Fishing for portraits and lobsters | June 2024

an early start

With a double espresso in one hand and an armload of camera gear in another, I snuck out of the house at 2 am, headed for HWY 245 in Arisaig, Nova Scotia. My alarm wasn’t meant to go off for another 30 minutes but after lying awake like I would on Christmas morning as a kid, the excitement told me to get in the car and go early.

I wasn’t the only one who arrived early. The wharf was buzzing with life when I pulled in. Daylight was teasing the horizon, though the sunrise was still a ways off. As I opened my car door, the gentle rumble of a dozen or more diesel engines idling in unison greeted me. I grabbed my things and began searching for the boat I was meant to hop on.

How’d a family portrait photographer end up on a lobster boat at 4 in the morning in late June? Good question. While photographing a newborn session, we got on the topic of environmental portraits. This family had taken part in the lobster fishery for generations and they’d love to get some nice portraits on the boat. Before I knew it, a date had been set, the weather had lined up and I was hopping on a boat!

these are some of the images I’m most proud of.

While most of my family sessions happen on land, often in a backyard or living room, these aren’t any different.

It’s a reminder that family portraits can be taken anywhere at nearly any time; even at 4 am on a lobster boat. For this family, a boat on the water is a place that means a great deal to them. It was fitting to capture this moment here. There was no need for coordinated clothing, fancy poses or prompts - there is beauty in the every day. By incorporating personal details into your portraits, you’re capturing the most honest version, in the place you’re most comfortable.

This day was worth waking up early for!