Philadelphia Documentary Photographer | The Cawleys

For me, the best part about documentary photography is the setting--especially when the setting is a family's home. Embracing the silence, the messes, the chaos. Each help to tell an authentic story. 

Recently I asked my mom to send me a few photos from my childhood for a project. While you would think my uneven bangs and acid wash sweatpants/jeans were the focal point, I couldn't stop staring at everything in the background. The furniture, the "electronics", the home decor, the holiday decorations--together they all told a story of a moment in time. I'll save the photos my mom dug up for a future blog post (I'm sure you can't wait!) In the meantime, my hope is that when I share authentic life (either my personal work or clients) with others I can give them the permission to see how beautiful everything in the picture is and that their "chaos" is too. 

Liz and Jamie invited me into their beautiful new home last weekend and it was awesome! No need to clean up or wear matching clothes. Just authentic family life. I hope that when Liz and Jamie's children (and nieces and nephews who also joined in on the fun) ask for photos of their childhood in 20 years they have the same feeling I did when they look at these.