What is a Family Film? | Westchester NY Family Photographer
/You might have heard me talk about or saw on my website the mention of Family Films; and you’re wondering ‘what the heck is a family film?!’. Well, let me give you a bit of an insight into what family films are and why your family should have one!
The best way to describe family films to me is this: imagine you could revisit a memory any time you’d like, hear the voice of a loved one, seeing your toddler playing with their favourite toy or sucking their thumb, hearing their tiny voice or again, hugging your parents at a click of a button! Yes, family films are that powerful. The easiest way to think of them is as a collection of images but with movement and sound. Your memories in motion. Put simply, family films transport you back to a moment, a feeling, a loved one…
Why should I book a family film with you?
I love photographs and what they bring with it, BUT I very quickly fell in love with family films and the meaning they hold. Being unfamiliar with family films I can hear and understand your hesitation to consider a family film - “I could just have photographs done that I could hang on my walls and share on social media. So why having a film?” Well, let me tell you why.
Photographs will capture a moment but a film will allow you to re-live that moment! There is nothing like seeing your loved ones and hearing their voices on film. Let me ask you, how many videos of your kids do you have on your phone? How often do you go back to watch a video of them as a newborn to see them again that little? Now imagine being able to relive the memory of you holding your child in the first weeks of life. Hearing their tiny cry again. Soothing them tenderly with your heart so full of love, joy and pride that it aches. Imagine them as adults being able to watch the beginning of their life in your arms. Seeing how much they were loved from the start. This is what a family film is all about.
And do not think for a second that as your child is no longer a newborn, there is no reason to create a family film now. It is never too late to document them and your family story. With each month and year that passes, your child is changing. Their voice is changing, and their little habits with them. In fact, booking a family film each year is a beautiful and unique way to create your family’s legacy. A family film encapsulates your family story and your children’s childhood for you and the next generations to watch and rewatch again.
… Oh, and when booking a family film + photos session with me, you don’t have to choose between a film or photographs: you’ll get both!
Why are your family films made in our home?
The story of your life together as a family is rooted at home, in the beauty of the everyday. This is why there is no better place to create your family films. I come to your home and help you slow down - even for just a few hours - so that you can hear their sweet voices, see their little faces and relive this moment in time again and again for years to come.
What to expect
The process is simple and do not require much more preparation than a photography session with me.
Prior to the session we will have a video chat to discuss your family, home and plan for the session. This helps me on the day to have a better idea of what you want to remember from this time in your family life. I’ll also go through the basics like making sure the screens are off on the day (no TV, phones or tablets etc is best to capture your family’s connections).
On the day, I’ll introduce myself to your kiddos and then I’ll ask you for a tour of your home. I’ll then ask you to go on with whatever it is you and your family were about to do - breakfast, play, bake, bath etc- and I’ll take my camera out and start filming. If you chose a film + photo session, I will also be taking photos. The photographs will have more of a documentary feel to it, as I will capture them while filming (as opposed to my photography only session where I give more guidance).
“In her family films, Helene captures what photography can't: a moment, an atmosphere, the small details of what constitutes your family home. Helene spent a couple of hours with us and managed to make everyone, especially the little ones, feel relaxed and forget about the camera. The result is encapsulated in a 3-minute film of pure spontaneity and love and relates perfectly what a typical day in our lives looks like in our family home.”
It is not too early to start planning your family film, even if it will take place next year as I only take a limited amount of family film sessions throughout the year.