Why do Photos in YOUR Home?

Have you ever considered having a professional photographer come to your family home to do a lifestyle session? I want to quickly go over the benefits of having these moments documented because there's truly a ton of reasons.

• Your kids are comfortable in their own environment. It sounds so silly right, but it's true. Kids are most comfortable in places that they are familiar with. What's more familiar than their own home surrounded by their toys?

• It's a safe location. As a mom of four feral boys, safety is a huge priority when doing family photos. I know I cannot be in a photo and smiling with my husband if the four little ones are running towards water or sliding around in goose poop--which actually happened during family photos one year!

• You can take breaks. Kids getting grumpy? No worries, take a fruit snack break and re-group. Grab that comfort item and show it off for a photo. If your toddler has a favorite lovey, it's ok if it makes an appearance in some photos. I understand that blankies and stuffies are often an extension of a little person--might as well get a beautiful shot with it!

• There's no traveling. This is especially great for families with very young children--there's no traveling. Which means that you don't need to have a degree in mathmatics to calculate nap time schedules with the timing of the car ride and the position of the sun. I got you boo, you just let me know when your kiddos are typically in good spirits, I will bring additional lighting.

• Your photos are going to match your home decor. This is one that many people haven't even considered, but hear me out. If we take a photo in your living room sitting on your blue couch--when you print that photo on a canvas and hang it in your living room, guess what? It's going to match your existing home decor.

• It's cold outside in Iowa. I am an Iowa born and raised girl, but I am not tundra. I do not do well in the cold and neither does my gear. Your home is certainly warmer than the frigid Iowa temps in the winter. And winter is the most perfect time to have a lifestyle session. Get it when the Christmas tree is still up! Or heck, baking Christmas cookies--the options really are unlimited.

I know what you're thinking, you're probably thinking that your home is not picture ready, am I right? But I promise you, that if you spend 30 minutes tidying your space, it'll look like a million bucks. You just need to hide some of the clutter. We're also not going to photograph in every room of the house. It's ok if you want to stash that pile of mail on your bed. We'll just avoid doing photos there. Kitchen a mess? No worries, we'll stick to playing board games in the dining room. Need me to move the mess and always keep it behind me? Hey, I can do that too.

Sabbath and Tony have never had professional photos taken. Most of their family photos are selfies. But I was able to capture some great shots with them and five-year-old Arlo that they will always treasure. Cleocatra even got into a few shots. We were hoping for nice weather so we could do some shots outside with the chickens and Angora rabbit, but it was a chilly and drizzly day, so we opted to stay inside. Sabbath is a small business owner and nurse, so we know scheduling could be quickly, luckily we didn't need to reschedule for any births or emergencies.

Some of my favorite shots from this session were with Arlo on the floor in front of the couch with parents in the background out of focus. I love these images because Sabbath and Tony were just themselves. It's always a bit awkward to get in front of the camera, but when the focus is on the child and not the parents, they often let their guards down. It's still a great shot because it shows them as people and not just them as parents. Their connection is so important. I also love the photos of Arlo and Tony wrestling. There was so much jumping and giggling. Arlo won't be this size forever, so documenting this moment in time will be so important when he's 16 years old, wants to borrow the car, and rolls his eyes at his parents when they greet him in the mornings. ;)

So, are you in? Message me to schedule your own in-home family session. Let me know what you have in mind? Board games, stories, playing with blocks, making cookies? I will document it all!