How to Plan an At-Home Family Session
An at-home family session is a fun, intimate, and genuine documentation of your family’s life together. Plus, it doesn’t have to be tricky to plan! So, before you deep clean the entire house—or if you’re just worried about feeling awkward on camera—give this post a read. I’ll let you in on everything you need to know about planning an at-home family session so that you can have the gorgeous images you’ve been dreaming of in a snap!
Come Up With Some Activities in Advance
Do a bit of brainstorming about the kinds of activities you and your family like to do together. The list could include playing music, playing games, reading books, blowing bubbles, watering the plants, playing in the nearby watering hole, hide-and-seek, making snacks together, the kiddos helping to make the bed, playing airplane on the floor of their bedroom, and so much more! An at-home family session is all about capturing who you truly are together as a family. So, the fun rituals and activities that define your life together are what will make the session great!
Keep It Light and Fun
The goal of the session will be to document a day in the life of your family. Perfectly imperfect is the name of the game here! With that in mind, just relax and try not to overthink it. This is all about being yourselves in your comfiest environment: food all over faces, wild kiddos, messy bedrooms, and all. Think of the images as time capsules for your kiddos to have to look back on in 50 years and think, “this takes me right back to a normal day with my parents.” Occasionally I may throw in a couple of portraits, but my style is 98% documentary with in-home sessions. I will just hang back and allow you and your kiddos to tell your story as it naturally unfolds!
It Doesn’t All Have to be at Home
We can easily begin at your home and then meander to a local creek or watering hole, or just take a walk together. I love mixing up sessions so that they fully represent the family I’m shooting. So, feel free to toss around any ideas you may have!
What Do We Wear?
Wear something that makes you feel good, but that doesn’t feel like dressing up (unless dressing up is your everyday thing!). The point of the session is to reflect who you are, so it’s important not to get too fussy with it. You are also welcome to change mid-way through the session. Beforehand, try putting together a couple of outfits that feel authentic to you. Pick a favorite or two and rock them for the session!
Session Length
My at-home sessions last at least two hours to fully capture the essence of your day-to-day life together. If we are exploring multiple locations, then four hours is more suitable. For example, a session may begin with you waking up your kiddos from a nap, then unfold naturally into playing games together, making snacks or a meal, heading outside to play, or driving to a nearby watering hole or park. The key is simply to align YOUR session with YOUR routine. We will customize the timing based on whatever works best for your family! Reach out and let me know what you have in mind, and I can customize a session for you.
Film or Digital?
I mostly shoot digital, but I have been getting back into dabbling with 35 mm film, and would be happy to throw in a couple of rolls of film for a four-hour session! Please reach out if you are interested in this!
Session Rates
On your planning call, we can chat about the different rates I offer for these sessions based on the duration of time we will need. Travel fees also apply for areas that are ten miles or further from downtown Austin.
And there you have it. Remember, an at-home family session isn’t designed to be stressful. In fact, yours will likely be the most relaxed and comfortable photo shoot you’ve ever done! For all of the above inquiries (plus any other questions you may have), you can reach out to me. I can’t wait to hear from you!
