I noticed something as I scrolled through my photos a couple weeks ago: there weren’t that many recent pictures. I’m almost totally reliant on my phone to take the “everyday” pictures of our family and life, but my iPhone 5 has such limited storage that I’d just stopped taking photos. This is all good for my digital clutter issue, but such a bummer when it comes to looking back and remembering what our life looked like over the last few months. I definitely don’t need a picture of Ben’s oatmeal every morning, but we’ll be moving again next month and I knew I didn’t want to miss our last fall in New England.

So I broke out the “big camera” (our DSLR) to document a couple of quintessentially fall activities: a trip to the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins at home. They’re not things we do everyday, but I tried to shoot things naturally, take candid pictures, and avoid the dreaded “Ben, up here! Look! Smile!” that’s the refrain of moms everywhere. The pictures are some of my favorite recent shots of our family.

Here’s the full layout: lots of photos in similar tones, a few captions, a little pattern and a good dose of white space.

The left side documents our recent trip to the local pumpkin patch.

One reason I love the creative challenge of pocket pages is that even with a “occasion”-type layout, I’m forced to edit my selections. I have to select the few pictures that best tell the story and capture the mood of the event, even when I have a million I’d love to include.

Rather than print the photos as-is, I tend to make liberal use of Liz’s photo templates. They add a little white space, word art or captioning, which keeps my eye bouncing around the layout. I particularly love the minimalist series. When a photo doesn’t need a “title,” I’ll just use my favorite font to caption the shot.

When a title’s helpful, I gravitate to the minimalist series and handwritten word art. I usually change the caption text to Aleo (available HERE as a free download), which appears throughout my albums.

Another thing I try to include in a layout like this is a bit of pattern that picks up on the colors in my photos. These orange and navy hearts (and the chevron on the next page) come from the magic hour set.

The right side of this layout documents our evening of carving pumpkins. While not something we do everyday, the faces you see here are definitely the ones I see on the daily.

I cranked down the aperture on my big camera and changed up the white balance to shoot these indoors in the evening. The light wasn’t great but somehow these shots just turned out magical. Maybe it’s because they’re taken at the kitchen counter where we live most of our lives together, but they just so capture this moment we’re in as a family. They’re some of my favorite shots of late. I took more than enough to fill a page, but picked the best few for this layout.

These photos basically have the same tone since they were shot in the same hour or so, but I added a couple of black and white shots to keep them from blending together.

I don’t print my photos at home, so I select and edit the photos I want to use, then use templates to add captions where they add to the story. It’s a matter of popping them into pockets once they’re printed, which couldn’t be easier. Digital templates are the simplest way for me to add white space, put two photos in a pocket, and include journaling.

I absolutely love the photos from this layout. I hadn’t used my DSLR to shoot the kids in a long time, and it felt good to be so intentional about taking some great photos. Slowing down long enough to capture these memories somehow made the occasions more memorable for me, and now those memories are documented for us to enjoy.

What occasions make you break out your “big camera”? What are your best tips for documenting occasions in a layout? And if you’re still reading, I’d love to know what fall memories you’ll be documenting this year!

xo, Catherine

You can see more of my work here, follow along on my blog, see what’s inspiring me on Pinterest or say hi on Instagram.

Products used: 3×4 photo templates, magic hour papers, spellbound journal cards, 4×6 photo templates vol. 4, pictures + words no. 14, more or less (elements). Sticker from moments like these accessory pack. Pocket pages are Project Life by Becky Higgins.