INSPIRATION
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LAURI, FELIX, & ELIZA
TO VIEW THIS FULL SESSION, VISIT: Lauri, Felix, & Eliza’s Slideshow
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JENNA, ADAM, & MYKA
TO VIEW THIS FULL SESSION, VISIT: Jenna, Adam, & Myka’s Slideshow
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SHOWING YOU THE BEAUTY IN YOUR EVERYDAY Email me to book. SHELLEY TORGERSON Documentary Family Photographer www.shelleytorgerson.com shelley@shelleytorgerson.com
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