What to expect from your documentary family photoshoot

One of the enduring qualities about documentary family photos is the timeless, authentic memories they capture that take you right back to a moment in time. Photographs that show family members being engaged in various activities, sharing laughs together or expressing some genuine emotions.

Unposed blended family portrait in Cambridge.


The joy I feel when I look through my own childhood pictures is the same joy I want you and your kids to get from flipping through your family albums. It’s the tangible means to revisiting your past, reconnecting with the exact feelings of the captured moments and allowing loved ones to live beyond your memories. It’s a representation of your family's journey that will gain value over time as the photos tell the story of your life.


Why documentary family photography?

Documentary family photography captures the essence of your everyday life, providing a true reflection of your family's love and connections.

As a documentary family photographer, my passion lies in capturing your real, authentic moments over the staged perfection or poses. Instead of portraying a superficial view of how you look, I focus on showcasing the beauty of your everyday life from what you get up to, genuine emotions and interactions that naturally play out without interference when you are in your own natural environment.

Black and white photo showing a mother in a striped top breastfeeding her toddler on the sofa at home in Cambridge.


SIX things you do not want to miss from your family photos


During the session, there are questions I will ask myself when making photos to tell your family’s story:

“What will the family miss one day?”

“What will the parents want to remember from this moment in time?”

“What memories the kids want to see in their photos of themselves/you?”

While every family is unique and there isn’t a way for me to guarantee specific types of image, I will consistently look for the following aspects in capturing your everyday life:


Your child’s perspective

How your kids see the world and experience their everyday life. By not directing the moments, I make photos that give them an insight into their personalities and characters at this stage of their childhood.

Young boy lie stretched across a sofa and an armchair.
A mum with shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair and black glasses is brushing her son's teeth with a pink and blue electric toothbrush in front of a bathroom mirror at a home in Ely, Cambridge.
Black and white photo of two preteen kids standing in the park with their mouths open and head facing up to catch rainwater dropping on them, captured in a documentary family session in Royston, Hertfordshire.
Black and white photo of an Asian father and daughter together in an unposed, documentary family session in London.
A reflection of a preteen girl in the mirror as she is sat at her dressing table surrounded by toys and posters captured in a documentary family session in Royston, Hertfordshire.
A young boy in a shark cap licks his finger from eating a snack, surrounded by picnic items and a wooden bench in documentary family photoshoot in Cambridge.


Your parenthood reality

While parenthood can be fun and rewarding, it can also be exhausting. In the thick of parenting, it can be hard to recognise those moments to make pictures yourself. I’ll make sure to put you in the frame, highlighting the rewards and challenges of parenting, while showing how much you mean to your kids.

A young child resting his head on his mother's lap while playing with his Brio trains on a colourful soft play mat in Cambridge family photoshoot.
A dad and his children plays in an underpass in Norwich.
Mother helping her toddler put on a yellow sock in the hallway with light coming from another room in a documentary family session in Huntingdon.
Child drinks from her sippy cup mirroring her parent in a black and white photo taken in a documentary family session in Cambridge.
Young girl wrapping her arm around her dad as they are walking through a field.
A mum wiping her son's mouth as her other child walks past her.


Details matter

Your family’s story is not just told solely in your smile or embrace. Your story is told through every item and surface you touch, the art on your walls or the stacks of laundry waiting to be put away. The context in which you live often reflects your passions, interests and habits. I help to tell a fuller story of your family life with everyday items and your surroundings.

Tooth fairy bag with rainbow details on a window latch and horse wall stickers.
A child in a blue top sits with his back to the photographer as he concentrates on drawing at his desk. He is surrounded by his cuddly toys by the window and bits of coloured pens and paper and other childhood items. Taken at home in Cambridge.
A woman with blonde hair rest on her armchair with her baby wrapped in a teal blanket cradled in her arm surrounded by congratulatory newborn cards and a balloon bearing baby boy at her home in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
Room details of a teenage girls room in a day-in-the-life photoshoot in st Albans, Hertfordshire.
A mother's hand stroking the back of her daughter's long brown hair.


Quiet moments

Fleeting, quiet moments are often overlooked in the midst of the chaos of family life with kids. Helping to preserve these authentic moments will become cherished memories in the future.

Black and white photograph of a baby resting on his mother's chest while dad gently touches his baby's mouth.
Mother and daughter doing bedtime reading in a day-in-the-life family photoshoot in Norwich.
Black and white photo of a mother in a stripy top laying on the floor with her toddler son in a car cardigan. Both have their faces facing each other.
A mother and her two children in the garden in a day-in-the-life photoshoot by London documentary family photographer, Diana Hagues Photography.
A photo in black and white of a teenage girl cuddling her cocker spaniel while sat on a leather sofa during a documentary family photoshoot at home in St Albans, Hertfordshire.



Funny moments

Family life is peppered with lots of spontaneity and humour. In capturing the real, candid moments as they unfold, I’ll reveal the funniest moments and laughter in your everyday life.

A father makes a funny face at his child during a natural family photoshoot at home.
A boy in a pink top is seen hanging off the green monkey bars as another boy in grey shorts swings across at the end of the play equipment in the park in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Football playing in a garden, documentary family photo session, London documentary family photography.
A mother laughs with her teenage daughter.
A boy in a blue top and trousers is seen putting two big oval shaped leaves by his ears, as he sits on his mother's shoulders and she is looking up at him, in Kew Botanical Gardens, Surrey.


Interactions and connections

I do my best to capture all the ways you interact and connect with each other. Because seeing the interactions your kids have with you, siblings, other family members and pets helps to remember the bond you share.

Over the head view of a mother and her young child laughing together while laid on the sofa in a documentary family photoshoot in Cambridge.
Two young Asian girls play about on the floor surrounded by their books and belongings in the bedroom of their home taken in a documentary family photoshoot in London.
Man in a chequed shirt gives a hug to his daughter who is dressed in a cream cardigan with pink heart and blue diamond details.
Father and son looks at each other as they sit at the family kitchen table.
A mother holds onto her daughter's hand as she picks blackberries in the bush at Milton Country Park, Cambridge. The toddler is wearing a blue gingham dress and has her blonde hair in bunches. The woman is wearing pink shorts with a white top.
A woman with dark brown curly hair swings a child in a green top and shorts in the garden with a basketball hoop in the background.


Your family story in a documentary family photoshoot

Looking through your photos of your everyday helps you to slow down and appreciate the relationships, objects and places in your life.

As a documentary family photographer, I have documented families in a wide range of settings, different family dynamics, ages, religions and cultures. I treat every family’s story with the utmost importance, capturing honest pictures that tells your story and show you how it feels. The resulting images are curated in a way that presents a narrative in your album, showcasing the journey of your family. 

Has this whet your appetite for documentary family photography? Learn more about my documentary approach and what’s involved in a day-in-the-life session. Let’s talk to book a session capturing your family’s authentic moments.

Diana HaguesComment