5 Ideas for your In - Home Session | Hudson Valley Family Photography
The idea of inviting a documentary photographer into your home may not automatically make you jump for joy. It’s soooo vulnerable. It requires trust to feel safe enough to open up our worlds to anyone. And then here I am, a total stranger, asking to come into your home with a camera pointed at you. I completely understand the hesitation.
“If we’re home, the kids will be on iPads and dad will be watching sports”
“We’re so boring!!!”
“We just moved here, the house isn’t ready yet”
“Our house is always a mess, my kids are mini tornadoes”
These are some common fears I hear all the time. Aren’t we always our own worst critics? However, think deeper about the home you created for your family. In addition to some clutter, isn’t it also filled with a lot of love and comfort too? It’s where your children’s artwork hangs on the fridge (that they seem to bring home almost every single day :) It’s where you spend most of your time together. It’s where everyone feels comfortable to be all the versions of themselves. It’s where small traditions grow over the years and become our fondest adult memories. It’s where your children see their own photos on the wall and know they belong.
And as a major bonus, after you work through those initial hesitations, a documentary session is one of the easiest to actually do for your family! I’ll come to you. We’ll plan a day or activity that’s natural for your family. No posing. No forced smiles. Here’s a list of 5 activities that I see fairly often. It doesn’t need to be a complicated plan, just something that you actually do as a family.
READING FAVORITE BOOKS
Reading a book together is a great calm activity and often produces some sweet cuddly photos :)
MAKE A MEAL TOGETHER
My favorite meal to photograph is breakfast. The idea of kids in PJs making pancakes or waffles on a weekend morning just gives me all the feels (and there’s usually coffee at breakfast, so I’m bias for breakfast :). My second favorite is baking brownies or some dessert (I’ve also got a sweet tooth if you couldn’t tell :)
MORNING OR BEDTIME ROUTINES
Bathtime play. Brushing teeth. Getting ready for the day or winding down for bedtime. These routines are how we spend our everyday.
PLAYING IN THE BACKYARD
Throwing a ball. Drawing with chalk. Bubbles. Water tables. Riding bikes. Having a picnic. Playtime outside is a great way to get some fun energetic photos (and to get some energy out for the kiddos).
GOING FOR AN ICE CREAM / COFFEE / PIZZA TRIP
Kids tend to love this one. Who doesn’t love a trip to your local ice cream shop or pizza place?
I want to capture truly authentic moments and create photographs that will trigger REAL feelings and memories (and not just a memory of that time a photographer told you to look at each other and laugh at a park you don’t remember in clothes you’d never normally wear at a park).
Choosing a documentary session takes some courage, but isn’t everything in life worth having on the other side of something scary? Let’s celebrate you and your loved ones with a documentary family session!
