4 Important Things You Don’t Need for In-Home Photos

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There are more than four things you don’t need for in-home photos, but these are the ones that I feel there’s a misconception about.

Four Things You Don’t Need for In-Home Photos

1. An Updated Kitchen. I actually don’t care at all about the finishes in your kitchen. Your countertops, backsplash, cabinets and kitchen floors have zero impact on the connections I aim to capture between your family.
   
   I know that many times when we envision in-home photos, we see an all white kitchen with marble countertops and a gleaming new kitchen sink. And if you have that and that space is in good light, sure! We can use it!
   
   But I’ve photographed in more homes without a perfect kitchen than with one. And the fact of the matter is that nine times out of ten, the kitchen doesn’t get the best natural light anyway. So stop being hung up on a detail that likely won’t come into play during your in-home session!
   
2. A Big Home. I’ve photographed families in 1000 square foot homes and 5000 square foot homes. And I can tell you for sure that the extra square footage doesn’t make their photos any better.
   
   I use such a small fraction of your home during your session, and many times a big home doesn’t have that many more usable spaces than a small home has.
   
   We’re not creating these photos to showcase the size of your home. We’re creating them to showcase the love that exists inside of it. And sometimes love grows best in small spaces.
   
3. More than one room with good light. If you have one room with good light, that’s good enough for me! I’ve been known to camp out in one space for the entirety of a session.
   
   There is so much that you can do in one space and one room. We don’t need five different options so that we can bounce all around your home. If you have five usable spaces, we can use them, but it’s not a requirement.
   
   Creativity is the name of the game, and I’m more than happy to play it. You don’t need to worry about how we’ll create variation within the one room. Leave that up to me, and I promise I’ll make the magic happen!
   
   
4. A perfectly and professionally decorated space. Your home doesn’t look like an interior designer just waved their magic wand and sprinkled fairy dust on it? Your primary bedroom doesn’t look like a page out of Pottery Barn?
   
   That is more than ok. Remember, we’re here to capture your love and bonds – not how cohesive and aesthetically pleasing your decor is.
   
   It’s actually rare that I photograph the entirety of a room inside of a home while photographing a family. It’s simply not what I’m there for. I would rather step in close to you and photograph those sweet moments unfolding between you than step back and make sure I capture the painting above your bed and your bedside table.
   
   
   Even though an in-home session obviously takes place inside the home, it’s actually not about photographing the home. It takes place in that setting because it’s where you’re most comfortable. It’s the place where life naturally happens and where you all feel most at ease. It’s the place where we can capture the very real and raw beauty of the love, relationships and bonds between you in the most effortless way. So don’t get hung up on what your home looks like. It pales in comparison to who you are as a family and how you love one another.
   
   {See examples of in-home family sessions here.}