PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
Not many people know that there is an alternative way to photograph your family aside from the traditional way (heading out to a great location and taking happy photos), and one of them is the ‘Day in the Life’ documentary-style photos. How this style is different from traditional family portraits is that instead of directing my clients into poses, I am a fly on the wall as the family goes about their normal daily lives, and let the emotions and reactions of the family members unfold itself naturally.
I began photographing this family on an early Sunday morning. The streets were quiet and peaceful, and the Behnken household began to stir, starting with little Sterling. With as much energy that she could muster up, Katherine led him to the backyard, away from his sleeping dad. As the day progressed, everyone enjoyed a fresh breakfast on their front lawn, followed by something they were super excited about – setting up the net for their trampoline! Of course, this was a father-son activity, and Sterling was more than happy to help his dad, Lukas. Soon after, everyone enjoyed the fruits of their labor with some (safe) trampoline fun!
Then, I followed them on a grocery trip where the four things on their ‘to-buy’ list ended in a full cart. Oh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who does this, haha. As we explored the grocery store, Sterling followed his parent’s footsteps and helped pick out some of his favorite foods to take home.
Once we head back to their Pasadena home, Lukas asked if I would be interested in photographing them while he cuts Sterling’s hair into a mohawk. Um… YES?! By that time, it was roughly noon, which is normally when Sterling takes his day nap. The energy that he had in the beginning of the day began to falter as Lukas started snip-snipping away Sterling’s precious blond hair in their backyard patio, and Katherine had to keep the little guy entertained in the meanwhile.
In the end, the haircut didn’t get finished as Sterling’s patience had reached its limits. I couldn’t fault him for that; they’ve had such a busy morning!
And so, with his hair turned into a partial mohawk, Sterling called it a day and entered into the realm where dreams run amuck.
