Families

Day in the Life: Jackson Heights by Ryan Brenizer

There is nothing more important that we can do as family photographer than make everyone comfortable. Comfort is the key to “photogenicness,” and even more importantly to revealing the true self and emotions that can let you look back at photos decades later and say “Yeah, that’s it. That’s how we were … that’s who we were.”

We had a bit of a head start in that with Amadeo and Noelia: We had already shot their engagement session and Tatiana photographed their wedding. They were comfortable with us and we knew they were incredibly fun together, so we couldn’t wait to spend the day with them and Adrian.

And what a day. Adrian showed us his total mastery of the bicycle (and, importantly, road safety rules), and they all showed us how much fun and laughter they share together.

A Day in the Life: Park Slope by Ryan Brenizer

It was not just a genuine pleasure to document the daily life of this wonderful family, it was absolutely enlightening. She is such a wonderful and bright child, and we took away so much in our own parenting, from better ways to safely get down from the couch to weird and wonderful toys. It is always such a fantastic honor to photograph inside the home, where the little moments that make up the backbone of a family play out.

Day in the Life: Ditmas Park by Ryan Brenizer

The reason that we are still passionate about weddings more than 1,000 of them later is we love *celebrating* the shared promise of love between two people. There is an amazing story to tell of the meaningful bonds on display on a wedding day and we hope to continue to tell these stories for decades to come.

We’ve always been interested in how these stories play out - in the full story of the family. We listen closely whenever any long-married couple gives advice, no matter how many times we’ve heard similar bits of wisdom before. We love seeing our couples and the families they make. Even algorithms show us that 90 percent of the Instagram photos we personally pay attention to are photos of our friends, family and our clients with their children and pets celebrating life day-by-day in joyfully mundane ways.

And this is a story we want to tell as well. It’s not a brand, or a business, or an identity, or any SEO buzzword. It’s just a part of us, something we live ourselves each day, especially now that we have our own child.

We want to tell the real stuff of family. Those moments characteristic of the people and time, which can slip from your memory in a changing and too-busy life. What was it like when you lived in that old neighborhood? What was it like to be a new parent? How did it feel?

This is just some of the real story of this family. This is a baby enjoying a characteristic morning, smoothies and cereal and all. This is a baby going to Coney Island not because a photographer was there, but because friends were in town and wanted to go to Coney Island.  This is what it was like to get her ready to sleep for the night.

There is a transcendence in families, what it means to be a parent or a husband or a wife or a son or daughter, and there are waves and waves of particulars, the things that surprise us when we look back and say "wow, *that's* what it was like."

We want to tell that all of this precisely because we realize how valuable it is for ourselves.

 

Day in The Life: Windsor Terrace by Ryan Brenizer

“Meaning” in family photography is vast and incalculable, but there’s an extra layer when working in the home, and an entire new angle to consider with a home birth family. This little girl gets to grow and love and learn in the same place where she has been since the first second of her life, and lucky her for that place to be as filled with joy and deep connections as this home. It was such a pleasure for both of us to come inside and capture this moment in the ever-changing life of a curious, delightful toddler.