Every year during wedding season, I try to squeeze in a handful of family photo sessions. I approach these sessions in a documentary manner, without any posing or directing. No white backdrops, no studio lights, no forced smiles, just families being themselves in their own comfortable environment. I look to capture real moments and personalities within the frames, recording an accurate account of what it was like as a kid growing up or being a parent at that moment in time. I want to give families something more than pretty pictures. I want to give them honest, unscripted, meaningful images that say something about who they really are. I love these sessions, the unpredictability of them, the not knowing what I’ll capture.
As a parent to two kids myself, I document my own almost daily and every year I create a photo book for them at Christmas with the images I’ve taken. My goal is that when they are all grown up they can put a hand on any year of their childhood and get a real feel for what life was like.
On a scorching hot summers day this year, I photographed the Yore family. Some of my past bride and grooms and fellow wedding photographers will probably recognise Ray in these images. Ray is a talented videographer whom I’ve worked alongside several times over the past few years. We had shared stories about our kids at many weddings and it was lovely to finally meet them and his wife Aine. As I photographed them, I was struck by how idyllic their home and surrounding area was for their kids to spend their childhood. Beautiful rolling country hills, submerged trampoline and of course the lake in the back garden!!!
Here are a handful of images from our session.
Ray and Aine, thanks for having me and I hope you enjoy the images for many years to come.
If you are interested in booking me for a documentary family session drop me a line at garethmcgaughey@gmail.com
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