How to Get Ready for In-Home Family Photos: A Quick and Easy Guide
In-home family photography can be special for so many reasons!
Are you bringing your first baby home to the place that you and your husband have called home for the past ten years? Do you want to capture all of the magic and nostalgia of your kid’s childhood home? The art on the walls, the green couch y’all bought when you were first married.
Whatever your reason is, you want to remember your home and I want to make sure you remember it well. For that to happen, preparation is key.
Of course, it’s easy to stress out about having pictures taken in your home. Too much clutter! It’s not aesthetically pleasing enough! It’s too dark! I'm here to hold your hand and walk you through everything you need to know. Also to provide you with a sweet and simple checklist that will make our photos together a breeze.
Choose at least one or two spaces that you want to take pictures in
What if the nursery isn’t done? What if the sink overflowed last week and we are in the middle of getting new floors in the kitchen? What if our game room is a huge mess?
Well, the good news is that your whole house does not have to be picture-ready, one or two rooms is more than enough! This could be the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, nursery, porch, bathroom, a kid’s room, or anything else really.
But remember, whichever rooms you choose need to have good access to natural lighting.
Put away anything that you do not want in your photos
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised what I’ve seen still out when I show up to a family’s home. I’ve almost taken family pictures with a CPAP machine still sitting on the nightstand. Your home does not have to be perfect by any means, these are just friendly suggestions and completely optional. You may want to hide:
CPAP and any other machines (Roomba, breast pumps, etc.)
Doggie gates and kennels
Exercise equipment
Piles of laundry… piles of papers… piles of anything really
Dishes on drying racks
Clutter on night stands (mouth guards, loose change, water bottles, etc)
Diaper Genies, Air Purifiers, and Fans
Final Touches
These are things you want to do right before I come over to make sure your space is ready to go:
Turn off any overhead lights and lamps
Open up all of the blinds and curtains (we want all of the natural light)
Close any doors leading to closets, pantries and laundry rooms that you don’t want to make a guest appearance in your photos
Fresh flowers on the table are always nice too...
Again, your home does not need to be anywhere close to perfect. My whole thing is capturing the perfectly imperfect so why would your home be any different? Don’t worry about doing any sort of deep-cleaning, a general tidying up will be more than enough. Just take a deep breath and I’ll handle the rest!
