Documentary
Family Photography

An extended, day-in-the-life experience for adventures big and small.

Capturing a Legacy

Are your memories like mine – sprinkled with a few big moments and family milestones but rooted, deeply, in the everyday rhythms of your childhood home?

Your family photos should shine a light on

the legacy you are building

through both quiet days at home
and big shared adventures.

“David is beyond words.
He clearly is an artist and loves what he does.”

– Sanya S
Oakland Mom

“Beauty can spontaneously occur at any moment given the proper circumstances, context, or point of view.”

– Leonard Koren
in Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers

The magic
of EveryDay

The secret truth is that everything, everyday is extraordinary.

Those first moments of the morning, just you and a cup of coffee.

Those little bumps down the stairs that mean the day’s chaos is about to begin.

The full on wildness of the day, the beauty of everything happening all at once, all the time.

Those rare moments of silence before bedtime, when your daughter curls up on the couch and uses the dog as a pillow.

You are working hard in ways that often go unseen.

I want to make heirloom images that capture that work, that joy as it is. Wild, extraordinary.

Daughter walks away from scale and pregnant mom
Dad zips son's wetsuit and mom looks up at him from beach towel.

The power of adventure

This is not about the kind of camper van you own or the drama of your Instagram grid.

This kind of adventure is about intentionally walking into a story whose ending you can’t quite predict.

About sharing sunshine and rain, summits and valleys.

About creating a legacy for your children and with your children.

You believe in your family. You believe in the potential of each individual and in the collective power of the whole.

I want to make heirloom images that see the power of that belief.

A Story of Home

This is going to feel like one of those rare, slow mornings when you can stretch and yawn in the warm summer light streaming through your curtains as your mind drifts free.

WE WILL BE IN NO RUSH.

Everyday sessions are a commitment to taking our time and settling into the rhythms and rituals that make up your every day.

Little girl walks up stairs in home with balloon
Mom places daughter in bike seat while dad looks on

Documenting the Journey

These are moments that you want to live completely. You want to be totally present, not watching them through a camera.

But you also want to remember.

Oceans, rivers, mountains, forests – I’ll follow your family wherever you’re headed, and I’ll capture the adventure in an honest and artful way.

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Family Documentary Packages

Child's tiny hand holds mom's finger.

The Vignette
$1975

4 hours photography

75+ full resolution digitals

Downloadable slideshow

25 4×6 prints

The Story
$2975

10 hours photography

100+ full resolution digitals

Downloadable slideshow

25 4×6 prints

$200 print credit

The Epic
$3975

24 hours photography

150+ full resolution digitals

Downloadable slideshow

25 4×6 prints

$400 print credit

Overnight included –
I’ll bring my sleeping bag!

“David’s art is enhanced by his many years of experience surfing, rafting, climbing, skiing, and connecting with the outdoors.”

– Julia Lawson
the adventurous mom

More than you bargained for?

Looking for something a bit less intense?
I get that, just click here for 60-90 minute Family Sessions.

Heirloom Albums

Build the legacy.

Starting at $850

You don’t sit around the computer with your kids and look at old pictures. Commit to yourself that after all that we put into this artful and honest look at your family, you will make an album of it.

Or, maybe a handcrafted frame of upcycled local wood (my specialty :).

In your gallery, you will find a curated list of my favorite print products, including this timeless heirloom album. And I will be there to guide you through creating it.

Ready to talk about a Documentary Session for your family?

My calendar fills up fast, so make sure to get in touch today to find some availability. Summer, Fall, and weekends often fill at least 6 weeks in advance.

Questions I frequently answer

Right away, we’ll talk on the phone or over video. After that you can expect a questionnaire where I really dig into the details that make your family unique. And for The Story or The Epic packages, I am always open to meeting your family for meal or a hike before our session. It’s nice to get comfortable before I pick up the camera.

Also known as day-in-the-life, long-form, even editorial, this style of photography is about capturing reality without altering it. The truth is, we inevitably alter the world around us when we interact with it. But for me, documentary photography means that I never pose anyone for the sake of a picture. I want to tell the story not create it.

I could ramble endlessly. But the first names that come to mind – Eastern Sierra, Lake Tahoe, Joshua Tree, north coast Redwoods, Lost Coast, Death Valley, Big Sur, Kern River.

I am here to capture love and how adventure adds to that story. If you’re looking to capture the raw and honest emotion of an engagement on a mountain summit, at the bow of a sailboat, at a wilderness campsite, I couldn’t be more excited to join you.

100%. My style is much less glamorous than a lot of California elopement photographers. So if you are looking for an unpretentious style and an authentic story about your adventurously special day, I’m your guy.

If I feel like we are a great fit, I’m ready to travel anywhere in the world. And if you have an adventure planned within California, I’m probably willing to drive my old Subaru and camp in it. Just get in touch for my travel rates.

If my schedule is clear, I’d love to! When added to a family session package, my hourly rate is $250.