At Home Lifestyle Sessions and Why You Need One | Traveling Family Photographer | Hannah Kate Photography
WHAT IS AN AT HOME LIFESTYLE SESSION?
An At Home Lifestyle session is exactly what you think it is! It’s quite literally a lifestyle portrait session in the comfort of your very own home. It’s documentary in nature and always produces relaxed, intimate and authentic imagery. A lot of people are familiar with the idea when it comes to newborn sessions (which oh my goodness, if you haven’t experienced the low-key atmosphere of an at-home newborn session, you’re missing out! They’re the only way to really do it!), but that same concept can be applied to family sessions.
The beauty of At Home Lifestyle family sessions is that they’re not weather dependent (BIG DEAL in Alabama, the land of the unpredictable weather), they can be scheduled around everyone’s best awake times and are not at mercy to the sun’s position and they are so, SO relaxed. I really cannot stress this enough!
EMBRACING REAL LIFE
At Home Lifestyle Sessions are designed to document life as it is right there in that moment. It’s the imperfections that honestly make these sessions so sweet because they’re undeniably real. And genuine. When you look at the photographs captured from your at home lifestyle session, you’ll see your family as they really are. You’ll see the unique dynamics between family members, you’ll see the quirks and markers of the little’s ages and phases. The photographs will be a literal time capsule for your family and your life.
DOESN’T HAVE TO LOOK LIKE A PINTEREST BOARD
I know, I know, the pressure to have a pinterest-worthy house is UNREAL these days. But let me tell you something, this is not something you have to worry about. You do not need to look like you live in a pinterset board to book an At Home Lifestyle Session!
The key to beautiful photographs is making sure you have plenty of natural lighting. We will want to shoot your at home session in the room(s) of your house with the best/most natural lighting. Don’t have tons of natural light in your home? No worries, there’s ways around that! One tip: if you’re lacking in natural lighting, pick a spot where you can incorporate a lot of whites— the white surfaces/fabrics will help bounce the natural light around! Wearing whites or neutrals will also help with this!
YOU’RE IN THE PHOTO
I repeat, MAMA’S IN THE FRAME! This is probably the biggest, most important things about these sessions: mothers are documented doing real life things, having real life connections with their babies! One thing I hear all the time from other moms: “I’m the one taking the photos”. If you’re the one documenting your family’s life and memories, then TREAT YOURSELF to an At Home Lifestyle Session. Seriously.
As much as I adore regular portraiture and photographing my clients soaked in the golden hour, these At Home Lifestyle Sessions are so important. Especially for those mamas that are never photographed twirling with their babies, cuddling them on Sunday mornings, reading their favorite stories, teaching them and inspiring them and creating memories. Mamas should be photographed doing the most important work.
THE GREATEST GIFT
We spend all of our days creating the life we’re living, the life our children are living. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, photographs hold so much more meaning than you think they do. A lot of times photographs are one of the only things left to tell our stories. Don’t you want to be able to look back at all the giggles and cuddles that used to fill your days? At Home Lifestyle session imagery becomes cherished heirlooms and would absolutely be the photographs passed down through the generations.
WHAT YOU WANT TO REMEMBER
You’re probably thinking, well ok, but what do we do? At Home Lifestyle sessions feel very open-ended. Well my friends, these sessions are very fluid, it’s true! But that doesn’t mean you can’t do some creative brainstorming beforehand! While it’s a good idea to have some ideas up your sleeves to help every member of the family feel confident and not-so-camera-aware, these sessions are also go-with-the-flow in nature. There doesn’t have to be a strict timeline of what needs to happen during the session and the more we can keep the pressure low to “preform”, the smoother everything will go. The one question I want clients to keep in mind when planning their At Home Lifestyle sessions is: “What do you want to remember?”
What do you want to remember from this moment in time as a family? You can literally do anything for these sessions! There doesn’t have to be a strict timeline of what needs to happen during the session and the more we can keep the pressure low to “preform”, the smoother everything will go.
Some fun ideas that can help jump start the flow of the session:
Bake/Make Something Together! Pancakes, cookies, a family favorite treat, the possibilities are endless.
Pillow Fight! If you have some rowdy kiddos that enjoy a good rough-housing, it’s always fun to kick off a session with a little jumping/twirling/dog-piling/pillow-throwing.
Cozy Fort Building!
Family Dance Party!
Reading a Fav Book!
Block Building or Any Current Favorite Play!
Think of what your family actually spends time doing, and let’s do it!
AUTHENTIC AND REAL
Doing things you actually do is how we’re going to create authentic and genuine photographs that feel like your family. If you don’t normally have family dance parties, don’t do one for the session! Keep it real, folks. And the more you stick to familiar pass times, the more likely everyone will feel comfortable (littles and parents alike!).
BABIES DON’T KEEP
Before you know it, morning cuddles will be a thing of the past and those building blocks will no longer be scattered across the floor. Babies become big kids in a single blink!
While you might feel like you’re in the thick of it, in total survival mode, all those cliche sayings are so freakin true: “you’re going to miss those days”.
You are going to miss those days. So let’s bottle them up as best we can!
LET ME HELP
As a mama whose babes are growing at lightning speed, I kick myself everyday for not just doing at home photos! I kept putting it off because I didn’t have the perfect house, I was too self conscious of being in front of the camera and inviting someone into our home, etc etc. And ultimately, I missed out. I don’t have more than just a couple iphone photos of me with my babies, being “Mama”, in our home.
I don’t want this for you, so please let me help. Let me come into your home and photograph you being a mama to your babies, photographing your family being themselves in their sanctuary, photographing the chaos and the imperfections and the realness. Let me tell your story and help you keep it close.
LET’S BOOK YOUR SESSION
I would absolutely love to get your At Home Lifestyle session on the calendar! Please email me at hannahkatefotographie@gmail.com so we can get it scheduled and the wheels in motion!
Not in the Huntsville, Alabama area? No worries! Hannah Kate Photography travels frequently for portraits and weddings all over the United States. She is currently based in North Alabama but is on the west coast of California a few times a year. Hannah already has travel dates for California & Hawaii on the calendar for 2022! For any questions or to check her travel schedule, please email Hannah at hannahkatefotographie@gmail.com!