My sessions are long. You’ll probably be kinda over me by the time I actually leave (that, or you’ll be ready to give me a Thanksgiving dish assignment).

For years I tried to make my sessions the industry-standard 90 minutes, but I was just never overly excited by the collection of images I got in that amount of time. I wanted a collection of images that told a story, that had highs and lows, that included both naps and trampoline-jumping, belly laughs and fury tears. I wanted something more real and more complete. But I always left feeling like it took people an hour just to loosen up and not worry about there being a camera in their face . . . and as it turned out, telling a story sometimes takes longer than an hour. So I finally just decided my photo sessions weren’t really photo sessions. They were more like story sessions. So that’s what I call them. And they last for quite a while.

Process

We start with a big ass questionnaire that asks tons of questions—what’s important to you, what food does your family obsess over, what time of the day are people the most snuggly . . . Then we chat (on the phone or in person) about your answers, and we make some decisions about where and when makes the most sense to document you guys. And then I show up at that time and place.

The Story Session is essentially me following you around for an afternoon. Whether you is just you, you and a partner, you and some kids, you and a dog, you and a partner and some kids and some dogs-- whatever you and your family look like-- my goal is always the same-- to create a collection of images that capture your typical, beautiful, monotonous, adventurous, sticky, love-filled life. And to do it in a way that, when you look back at the photos years later, will feel intimately familiar.

Sessions last about four hours. There is minimal posing, but a tad bit of nudging; mostly I let things unfold organically and we follow the natural course of your afternoon- the dog at your feet while you prepare dinner, kids fighting over who gets to be what action figure, you and your partner flashing each other a knowing wink. Mixed with pictures of the sky, dirty laundry piles, close-up portraits, and details of paws and hands . . . we’ll take a few “family photos” in there, but that isn’t at all my focus in these sessions. I’m trying to hone in on what this particular moment of your lives feels like, not just what your faces look like.

I like to do things in the late afternoon and on weekdays because that tends to be the best light and represent a typical day, but there are always reasons why those things might not be the best for you, so we can figure that out when we talk

Location

I used to look for beautiful places to take family photos, but I eventually began to notice the images I loved most were the ones at home. They were the ones that included a very worn-out lovey, a grumpy nap time wakening, bare toes on a kitchen floor covered in toast crumbs and paw prints; they were the ones that held an ease that can only come from being in the very spot that gives you refuge; they were the ones that showed life within walls, movement within stillness, love within a house; they were the ones of home.

Now I’m obsessed with home—my home, your home, the idea of home, the power of home, the mess of home, the comfort of home, the quiet corners of home, the rawness of home . . . So much of life happens at home. This is where all of our stories begin, and as a storyteller, it’s the place I find most significant.

I’m not gonna say no to photographing you in a golden vineyard or a fog-drenched beach (and there’s times when that makes more sense for various reasons), but to me, there is nothing more beautiful or meaningful than the moments that happen at home. This is where the enormity of the universe meets the brevity of life. It’s where the tiniest fingers fiddle with legos and the oldest with knitting needles. It’s where days trudge along while years pass too fast. It’s where hearts are broken and mended. It’s where meaning lives. That’s why my preferred photo session is simply an afternoon of hanging out at your home, together with your people, doing whatever you do. 

There’s usually time to throw in another spot that’s close by—the park, ice cream shop, pizza place, sand dunes, whatever your hangout place may be—so keep that in mind for sure. But I like to emphasize that there are places that look pretty on Instagram, and there are places that will make your heart leap when you see them in the background while looking at your images in ten years, and they aren’t usually the same places.

photo by Yan

photo by Yan

Stories have the power to . . .

Fabrice Wexley

Photos by Akos Major.

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