If the idea of getting dressed up and driving the children to a local park for family pictures stresses you out to the point that you avoid having professional family photos taken at all, this post is for you. While I love a dreamy sunset session at a local public park, there is something unique about capturing a family at their home. My Heart of Home sessions always lead to some of my very favorite portraits.
1. Convenience!
Save time and energy. No stress to get out the door to make sunset. We can schedule a session around your schedule, and I literally just show up, ready to capture you as you are.
For this at-home lifestyle session on a sunny May morning in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I had arrived just minutes before shooting this first image. I knew I wanted to capture this family on their doorstep, which is full of character and tells us a story about who they are right from the first peek at their homestead.
You might notice a lot of variety of lighting situations in this daytime session, rather than just shooting at sunset like my usual park sessions. I love the harshness of the full garden sun combined with the softness of the wooded light and it makes for a more interesting gallery.
2. Authenticity
Really there is nothing more true to life than capturing a slice of life at home together. The space your children will remember, either vividly having spent many years at home there, or vaguely, if like me you moved at a young age. Nonetheless, preserving memories of the home and land your children spend a part of their childhood is so important.
Dad built the children this beautiful treehouse early on in the Pandemic, and it was so important to me to capture this magical childhood memory.
3. Capture favorite family activities
The wonderful thing about in-home lifestyle family sessions is we can create a gallery of images to remember special activities that define your family. This family spends a lot of time together in their garden, and on this early spring morning we made images to preserve the memories of the planting season and early harvest of spring veggies.
4. Candid, natural, and relaxed portraits
While I still spend a little time taking some grouped family portraits when we are on your land or in your home, most of what we do is candid. Show me your home, your garden, your chickens. Let’s explore together and capture your family in your natural element and as moments unfold.
5. Let kids be kids
You know that movie Yes Day? Family photos at home is a bit like saying YES to your kids and all the ways they want to be themselves and explore nature with you. They might be a bit confused at first if you’ve had traditional family portraits taken, but my relaxed personality will put everyone at ease and soon they will forget that I am taking pictures of them! Children love to play and be silly, and at-home sessions allow for their individual personalities to come through.
If you are looking for a family photographer in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey to create natural, organic, and candid portraits that really tell a story about who you are, I’d love to chat about working together!
