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Madison Family Documentary Photographer | An Ordinary Saturday

The autumn air was light and crispy, exactly the way fall air is supposed to be. A few fallen leaves scattered up the path to the Schellers’ sweet, welcoming pumpkin-lined porch. There, a cheerful flag waved in a gentle greeting as I entered the bustling home. Mia was gathering ingredients to make Snickerdoddle cupcakes, and not to be outdone, her brothers were pulling together their own sweet treat: chocolate covered marshmallows. The familiar hum of college football played low in the living room, while Tiffany cracked eggs and Mia scanned her recipe.

Boy in the kitchen making chocolate covered marshmallows.Black and white. Boy in kitchen cary's tray of chocolate covered marshmallows.Part of what defines a big family is all the coming and going. People enter and leave spaces at a constant rate, almost like the movement is part of the family heartbeat. Mother and daughter in the kitchen baking cupcakesGirl in kitchen baking cupcakes puts ingredients into mixerFull kitchen with white cupcake recipe open on counter.Girl adds milk into stand mixer Toby knelt in his quiet, sun drenched bedroom. He deftly assembled a new Star Wars Lego with the organization and concentration of a seasoned pro. Children books fill bookshelfBoy knelling on rug in bedroom assembles new star wars lego character. Boy knelling on rug in bedroom assembles new star wars lego character.
Fish tank with one gold fish sits on blue dresser in bedroomMia fills pale liners with sweet, gooey batter, while Griffin, Steve and Tiffany set up the dining room table for a couple lightning fast rounds of Nertz. I so love family game time–both personally for my own kiddos and photographing how families play together! Girl baking in kitchen fills cupcake tins with cake batter.Man shuffles deck of cards on tableBlack and white. Boy plays card game on table with familyBlack and white. Boy plays card game on table with familyBlack and white. Boy plays card game on table with familyToby picks up the instruction manual and box before going to show his parents and siblings what he built.Black and white. Young boy in bedroom picks up lego instructions.

Girl in kitchen puts tray of cupcakes into the oven to bakeCupcakes in, kiddos out. Steve, Mia, and Griffin set up a football pass triangle, friends stopped by, neighbors halted raking leaves into piles to say hello. I’m utterly charmed by their Little Free Library.Red and glass little free library outside near evergreen tree.

Father and daughter play football outside in driveway.Father, daughter, and son play football outside in driveway.Young boy in bedroom pulls picture book out of bookshelfMia spends some time in her room.Black and white. Girl in bedroom looks into fish tank

Along with bright chatter and the heavenly cake aroma, music notes from 80s British rock station float out of the iPod dock and wove itself into the tapestry of the day. Black and white. Mother, father and daughter in kitchen frost freshly baked cupcakes

Father in kitchen does dishes from making cupcakes Girl in kitchen takes baked cupcakes out of the oven to let cool

All on their own, the three kids all break for quiet, independent activity time. You can find Mia doing gymnastics, Griffin reading, and Toby helping Tiffany shell ground cherries. Griffin and Toby have some iPad game time, while Mia deftly frosts the cooled cupcakes.

Black and white. Young girl in living room does handstandBlack and white. Young boy sitting in chair next to bird cage reads bookMother and son in kitchen shell ground cherries.Black and white. Two brothers sit on couch both playing games on iPadsMother rinses ground cherries in sink while daughter frosts cupcakes

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.” – Eckhart Tolle

Black and white. Mother and father and their three kids all sit on bench on front porch. Girl stands in kitchen with freshly made cupcakes smiling and eating oneThere are 52 Saturdays a year. What will you do with yours?

Here are Tiffany’s thoughts about our session:

Our whole family loved working with Jen.  She met with us first to “interview” us so that we could explain what we wanted from a session, discuss locations and lighting and really just spend time together to make sure we both had proper expectations.  We enjoyed that time with her and felt good going into our session based on her questions and advice.  Once she came to our house, the kids were 100% comfortable with her presence.  She really blended into our world and we could easily forget she was in our space snapping photos.  The kids were very comfortable just being themselves.  She took her time and really did an excellent job photo journaling our lives – so we will always look back on this amazing chapter and fondly remember how our daughter was constantly doing handstands and our sons were playing cards and legos non stop.  We were super happy with her work and we consider her a wonderful new friend.  We can’t wait for our next session.

Ready to schedule your very own documentary session? Contact me today to chat about your beautifully ordinary weekends!

xo, Jen

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