About three years ago, I decided to try doing photography as a side business. The first step was to make a homepage. I already had a stockpile of photos of landscapes, festivals, sakura, shrines, my daughter… But I needed family photos and portraits to build my website, so I put out a call for models on Facebook and Mitsuki responded. Mitsuki is a former student (from my first high school teaching job in Japan) who had since moved to Australia, married, and had two kids. She and her new family were visiting Japan for the winter holidays, so we decided to meet at Morikoro Park in Nagakute for a family shoot. They were the perfect family for my maiden shoot. They are a fun, loving, and incredibly photogenic family, who are comfortable being in front of the camera. Directing models as to how to pose has always been my weakness as a photographer, so it was a pleasure to be able to just follow them around as they played and enjoyed the sunny winter day, catching photographic moments as I saw them. As it was my first real family shoot, I wanted to be sure to get plenty of usable photos, so we ended up shooting for maybe three hours, in six or seven locations around the park, and I ended up with over a thousand photos before starting the culling process. After culling and editing the photos, I uploaded some of them to the family link on my HP, confident that taking family photos was something I could do.

A couple weeks back, Mitsuki and her family were back in Japan, and as three years had passed, Mitsuki decided it was time for another shoot. It was fun seeing how much the kids had grown (while Mitsuki and her husband seemingly hadn’t aged at all), and also to note the ways I have changed (and not changed) as a photographer. Since that first shoot, I have done maybe ten more family photo shoots (as well as many portrait and event shoots). Over that time, I have streamlined my workflow, and learned to shoot more sparingly. I know the camera settings I want without having to experiment, and when I get “the shot” for a given location and pose, I no longer feel like I need take ten more “just in case” photos for insurance. That economy of style came in handy for this shoot as we were on a tight schedule. We met at a small, local castle and finished the shoot in just under an hour. I took around three hundred photos, which I then culled to 120.

As for the content of the photos themselves, it is interesting to me to note both the differences and similarities between the two shoots. Three years ago, I primarily used a 70-200mm zoom (mostly at the long end) when shooting people, whereas I now mainly use 50mm and a 35mm primes. Also, my editing style has gotten a bit darker and more contrasty. Yet, comparing that shoot to this one, we ended up with some similar poses and looks.

Considering these two shoots, I feel like I’ve made progress as a photographer. I’ve streamlined my workflow, and am more economical in the field. I feel more “professional” now. At the same time, I don’t necessarily feel like my photos are any “better”. In both family shoots, I feel like my passion for photography, as well as my tendency to fall in love with my subjects, comes across in the photos, and hopefully helps define my style, regardless of how long I take for a shoot, or how many photos I take, or whether I edit a bit darker or add more contrast. Of course, the other consistent element in both shoots is the beautiful, charismatic family that I have the honor of getting to spend some time with every two or three years. When shooting Mitsuki and her family, the photos practically take themselves.