“Comparison is the thief of joy” T. Roosevelt.

There is no denying that the sharp increase in mental health issues around the globe is in part due to fake lives we compare ours to on a daily or even hourly basis on social media.

The message we get given all the time that our lives should be better is perpetual, insistent, never-ending and forever changing. This is absolutely why I love taking every day images of real family life. Of course we want those stunning singular portraits on our walls and there is nothing wrong with that (they are all around my house) but I really feel that sharing images like these or using these to populate an album is just equally as important. I am so lucky to be able to work with families who totally get this and who want their images to be a balanced combination of chaos and magic. Thank you to all my families who gave me consent to share these. Giving consent certainly isn’t a prerequisite or even something everyone is comfortable with. And that’s absolutely fine.

Invest in your future. Document your present now.
And real is always better than perfect.

Yes it is tough to be a dad to three boys under 5.

Yes kids do have tantrums all the time and most of the time, they are totally beyond our control.

Yes it is impossible to prepare a meal that your children are going to get excited about every single time.

Yes sometimes it is a marathon just to change your baby’s nappy.

Yes sometimes waking your toddler from their nap takes up all your energy.

And yes, sometimes, it is just “one of those days”. And those are the norm.

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Family Documentary Photography: What sort of images will remind you what parenting felt like in decades to come? Posed Sofa group shots? Maybe not.

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Family Documentary Photography: Why do I care so much about my “Year in a Life” work?