At-Home Family Photo Sessions: 7 Reasons Why They’re Magic

I can still viscerally remember my childhood home.

I remember laying on the kitchen floor coloring with my sister.

Valentine’s dinners in the dining room with candles lit. Sleepovers on the futon in the bonus room. Jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it.

Christmas mornings in the living room. Swinging in the backyard. Yard work days to pick up sticks for $.01 each (if you’re the honest eldest daughter).

All of these moments centered around the home we grew up in.

The space itself isn’t what makes it sacred or safe or special – it’s the people that do that – but the space is where everyone feels the most like themselves without even trying.

Which brings me to the 7 reasons why at-home family photo sessions are a brilliant game changer in the world of family photography.

Reason 1: Your kids are actually comfortable.

And honestly, the adults are, too. The bribing you do to get everyone dressed nicely and into the car and stay happy on the way to a session?? Yeah, you don’t have to do that.

Neither do they.

You can start your morning with breakfast, a dance party, and my favorite way to get kids dressed in what you want them to wear for photos…

Offer them an outfit swap in the middle of our session. “Did you know that Caroline LOVES super hero costumes / princess dresses / Bluey pjs / twirly dresses?!” (but actually I do – I love them all…)

We’re in their space, playing with their toys, with all of their lovies and snacks available – what’s not to love?! Those big belly laughs and happy smiles and extra goofy dance moves? They’ll bust right out, I tell you. Some kids may still take a little time to warm up, but it’s much easier to do that in the comfort of their own home when it feels like a friend has just come over to play.

(That’s me, I’m the friend…)

Reason 2: Your home tells YOUR family’s story

I love a beautiful park as much as the next person. I will be obsessed with chasing good light for my whole entire life. Cotton candy sunset? Sign me up.

But no amount of blooming spring flowers or golden autumn leaves can tell your family’s story the way your home can.

In-home vs at-home family photo sessions means we’ll still be outside no matter the season, and I’ll always be chasing the best light – even inside.

Cozy couch snuggles, kitchen dance parties, playroom magnatile building and backyard chaos are where the magic lies. These are the details you’ll treasure most years from now.

These everyday moments and scenes you think you see too often to never forget, but the truth is you’ll be so thankful for a way to visually jump back into these moments that are wrapped up in your most sacred space.

Reason 3: No schedules, no stress.

Instead of working around sunset, we can work around nap times and snack breaks. Heck, snack breaks often make for some of the best photos!

At-home family photo sessions are longer sessions – usually one to two hours like my at home newborn sessions. This may sound like a long time for a photo session, but I promise you will all be so busy having fun that you won’t even notice that we’re taking pictures.

It’s so different and less stressful than bribing everyone to be on their best behavior for a 20 minute mini session. Minis can be great and they serve their purpose, but if a kid is not having it we don’t have time to wait for a snack or a dance break to change their attitude. At-home family photo sessions give us time and flexibility to work around their needs and are truly is far less stressful for everyone involved.

Reason 4: The light in your home is beautiful.

It’s not about your house being perfect, but about documenting the joyful everyday that is the background of your children’s childhood.

When planning at-home family photo sessions I’m going to try to follow the light, which might mean pictures near your giant kitchen window, or in the bedroom that has the best lighting, or the back yard or front porch, or your dog’s favorite corner of the living room. We’ll find that gorgeous light and play with it!

That said, I’m also happy to make sure we capture specific spaces in your home regardless of lighting, and I will avoid anything you’d like me to avoid. For example, I don’t love our couches, so prefer to capture our kids on their beanbag chairs or playing a game on the floor of our living room vs sitting on the couch.

I’m also a huge believer in shoving clutter or unwanted sites out of the frame. As a photographer & mom of four I basically have a masters degree in this.

Reason 5: The photos feel like you.

In order to make my at-home family photo sessions feel like YOU, I need not just your actual space, but to know more about who your family is. What do y’all love? When are you happiest together? Do your kids love games? books? puzzles? dancing? bubbles? What do you want to remember about this specific season 20 years from now?

We’ll work together before the session to plan out specific rooms or spaces that we will use and activities that we will do so that we have a game plan, but can also let the magic unfold.

I want to make sure we capture the activities and spaces that make you & your people come alive as their best selves. If you were going to get out your phone/camera to document your favorite thing about your babes right now, what is it you’d be capturing?

Reason 6: Pets can easily be included, too!

No need to worry about if the location allows pets, if other pups will be around, etc. Just like kids, your pets are most comfortable at home and instead of forcing them to try to be in photos in a short timeline, we’ll naturally include them just as they are in day to day life.

Cuddling, playing tug of war, licking crumbs off the floor – whatever you love most about them, we’ll get to capture it!

Reason 7: The session is just as fun as viewing the gallery.

For an hour or two, you’ll put your phones and work away and focus on what really matters. Your kids will never be this little again. Soak up every single bit of it – even if just for an hour or two. 

I’ll document it in the most laid-back, fun, easygoing way. (I have 4 of my own, remember?) 

Everyone will be sad when the session is over because they want to play longer. Real life will call to you and you may have to answer. 

But a few weeks later you’ll receive your gallery. 

All of these most beautiful moments captured forever and ever. You may cry when you see them, but I promise they’ll mean even more in 5, 10, 20 years. 

My goal for my at-home family photo sessions is not just for you to have this gallery & printed photos that will mean the world to you, but for you to have taken time out from crazy busy life to see and feel the beauty of the season you’re in right now. 

We will play or dance or blow bubbles and draw with chalk or bake muffins or read books in bed or cozied up in a fort. No stiff clothes and poses in a beautiful field, but more real snuggles and cuddles, genuine smiles, and lots of your favorite every day moments captured forever.

There are times in motherhood when you can feel the nostalgia for that particular moment while you’re still living it for the first time.

That’s what at-home family sessions feel like to me.

I’m just grateful I get to be a part of it.

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Looking for more at-home session tips?

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