I accomplish this in a few ways. First, I focus on prompting rather than posing. This means I am giving you directions that leave room for your own interpretation. Another way I am able to collect these authentic moments is by allowing us plenty of time to take breaks, get to know each other, and get comfortable. Getting your photo taken is awkward, but it gets so much easier the more you get comfortable and relax. This is exactly why I do not like to put time limits on my sessions.
The documentary style is a partnership. We have to work together, trust each other, and lean into whatever comes our way. The result is always worth it.
I take a more candid, documentary approach to my sessions. What this means is that I focus on capturing natural moments verses posed shots. I fell into this style naturally due to my own love of memory keeping. I will always believe that photos showing how you look at each other, touch each other, laugh with each other will always be more meaningful than curated, posed shots.