Is a lifestyle session right for your family?

When I started my photography business and before I opened my photography studio in Trenton, I exclusively offered in home newborn photography sessions. This was a great opportunity for me to experience a variety of different homes and really be able to see how different homes worked. Most of these sessions took place in Belleville, Trenton, Kingston, PEC (Prince Edward County) and surrounding areas.

One of the beautiful things about doing lifestyle photography sessions in your home is that your children will likely be the most comfortable there. For busy households with young children and babies, this can be a huge bonus and make it simple when you have a newborn. Things become a lot more organic during these sessions, we can capture your children playing with their favourite toys, your new baby in their nursery, all of the small personal details that you want to capture and freeze in time. This is also a great way to include your pets!

Ideally your home should be open and bright, with some natural light, however, if your home is not very bright, I have professional lighting that can help boost the light and get those beautiful in home photos you are dreaming of. When we consult about your session, I will go over these details with you and make sure that I come prepared.

Preparing for your in home session!

Here are a few simple tips when you are preparing for your session:

• Consult with me. We will choose the best rooms and light in your home, sometimes people send me photos of different areas if they aren't sure which rooms are ideal. Big windows are a great asset for in home sessions.
• Prepare your home. Your home doesn't need to be spotless, and the last thing I want a new mom to worry about is making sure your house is perfect. This is totally not necessary! Once we decide which rooms to focus on, I do suggest making sure the main focal areas in these rooms are clutter free. The more minimal the focal areas are, the more focus will be on your and your beautiful family. This is almost like staging your home a bit, but only the areas and backgrounds that we will see.
• Manage your expectations. The goal of an in home session is to capture your family in a natural, authentic way. I will be sure to guide you and give you prompts to promote interaction with each other, but these are not your typical posed studio photos.
• Plan activities! Do your children have a favourite toy, or book? Does someones play guitar, or the piano? Snuggles on the couch or Mom and Dad's room are great photos to have, pillow fights, or jumping on the bed are also fun ways to capture some sweet giggles with your littles.
• Choose your outfits. Lifestyle photos are a casual documentation, but you don't want to neglect thinking about what to wear. I always suggest nice neutrals. Take a look at your home, the colour tones in the areas we will be shooting in, and pick colours that will flow with your home. Avoid busy patterns and logos, words etc. My client closet is available for all clients if you need wardrobe items. We can chat about this during your consultation!

Lots of love,

Joss-lyn