How to prepare your home for a family photo shoot

Every family home has a story to tell.

Not because it's perfectly styled or beautifully decorated, but because it's where life happens. It's where you brought your babies home from hospital, maybe they were even born there. It’s where you have pancakes for breakfast, dance and play together, it is your home. When I look through my own family photo albums I love seeing my parents, sibling, and cousins looking happy and playful with me, I also love seeing where these memories were made. The wallpaper in my grandparents’ hallway the bookcase piled high with too many books, the mirror we used to pull funny faces into together. They instantly transport me back to a feeling, a time in life with the people I love and loved.

So when I come to your home for your family shoot, of course, I'm there to document your connection with one another, but I'm also noticing the places where your everyday life unfolds.

An in-home family photo session isn't about creating a perfect version of your life. It's about preserving this chapter exactly as it feels. There is not much to do to prepare but this may be helpful:

1. Notice the light

Before your session, simply take notice of how the light moves through your home during the day. Which room feels bright in the morning? Which one glows in the afternoon?

There's no need to have a house full of huge windows, beautiful photographs can be made in almost any lighting. Knowing where the natural light falls simply helps us decide where we'll naturally spend more time together. We'll move around your home as we go, following the light and finding the little pockets that feel just right.

2. Don't worry about making your home perfect.

This is probably the biggest worry parents, myself included! (there is so much stuff!)

If there's anything that would help you feel more relaxed, perhaps clearing the kitchen worktops or moving a pile of washing, then absolutely do that. Beyond that, let your home be your home.

Children have toys. Books end up on the floor. Shoes collect by the front door.

Those little signs of everyday family life are often the details you'll smile about years from now. We are not photographing your perfect home, we are photographing the love in your family.

3. Gather the things that matter

If there are objects that carry meaning, keep them close.

Perhaps it's the handmade quilt your grandmother made, a favourite bedtime book, baby's first teddy or a blanket that's been passed through generations. These heirlooms and sentimental pieces weave another layer into your family's story, and it's lovely when they naturally find their way into your photographs.

4. Let your child know what is happening

Rather than telling children they're having a photo shoot, you might want to try “A friend is coming over with a camera."

The less pressure they feel, the more themselves they'll be.

I always let children feel involved if they want to and love it when they ask questions and get curious. Sometimes involving them from the beginning helps everything feel more relaxed. You could even let them help choose a favourite jumper, decide which book to read together or pick somewhere in the house they'd like to show me. I’ll bring along a camera they can have a go with too.

5. Trust the photographer you've chosen

We are a team and let’s work together. My job isn't to judge your home or make it look like somewhere else. It's to notice the beauty that's already there. To see the softness of your bedroom light and the quiet corners where stories unfold every day.

Most of all, I want you to leave feeling seen. Not because your home was immaculate or because your children smiled on cue, but because your photographs reflect who you really are.

Years from now, these photos should capture what home in this season really felt like as well as the gorgeous smiles of you and your family.

If you are ready to book an in-home session with your family then you can contact me here.

Looking forward to hearing what you have planned!

Libby x