THE SHOEMAKER’S CHILDREN ARE ILL-SHOD

This is the most accurate saying when it comes to photographers’ attitude to photos. We are no exception. We absolutely love watching unusual family sessions and tell each other every year that it’s high time we ourselves had a family session done. But there’s always something much more important that comes our way. And yet all the joy, happiness, or simply everyday moments need to be kept alive. So what better way to enjoy those moments again than to photograph them and have them in print?
We know the choice of the right photographer is vital, especially when we have to face our self-image during a session. The photographer perceives simple situations in a particular way. When we are on the other side of the lens, it is rather hard to relax and let go. It is almost impossible not to think about the light, the focal length, or other parameters. It is hard to trust the photographer we have chosen and let him or her simply do their job.
We get therefore even more chuffed when photographers get in touch with us and want to have a photo session. We must admit it is always a challenge. During a photo session we will sometimes hear someone asking: ‘Isn’t it better to do it with a 50mm lens?’ under their breath. But most often we understand each other without words and we all have a whale of a time.

WHAT SESSION TO GO FOR

We arranged to meet the Bujaks at Warsaw’s Nowy Teatr on a gorgeous June afternoon. Without any specific plan for the session, without a brief. This is how we like to work the most. When we can react spontaneously and come up with new frames on the spot. Of course, we can decide in advance that we’re going to have a ‘day in the life’ session, where we accompany the family throughout the day and catch fleeting moments in the pure reportage form, not interfering with anything at all. Another option is we can have a classic portrait session with additional lighting. Or there’s a lifestyle session where we agree on the general atmosphere and location while the script unfolds with the help of the creative photographer;). During the session with the Bujaks we picked bits from all the sessions mentioned above and we’re very, very happy with the end results. And the message we got from Ewa and Józek only shows that we are’re not the only ones;)

THE BUJAK’S

“Everyone thinks that we must have loads of family photos, since we are photographers. Yes, it is true. We do have photos on different external discs, on our mobiles, but we have never selected or edited them. We have simply neglected them. Other sessions seem to be more important. And there’s always someone missing in our photographs – the photographer. Ok, most of our pictures are of Sonia and Kacper (the dog). We have hardly any pictures of ourselves. We didn’t know the Smokes personally, but we’ve admired their work for years. They’ve got what we think is the vital thing in photography: moments, emotions, the truth … and those colours ❤. And there’s a cinematic feel to them, as someone has recently said. Yet their images are not corny at all. We were unanimous – we had to have our first family session done by the Smokes! We had never met Michal before. We met at Nowy Teatr. The moment we shook hands, we heard the first shutter click and this is how it went until the very end. Michal did not miss one moment, gesture or look. He did not miss either Kacper’s paws or his too short tail. We felt quite ok on the other side of the lens although we thought we were too stiff and still considering our nature. Until Michal sent us the link to the photos. Yes, this is totally us;) In love and happy, with our edentulous Sonia going crazy on her roller skates and Kacper totally freaked out by the city. It’s worth preserving such moments. Make sure you and your family treat yourselves! Michal, thank you very much. We knew it would be good, we just didn’t know it would be THAT good. See you at our next session. We just have to do it again! The Bujak Studio.”

If you liked the session and you want us to spend a day with you and your family, drop us a line!
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Technical info: During the session we used LeicaM10 with Zeiss ZM Biogon 35mm 2.8 lens and Phase One with Mamiya Leaf adapter and 80mm 2.8 lens.