Sessions with AGK Photography are available in the following styles: Traditional Portraits, Lifestyle, Documentary, and Photojournalistic.
Our sessions typically combine these types, such as traditionally posed portraits with lifestyle and candid moments, but the emphasis will be on the client’s chosen style. For example, if you choose documentary or photojournalistic only, we will not spend any time planning poses. If you choose traditional portraits, we will spend the majority of our time together setting up poses.
The style you ultimately choose is going to be dependent on the outcome you desire. If you like traditionally posed portraits with everyone looking at the camera, you’re going to be disappointed if you request a documentary or photojournalistic style. We can discuss and plan further as we work toward your session date. (And many clients enjoy having several styles in their final gallery.)
Read on for short descriptions and examples of each, and then let’s schedule your session!
Traditional Portraits (With Lifestyle)
Mostly posed. Candid is captured throughout. Direction is given and plans are made.
The candid moments are typically captured between the poses. We also use movement here, but the session is 95% directed. This is our most commonly booked session. (See this kind of session here.)
Documentary
Typically a series of specific actions/experiences/events with the intention of telling a story.
Limited direction is given — suggestions can be made. We’re not stopping to pose or purposely looking at the camera. (See this kind of session here.)
In following example, we might plan for making breakfast, but I won’t tell them what they should make, how to make breakfast, what they should wear, etc. The planning part is simply “make and eat breakfast,” and then we will play.
Family Photography Photojournalism
Images are meant to tell a story but are not directed or set up. Photography happens as the time together unfolds.
No posing is happening or direction is given but we can interact and connect. Connection is beneficial to help families (children and nervous grownups) feel the most comfortable to be themselves. “Fly on the wall” is not necessarily the idea here, but no interference is the goal. This can sometimes be confused with candid or documentary styles, but candid is often happening within the context of traditional or lifestyle portraits and doesn’t necessarily come together to tell a story (despite a picture being worth a thousand words – ha!), and documentary can include planning and some direction.
We’re not stopping to pose or purposely looking at the camera. We are not changing the environment or rearranging furniture for “best shots.” We are capturing life as it happens in its own environment (home, playground, on a hike, etc.).
Ultimately, documentary and photojournalistic styles of photography might qualify as candid, but candid does not automatically qualify as being documentary or photojournalistic. Make sense? It’s OK if it doesn’t, as long as YOU choose the style you like best!
Artistic
Images are made solely for the purpose of making art, whether in-camera or in post-production. Or images from any type of other session are turned into art.
Direction is given and plans are made. The sky is the limit! We are not actively booking fully artistic sessions at this time, but we do sometimes make art out of images from a session.
