Wisconsin Real Estate featured Madison family photographer, Jen Lucas, for an article on her Beautifully Ordinary documentary approach to family sessions.  You can click the link below for the story! Thank you for checking it out, and big thanks to Wisconsin Real Estate for the feature.

We were recently featured on Wisconsin Real Estate, one of the top sites for Madison, WI Real Estate. Check out the article at Jen Lucas Photography Captures The Beauty Of Ordinary Living .

by S. Mathur.

The old saying “every picture tells a story” has become rather commonplace, but its meaning is quite profound. At Jen Lucas Photography, documentary photography tells the story of ordinary lives, creating a record of the moments that will be remembered and treasured years later. That’s because our lives are made up of ordinary moments, which have their own special meaning. Sometimes it just takes the photographer’s eye to see it.

What attracts Jen Lucas, owner and photographer, to journal and storytelling photography? “While formal portrait photography certainly has a lovely place, I’m deeply drawn to authentic moments and I truly believe that these are the images that will tug at our heartstrings when our little ones have grown,” she said. “I strongly feel your ordinary day is absolutely beautiful and worth documenting–the messes, the meals, the joy, the love, the tantrums are all part of our fabric.”

Documentary, or storytelling photography, captures time, place and location. That doesn’t mean neglecting composition, and Lucas uses the importance of light, lines, composition, micro-composition, and shape to tell a story. “My favorite sessions are our unscripted ordinary days in family life: diving in to warm pancakes and steamy coffee on Sunday morning, picking cherries from the front yard tree, building sand castles at the local beach, strolling through the farmers market in the square.”

Lucas believes that the community is part of the family’s life and this should be reflected in the photographs as well. She loves to use the city and the people as the backdrop for her stories: a boating session on Lake Kegonsa, local beaches, hiking in the UW-Arb, exploring Vilas Zoo and ice cream at Babcock Dairy are all part of the experience of living in this spectacular community.

Photography is in her DNA, says Lucas, “Both my father and grandfather tinkered in technical photography with their single lens reflex cameras, and my maternal grandmother, with her tiny point-and-shoot, was our family historian, often cutting off heads and unintentionally blurring the scene. While I started taking my own pictures in fourth grade, it was the high school darkroom, where the images magically surfaced in the dimly lit chemical water, when I started shooting with intention.”

Clients find Lucas to be an energizing and inspiring presence. They report that she is highly professional and handles children, dogs and newborns with ease. And the photographs are all that one could wish for, even for those who hate to be photographed.

 

Thanks for the feature, Wisconsin Real Estate!