My work boils down to one thing:
Your legacy
I wouldn’t do this work if I didn’t find intense fulfillment in it. But this isn’t about me: I desperately want you to build your legacy with actual photos that you can hold in your hands.
When I photograph you, I can envision you all gathered around these images decades from now. I can see you paging through albums, remembering the spaces you lived in and memories you shared there. And it’s not just for the future …
It’s for you to find your own fulfillment in the “right now” of your life.
Parenting is the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done. The minute-to-minute feelings of exhaustion or exasperation can overtake the immense holy-shit-I’m-so-grateful-for-this-life feelings we get when we put them to sleep every night.
These kinds of photos can bring you to that grateful feeling again and again. And they also remind you that you’re doing a great job along the way.
“It made me realize that maybe we’re actually pretty good at this job. And that was worth it all.
Parenting three boys is hard and exhausting. Fun but exhausting. When the photos came, I thought we would see our family arguing—stern looks and frustration, not a lot of joy. Because honestly, it feels like that in the moment.
But when the photos came, I was amazed. There were so many photos of us happy, smiling, and playing. We were being parents. Wiping tears and making lunch and yes, doing some discipline. But they were perfect because they captured the ups and downs in this life.”
- SALLY & SCOTT
Documentary family photo sessions
I’ve got two options:
II. Full Day SESSIONS
I. Half-Day SessionS
If you only had 4 hours to show me exactly what your family looks like right now, what would you do? Which activities would light your kids up? That's exactly what we'll do during this session.
Can your kids envision their best day? What would be on their list? I bet it would surprise you. They would write ordinary things, but they would include time with you. This is a full day doing you!
Starting at $2,100
Starting at $3,000
I will work my tail off to make pictures that represent the love and connection and traditions and routines that make your family so special; pictures you'll treasure forever.
3.
I will show up without any judgment.
1.
4.
I will fall in love with your family.
2.
I will meet your kids exactly where they are at and make this session not only easy, but fun for everyone in your family.
You may be wondering...
WHY SO MANY HOURS? AND WHY AT MY HOUSE?
Because that’s where your love lives. That’s where it happens and where I’m going to see it the most honestly. The longer I stay, the better the images get. As the day goes on, it won’t feel like someone is taking photos, but more like you’re hanging out with a laid back Auntie who happens to have her camera. As a former teacher, I know how to connect with kids and meet them on their level, which means I can make the session feel painless for your entire family. And while you might feel tired or worried that your house looks like a total mess, you’ll look back on these photos and think you looked so young and your house so full of life!
BUT SYLVIE, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. MY HOUSE IS A DISASTER AND I WOULDN’T EXACTLY CALL MY KIDS “COOPERATIVE”?
I live in a legit zoo with three small boys – there is nothing I haven’t seen (or lived). The heart of a documentary session is capturing your family’s truth, in all its real-ness. If your child is being who they are with me, as they would with you, then I cannot ask for more. They won’t scream all day and when they do, it will make for epic photos that you’ll look back on and be proud of yourself for making it through. You see disaster, I see a house full of memories being made.
WE ALREADY HAVE A MILLION PHOTOS OF OUR EVERYDAY LIFE ON OUR PHONES. HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT?
What a great question. I have a follow-up for you. Are you in any of those photos? When you are always the one taking the photos, you leave an empty spot in your legacy where you should be. Also … I think your memories deserve better. We all have 7,436 photos on our phones of our kids, but aren’t those images more important than the screenshot of the funny meme they currently live next to? I want to give you images that feel as important as the moments you live.
WILL I GET ANY POSED PHOTOS FOR OUR HOLIDAY CARD?
Of course! Traditional portraits are important, too. I’m happy to spend a few minutes during your session to take a few casual, camera-aware shots! Just let me know ahead of time if this is something you’d like. (I also offer more formal portraits just for this purpose in the fall for folks on my newsletter. You can sign up below and I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as those dates are scheduled!)
I DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. CAN YOU COME AND JUST TAKE PHOTOS OF MY KIDS?
I know what it’s like. I’ve been there as a mom. But I also know what it’s like as the child in this situation. I don’t have any pictures of my parents. You are the most beautiful and important human to your children, and these pictures are for them as much as you. A very incomprehensive list of things your kids do not care about:… how you look (they don’t have a clue what “baby weight” even is)… how clean or messy your house is… if they made it into the gifted program The only thing they care about: spending time with you. I want you to have photos of you doing just that.
WHAT WILL WE DO ALL DAY?
What you do every day: your normal routine is exactly what you’ll want to remember! Don’t stress! This is something we talk through together in our pre-session calls. My job as a photographer is to capture the moments that matter the most to you, and we will put together a loose plan for your session based on the answers to your questionnaire.
“My wife always wanted to have this done, but I didn't exactly share her enthusiasm for an entire day of pictures! But within 20 minutes of Sylvie being at home with us, I was excited about the little moments she was capturing. It was way easier than I thought it would be.
Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the experience, and I love that we now have a video and photos that capture the moments that never get pictured: the mundane, the between, the real life. The pictures exceeded my expectations and I love being able to see our family in the moments Sylvie captured. We had an excellent experience and I’m really glad we had the session done.”
- Jon