In-home photography sessions offer an intimate and easy option for those looking to get newborn, maternity and family photoshoots. Being surrounded by your own belongings is sure to give you a sense of ease and make the photos look natural. They work especially well for newborn sessions, so moms don’t have to pack up a huge bag and travel far for their postpartum photoshoot.
Declutter your home before the session
While your home doesn’t have to look perfect, you don’t want the backgrounds to be distracting. Before a session, remove any clutter like toys, baby supplies or clothes (it’s fine to just throw everything in a box, or shove it in a corner). The shoot is likely to take place across several rooms in your house including the master bedroom, living room and nursery, so focus on cleaning those rooms. You certainly don’t have to deep clean anything, but just make sure the surfaces in those rooms look tidy.
Assess the light in your home
Natural light is essential for breathtaking family photo, so take a look around your home and figure out which rooms have the best light. I can also help with this if you send me phone photos of each room prior to your session. It’s also a great idea to open the blinds and look at the room at different times of day. The more light, the better!
Choose clothing that allows for comfort and movement
Since you’re at home you have your whole wardrobe to choose from, but it’s best to select a few outfits before so you can maximize the session’s time. You’re going to want comfortable clothes you can easily move in. Jeans and a nice t-shirt always look great on camera, or a loose flowing dress.
Neutral colours are always best to ensure the photos won’t look dated, and the clothes won’t be distracting.
Allow your children to lead the way
For the most organic photos allow your children to lead the way. We want to capture all those cute, funny and silly moments that children naturally do, so it’s best to let them be their joyful selves. There’s no need to overly pose them in a family photoshoot. Tickle them, pick them up, toss them upside down and let them climb on couches. If they get fussy we can always stop and give them a snack and give them time to recover.
Pets are Part of the Family Too
I am a pet lover and I’m happy to include your cats and dogs in your family photos. Pets are a valued part of the family too!
Brainstorm activities your family enjoys doing together
Lifestyle photography isn’t about a posed photo on a couch, it’s about natural shots of your family loving each other. Does your family enjoy cooking? Playing board games? Playing with toys? Running around? Let’s include some activity shots.
Think beyond the living room
Consider bedrooms
The living room isn’t the only area in the house we want to shoot photos in. Consider the bedroom and nursery for intimate family shots. There’s something so magical about a family lounging on a duvet, laughing together.
Consider lawns and backyard
In the summer and fall lawns and backyards can also be a great background. We’ll be sure to get natural action shots of pets and kids running around.
The goal of a lifestyle session is to capture authentic moments in your real space so sometimes nothing works better than your home for that.
Ready to book your in-home lifestyle photography session? Contact me today.
