MPB Meets: Documentary Family Photographer Karah Mew

Neale James, the presenter of the Photography Daily podcast, sponsored by MPB, spoke with international award-winning storytelling documentary photographer Karah Mew. In the interview, they discussed her style, her family photography and her mission to evoke the nostalgia of family photo albums. Read on to learn more.

NJ: Where does your photography inspiration come from?

KM: My dad was a massive part of my inspiration shooting the way that I do. He always had a camera with him and constantly took photographs of us growing up. He had masses of photo albums in the house and we still love looking at them now after all this time. Taking pictures and documenting people’s lives, it's never boring and it’s great to give people someone to look back on to remember moments in their life.

NJ: How do you get these amazing shots of families being so natural in their homes?

KM:  The more time I spend with clients and children, the more authentic self you show on camera. I don't want anything but natural and normality. Usually,  I shoot maybe for five hours at a time. My longest shoot was six days. Six days. I actually lived with the family in their home. It was great, as I wasn’t under any sort of time pressure to photograph the perfect shots.

NJ: Can you tell me more about your style of photography? How has it changed over time?

KM: Over the last three years my style has changed a lot. I used to go after shooting bog-standard normal-looking people. I wanted my images to be the pretty Instagram type and have my models looking as attractive as they can be. Now, I think people find my style of photography intimidating as I want the raw non-perfect image. I want my models to be raw, with their hair messy, children crying or jumping on the bed and really show the behind-the-scenes of parenting. I know that it can be really daunting for my subjects to let me in, especially when they are at their most vulnerable, and really being seen in their own home.  I find that the dynamic is really interesting.

NJ: How do you know what photos to capture of each family? 

KM: When I do a family shoot, I often ask what pictures they have of their family, and what pictures are missing from their albums. And a lot of the time, a family is missing photos of the mother with the children—because the mums are usually the ones taking the photos.

NJ: Have you done any work in studios?

KM: My images don’t seem to work in a studio setting. In the past, I had a big studio setup—but I never felt that it showed authenticity or a real connection.  For me, having the family in their home or a location that is really important to them takes away all of those other barriers. People have often said to me that their home is a mess and it is not decorated nicely, but I don’t care about things like that. Someone’s home is an extension of themselves. All those little parts of the house and their belongings make up the story of them and their family. This is the most important part of my work.

NJ: What's your advice to photographers out there?

KM: Get rid of your self-doubt.  I think all creative people have that in them. And I think all creatives have that sort of worry about showcasing and submitting their work. My advice is to stay true to your art, don't make work just for social media. I've always done that for myself and my clients.

Read more interviews on the MPB Content Hub.