6 Ways to Prepare your Space for an Aesthetic In-Home Family Photo Session
It’s the perfect time of year for in-home photo sessions! But maybe you’re looking around your house and seeing all those toys spread out across the floor, the dirty dishes in the sink, and think to yourself “my home isn’t photo worthy”. For a lot of people, it’s just not realistic to have one of those “Pinterest homes”. In this day and age it’s hard to look past all the tidy, beautifully decorated homes we see all over social media.
But trust me, your home is photo worthy because it’s just that — your home.
Imagine this: 10 years from now, you and your partner are curled up on the couch and you look back at the photos from your in-home session. Maybe it was your first place together. The apartment you came home to as newlyweds on your wedding night. The home where you started a family. It’s places like this you’ll want to remember.
Okay, so you’re feeling better about your home being the location of your photo session. Now let’s chat about some ways you can prepare your home for your photographer!
1 — Natural Light
You’re going to want to find the part of your home with the best natural light. For most, this is likely the living room and kitchen. This is where we will be spending the most time during your session! Having a lot of natural light is going to make your photos feel brighter and, well, more natural! Of course I can always bring my lighting and my flash, but natural light is a photographer’s best friend.
2 — Get rid of clutter on surfaces
This is my biggest tip! Your house doesn’t have to be clutter free (because that’s unrealistic), but removing some of the clutter form the surfaces that will be photographed helps keep your images less busy and more focused on you.
3 — Clean & Tidy
It’s always good to give your home a general clean/tidy before I get there. Again, this will just help keep your images clean!
4 — If you have kids…
Put the toys away in the toy bin/area, but also have something ready for them to do if they’re not feeling it. Depending on the age of your children, sometimes they need a break! Have a tv show, music, or toys ready to go in case they aren’t cooperating how we’d hoped. This is another great advantage of booking an in-home session; you can feel better knowing that they are in a familiar environment!
5 — Choose outfits that compliment your décor
If your home is filled with color and vibrancy, maybe opt for a more neutral color palette in your outfits. If your décor is more neutral and minimalistic, consider adding a bit of color to your outfits; a pop of color never hurt nobody!
6 — Choose areas of your home that photograph well
Like I mentioned above, finding a well lit area of your home is a great place to start. Another thing to consider is finding a part of your home that will look good on camera. Maybe there’s a lovely fireplace or a little reading nook. Maybe the kitchen is where you spend the more time as a family. Whatever it is, I’ll always try to find the best areas of your home to photograph!
