Thank you for checking in on “Part Two” of this blog series! If you missed “Part One”, you can go catch up on it here!
When I first presented the idea of documenting an entire day to Dan, he wasn’t quite sure about it. I’ll let him share in his own words the thoughts he had around this concept as well, but I have found that his initial reaction is really common amongst some of the other dad’s we have photographed who don’t immediately understand the “why” behind it. But once we got started, and certainly by the end of the day, he got it. He saw what I saw, the potential to have the superpower of freezing time – that day, the children, the simple and mundane moments…. all of it.
Prior to the day, I explained the specific things I was interested in photographing. I loved our lazy, summer morning routine, and I wanted to capture that, as well as the growing connection between Maisie and Quincy. Maisie was still nursing at the time and I knew that wouldn’t last too much longer. I wanted to remember those quiet moments with just her and I. School was about to start up and I knew we needed to go “back to school” shopping, and finally, since the weather was nice I knew that we would spend some time outside playing, another magical part of our “everyday” routine.
During the day, there was no direction, no worries about kids not behaving (beyond the normal worries) or the mess they might be making. We approached the day from a purely documentary standpoint with no manipulation of the scene, the emotions or the activities. Imagine all of the pressure you have prior to a photoshoot – the outfits, the smiles, the temperaments of kids (and adults!) – all lifted! No pressures at all?! How liberating! This is the type of family photography that will impact the ages.
What Dan had to say:
I am a firm believer that there is beauty everywhere and in just about everything, it’s just that sometimes time moves too fast for you to see it. That said, when Cicely brought to me the idea of a Day in the Life of Team Williams I didn’t really see the need for it. Between the two of us there were crazy amounts of images of our kids and family. Still it seemed like an interesting way to spend a day off, following my family around and photographing them.
About two minutes into the project I realized its brilliance, as well as, just how much fun it was going to be. Then a funny thing happened, a few minutes later it became clear that there was beauty all around. Whether its a photo showing action in two rooms, the chaos and energy of the kids playing in the kitchen, while Cicely sits in the darkened living room trying to jump start her day. The juxtaposition between the two scenes is really wonderful. Or the beauty that is Target. Most people don’t stop and shut out the craziness that is back to school shopping at Target to take in the vivid reds, blues and all the other colors they are immersed in and surrounded by.
In the end, you realize just how beautiful your life is and how lucky you are to have a chance to live it each day.
Almost two years later, we all still love to look back at the images from that day. Nothing special happened – just a trip to Target, to the park and dinner out, but our lives are different today, and they will certainly be different in 10 years…and my grandchildren will most definitely see the differences in trends, clothing, cars, and of course, their parents and grandparents! Almost like a little time capsule to pass down to future generations.
See more of our day in this video!
And come back tomorrow, when we share more in “Part Three” about how you can have your “Everyday Extraordinary” documented as well!