Kirsten Lewis
Family & Maternity | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
I’m a documentary family photographer based in Denver, Co however I rarely ever shoot here as most of my work is out of state or out of the country.
Although I still shoot one hour family sessions, the majority of my work these days are Day In The Life sessions where I spend 24hrs with a family and simply document their regular, every day life.
I guess I could be labeled a minimalist. I do not carry a lot of equipment with me, which comes in handy when I have to travel to shoot so I can actually fly with just ONE bag if I’m going for only a couple of days. I always work with 2 bodies, the Nikon D3 and Nikon D3s. I’ve been shooting with Nikon since 2000 and have to say I have never been disappointed with any piece of gear I have owned.
As far as lenses, my dominant lens is the Nikon 35mm f/2. I approach my sessions as a photojournalist and this lens is really the perfect choice for documenting daily life, from breakfast to bath time it provides me with the right amount of information I need to tell the story within a single frame.
My second body always has a long lens on, 80% of the day the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 however if the family goes outside, especially to play or go for a walk, I will use my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8.
I feel like I do not need any other equipment to be completely successful and I never use a flash during these sessions because I do not want to interfere in any way with the integrity of the moment.
Because I travel for work I always have my laptop, WD Passport 2TB hard drive, memory card reader (guide), battery charger and plenty of memory cards that I keep in my Think Tank Pixel PocketPixel. Lastly, I always have tissues and Ibuprofen because planes can do a number on my sinuses. Other than a toothbrush, hairbrush, some clean underwear and couple shirts it’s all I need to tell a family’s story!
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