Documentary Family Awards

Edmonton documentary family photographer | Hobbs Photography

As documentary family photographers, it’s important to put your work out there for critique.  We took the plunge and both entered images in the 2018 Documentary Family Awards.  An international photography competition.  And, guess what?!  We each had a photograph place in the Top 10!

Documentary family photographer – Nothing Is Better Than Real Life

This was a hot day in June 2018. It was a usual day for us. We were in the garden and as you may or may not know when you have dirt, a garden hose and five children that means one thing – mud. At one point in our day we were surrounding the hole in which the mud making started and someone, I can not remember who dropped a big rock into the puddle splashing myself and my camera. I remember shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath as they all looked at me in silence, unsure of how I might react. I remember telling myself, there isn’t any harm in a little bit of mud. So I checked that my camera was okay, then reached down into the squishy mud, grabbed a handful and flung it at my eldest daughters exposed tummy. An eruption of laughter followed as everyone joined in splashing and playing. Popsicles followed the only logical snack on a warm, messy day. This particular photo was taken when I handed my eldest, eight years old at the time, the camera, hands wiped clean, and asked her to take a photo of Monty, having his snack. She snapped many photos, this one included.  She’s becoming quite the little documentary family photographer herself.

It was chosen as 8th place in the Documentary Family Awards in the ‘Nothing is Better Than Real Life’ category.

~ Jenna

Documentary family photographer – Birth

I photographed my first birth in 2013 and was immediately hooked.  Needless to say, when one of my little brothers and his wife asked if I would capture their third child’s arrival, I was thrilled.  As a documentary family photographer, the candid storytelling nature of birth makes it endlessly inspiring.

I think when most people think of birth photography, they think of “the money shot” – A babe, only seconds old, being reached for by their mother, overwhelming emotion on the faces of all.  While these moments immediately surrounding delivery are certainly important, those moments are only a small part of birth.  Birth is a journey full of joy, anticipation, pain, fatigue, excitement and rest.  It is truly an experience like no other.  I remember many moments from my nephew’s journey earthside.  It was the wee hours of the morning.  Shelby, my sister-in-law, had recently climbed into the pool after labouring while moving between their kitchen and living room.  Between contractions, she would recline against the edge of the pool and Dustin, perched on a stuffed cow, would lay his head down and rest.  In this space between contractions, the house was quiet.  Peaceful.  In their home, bathed in light from the kitchen, and surrounded by the jumble of life with two young children who slept just down the hall.  Contraction, breathe, comfort, peak, breathe, subside, rest.  This is not a side of birth that is portrayed in our society’s media.  And it’s a shame because there is so much beauty to be shared.

This photograph was chosen for 10th place in the Documentary Family Awards Birth category.

~ Aimee

We are Edmonton’s award-winning documentary family photographer.  If you would like to see more of our work, you can do that HERE!

See all the images awarded HERE.

Hey everybody!  It’s Aimee & Jenna here!  Being brave has been on our goal list for the last several years, so, we decided to enter this contest again in 2019.

Read about our winning images HERE.

Have a look at a favourite little photo essay Jenna made about a slightly unusual family pet.  GRANOLA THE GOAT.