Zalmy Berkowitz reminds us that the most beautiful moments in life are sometimes the ones we overlook.

There are two statements that perfectly summarize Zalmy Berkowitz’s philosophy. The first one is: “documenting the chaos.” My life is pretty chaotic, which is the case for many parents of young kids,” he says when I ask him to elaborate on what this philosophy means for him, his wife and their four children.

Zalmy claims to have observed a phenomenon in the lives of other families who have young children that is also prevalent on social media. People try to construct a “picture perfect” life by only posting photographs of smiling kids, tidy living rooms and backyards with trimmed, green grass.

“I’m not specifically trying to combat [this trend], but I don’t think that’s nearly as important as trying to remember life as it was. Chaos itself is what makes life interesting. That’s where the beauty of life is and that’s why I enjoy documenting it,” he says.

Zalmy believes that the disorder of life should not be hidden from the camera: There’s no need to be embarrassed by the piles of laundry or trash or toys that show up in the background. Nobody has it all figured out, regardless of how clean their house might look like on their Instagram feed.

The second statement that captures his life philosophy perfectly reflects that belief: “I believe in the magic of the mundane.” Unlike in fairytales where beauty and magic happen “once upon a time, in a land far, far away,” Zalmy believes that the magic of the world is contained in the things directly around us, if we just open our eyes and appreciate everyday moments.

For Zalmy, it’s important that his kids look back at photos and see their life as it really was; for the good and the bad. He wants to be able to witness his own personal growth and the trajectory of his life, as well as all of the lessons he’s learned. If the history of his family is only preserved as an archive of curated moments, the times where everyone was posed and centered in the frame, and where all four kids were smiling at the camera, it wouldn’t be an honest (or funny) record of their lives.

Who was laughing in the background? Which kid refused to put on their shoes and was therefore barefoot in the picture? Zalmy captures moments as they are, which allow the memory of what was happening seconds before the photo was taken to return: the black and white ball that looks out of place in the frame is evidence of a game of soccer; the trash on the ground is actually the remnants of a delicious picnic.

Zalmy’s first subjects were his children, but he eventually began photographing weddings. When photographing weddings, he gets really close and shoots very wide, which allows the viewer to feel like they are right there, witnessing the candid moments of the ceremony.

A lot of wedding photography happens in epic locations at sunset: “We look for magic in places far away from us,” he says. But the most powerful moments at a wedding are what’s happening in our midst: the candid moments between family and loved ones in the background of the elaborate and staged rituals of a wedding ceremony. Each photograph on Zalmy’s website is a testament to his two life philosophies.

In one particular image from a wedding, the bride is at the center of the shot, sitting on a chair with her face covered by a veil and the Torah open on her lap. The real action, however, is what’s happening around her: a little girl taking a photo with her disposable camera, a grandma squinting her eyes and holding onto her cane, two women giggling and another cleaning her teeth in the background.

With all the details, actions, and colors he captures, Zalmy allows even a viewer that wasn’t present at the wedding to imagine how the moment really looked, sounded and felt. He includes the magic moments—like a beautiful bride underneath her veil—as well as the mundane, including someone removing a piece of food lodged in their teeth.

Zalmy says that his hope is that his photography will create a funny and honest journal that he can leave behind.

“I think we all want to leave our mark in the world. The thing I want most in my work is honesty. I don’t want my life to be any more or less than it is.”

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