An In-Home Family Portland Photography Session Guide

1 day ago
4 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

There’s something meaningful about documenting your family in the place you know best - your home.

It’s where your routines live, where your kids feel most like themselves, and where the small, everyday moments quietly unfold.

In-home sessions are less about perfection and more about presence. Here’s how to prepare for your family photography session in your Portland area home so your photos feel natural, relaxed, and true to you.

Let's start with lighting:

Without having to clean and tidy up your entire home, just select a few spots in your home that gets the most amount of natural light. Think big windows, direct or ambient light (and when is that? morning? afternoon?) and think outside the box - do you have a beautiful window above the staircase? In a hallway? When I arrive, this is what I'll be looking for primarily - lighting - even if it's in a hallway!

girl sits in hallway during a portland in-home photography session

A Portland In-Home Family Photography Session:

Almost every family who books (or wants to book) an in-home session worries about whether or not their home is even "photograph-able" or magazine-ready. I'll tell you right now - it certainly does not need to be that at all. I am looking for one thing - light - even if it's just a pocket of it here or there - even if it's in a hallway - that's where we will make meaningful moments happen, regardless what your house looks like or how messy your closets are. The true magic is in the moment, the emotion of the photograph. You and the light make that happen, not a magazine-worthy home.

How Much to Clean:

Don't feel like you need to deep-clean. I don't have a macro lens (as of yet) and will not get close enough to see dust usually.

Decluttering items can make a huge dfiference, though. Throw everything in a dark closet for a quick cleanup! lol! I won't be peaking in there and judging, don't worry!

If your living room is full of colorful, bold, plastic toys, I recommend moving those to the garage or a non-photographed room/closet. I'll photograph your family interacting with one another doing a shared activity - not so much playing with their individual toys. That being said, if you have classic, wooden toys or a a cloth doll, for example, that your child plays with, keep a couple of those out as these items photograph really well. Bring out a few favorite books to read to your children as a shared activity.

In your booking questionnaire - I'll ask what activities you like to do as a family in the home. If baking cookies is one of them, for example, and we happen to make a big mess in the process, so be it! It'll make great memories and photographs, but start with a clean countertop, decluttered, and have the ingredients set and ready to go in the fridge beforehand. This is just one example but you get the idea! Declutter first, then we can make a mess for the photos (if you want).

Before I arrive:

Start by opening all the blinds in the areas we'll be photographing - usually the kitchen, living room, and/or nursery/main bedroom.

Turn OFF all overhead lighting and even lamps.

Tidy up/ declutter surface areas such as kitchen countertops (I'm talking cereal boxes and junk mail...not your toaster). Also your nightstands, dresser, and top of your fridge.

Clothing:

You'll want to wear neautral colors - creams, beige, whites, browns, or blacks for your home session. Jeans, casual dresses or skirts, etc. are all great for your home.

You can find my clothing guide here.

Go Barefoot:

I highly recommend no socks for your Portland in-home photography session. Why? It creates a more natural feel and look to your photographs.

mother and daughter dance in kitchen during their portland family photography session

For Newborns:

I'll bring a selection of soft, neutral blankets and feel free to add a meaningful one of your own.

We'll go at your newborn's pace. So if your baby needs to feed, we can take a breather and/or capture breastfeeding photos (one of my favorite things to capture because it is so meaningful).

Increase your home's temperature by a couple notches so your newborn is feeling warm and comfy for when we take photos of JUST your newborn on a blanket.

Siblings:

A lot of parents worry about whether their toddler will behave during a newborn (or family) in-home session. I've not had an issue, ever. In fact, I LOVE photographing the interactions between older sibling and their newest family member. Everything is new and exciting and the older sibling usually loves to interact with their newborn baby brother or sister.

I don't over direct siblings - I simply watch for the small, yet meaningful moments, such as cuddling on your arm while you hold your newborn, them reaching for your newborn's hand, or peeking into the bassinet so carefully on their tip-toes. These are the soft, quiet moments that will mean so much to you, especially as your children age.

When they get bored or overstimulated, that is totally expected and fine, too. Luckily, we are in their home already so they can play with their toys, color, or play with dad while we get photographs of mama & newborn. Then, when they're ready, we can try again.

The important thing to remember is that we go with the flow and let go of expectations. If you're calm, they'll be calm. And if not, we roll with it! I'm not worried about it.