Shooting In the Home: Exciting, Not Stressful!


Thinking about having your photos taken in the home? Loooove that! In-home sessions are so sweet and intimate and truly represent families and their personalities. These sessions really allow me to get to know your family and give me a peek into the sweetest of moments.


However I know this can seem a little stressful *insert mom running to the closet to pull out every cleaning supply in the house* but it doesn't have to be! These sessions should definitely not create stress and should be exciting! So here are three helpful tips when having photos taken in your home:


  • You want your home to look like just that – your home. The space where you live and play and laugh and snuggle. However, it never hurts to declutter the rooms where your photos will be taken! And I really do mean declutter, not completely get rid of anything that would make your home look like a home. If it’s normal to have the coats hanging on the coat rack, keep it. If it’s normal to have a stack of books sitting on the bedside table, leave it. If it’s normal to have Paw Patrol stickers on the floor, leave them. These pictures represent you and your family, so you want them to look like you!


  • Light light light. And when I say that, I’m talking natural light, not lamp/overhead light! A lot of natural light photographers (myself included) will turn off the artificial lights when we come into your house to allow for that beautiful, even, natural light to illuminate the space. That being said, choose a location inf your house that has big windows and lots of natural light! Even further, often you will be facing the natural light source (the window) so maybe do a smidge of rearranging the furniture to make sure you’ll be facing a window.
  • Prepare some activities! In home sessions are perfect for displaying life as it really is. For newborn sessions, grab the bottle, some favorite books, stuffed animals for the older siblings, and get ready to snuggle. For family sessions, think about an activity that your family loves doing together. Baking cookies? Reading a book? Playing Monopoly? For engagement photos, this is very similar to family sessions. Do you cook dinner together every night? Snuggle up on the couch to watch reruns of Friends every night? Then let's do it!

So if you follow these three steps, then I can assure you, your photos will turn out beautifully! In home sessions capture the moments of real life that may be forgotten about later on down the road… but believe me, if you capture them now, you’ll have the memories forever.