Where I am based out of - Southern Maine - there is an abundance of beautiful locations to meet up for family photos. Every once in a while I’ll post a question to a group of women’s business owners asking for suggestions on location and my messages are flooded with the most spectacularly beautiful places. I love meeting up with families for on location shoots, it combines a little bit of adventure with a lot of the natural beauty of our state usually resulting in incredible photos. Sometimes though, the best place for family photos is in your home. Before you stop me because your home isn’t a perfectly staged mansion straight from the pages of a magazine, take a moment to read ahead. I could go on about this forever but here are just FIVE big reasons you may want to have family photos at home:
Kids are comfortable at home - What is the best way to look comfortable and have fun in front of a camera? To actually BE comfortable and have fun in front of a camera. For most people, familiar surroundings can mean just being more relaxed in general. This is especially true for kids.
Kids love to show me their stuff - Some of my favorite photos from family sessions at home have been when your kids show me their favorite things. Kids bond to certain items, I know I did, I STILL have my little plush dog “Toto” to this day. Not only is it sweet to have a photo that shows them with their prized possessions, asking them to show me their favorite things is a great way to break the ice with a kiddo. This also can lead to some really wonderful play time photos. My family photography walks the line between documentary and portraiture - sometimes the best photos come from completely unstaged moments where kids just do their thing. In these moments, I don’t intervene, there is a time for them to pose and smile but while they are playing isn’t it! Just let them be the incredible little people that they are.
If you need a break everything is there for you - It is sometimes impossible to get out of the house with everything you need, everyone fed, everyone’s diaper changed, hair done, makeup on, ready to go for photos. I mean, just writing about it makes me feel exhausted.
You won’t feel rushed to arrive on time - You will already be there. Need a few more minutes to get your makeup on, brush your hair, eat a snack before we begin? No problem, it’s all there for you.
Photography of your family in your home creates a record of a place that is crucial to your children’s core memories - This one may be the most important. I moved with my family and my single mother in the 80’s and 90’s ELEVEN times before graduating high school. There was a ton of upheaval and a ton of fractured memories, toys lost, and ruined things that I loved. There are extended periods of time that are blurry. The photos that remain - and there are only a few - are some of the only things that can ground me when I examine my life in retrospect. When I look back at my family photos, I see the place I grew up in, for good or bad, documented as it truly was, and it instantly brings me back. Photography, especially when printed or in a book or album is both a record of a time and a place but also an archive of a family history. I cherish the photos of me as a child in the places that I remember and your kids will too.
The possibilities for picking a great location for family photos are many. Before you decide to load everyone up and embark on a big outing, think about the wonder and beauty that is already around you in your house. Consider the possibility that your own home is a great place too.
Interested in booking a family photo session in your home or neighborhood? Let me know, send me a message here. I can’t wait to take photos together.
