Why We Had Our "Boring" Documented

In 2015, if you had asked me about my life, I would have told you it was boring. Sure, there were adventures mixed in here and there of hiking in the mountains, camping, fun date nights with my husband Chad, dinner with friends and so forth, but for the most part, my "normal" everyday, real life didn't seem that exciting. 

My days were spent living in an average apartment, working at the computer in my little home office across from Chad, who was also working at his computer. We listened to our neighbor's blaring music selection through our thin walls. We would take breaks to walk a few steps into the kitchen to make lunch, walk a lap around our apartment complex, and then sit down to get back to work until our dinner break. Some days—wild & crazy alert—I would have a local photo shoot off-site or would go meet a potential client at a coffee shop. We went to church on Sundays and grocery shopped a couple times a month when possible. 

Although it wasn't glamorous, we embraced it all the same because it was beautiful for what it was. We were in total transition... We had recently moved across the country, requiring us to meet an entire new community of friends and build a new business network. We were low on money. We were trying to save for a house. We strengthened our marriage as we faced challenges of all kinds. We knew that our future would be built on the way we spent our hours, energy and mental capacity at the time. 

And for ALL of those reasons—believe it or not—we had a professional photographer come document our everyday, real life. We knew it was a special season; one day we would be able to look back at the honest images and say, "Remember when..." to each other. We believed that at some point the images would humble us (reminding us of where we had once been) and inspire us (proving how far we had come). 

What we didn't yet know at the time we scheduled this Documentary Photography Session was that we were actually expecting our first child! Our world was about to change drastically! I'm so glad we had one last "just the two of us" photo shoot to capture the sweet stillness, coziness and focused work ethic we had at the time. Plus, four months later, we were closing on our first house! We will never be able to recreate that season of our lives—or any of the feelings or surroundings that went with it. As tough as it was and as boring as it was, it was. I wouldn't have my current season as it is, without having my past seasons as they were. Life isn't always pretty, but it can always be beautiful, depending on our perspective. 

Professional photographers should not be reserved just for elegant occasions and Christmas card updates. Photographs of everyday, real life are to be treasured as well, no matter the flavor of the season. The day-to-day scenes of our 2015 did not seem note-worthy at the time and certainly would not have been memorable, had Allison Fowler not captured them for us. Her photographs turned our ordinary moments into cherished memories. 

Convinced you need your current season documented? I'd love to start a conversation about a Real Life Session for your family very soon. For booking info »

Photography by Allison Fowler