There's no place like home. Portraits at Home!

I'll go just about anywhere to shoot a good portrait, but admittedly, I love photographing clients in their own home!  When you're at home, you're relaxed, a bathroom is nearby, and food and drink make merry.  My clients this weekend wanted to combine a "We've moved into our new house" and "Merry Christmas" theme all in one--a great idea!

Before any session, making a plan for the shoot so that it flows smoothly is critical--particularly when kids are involved.  Or dads.  Sometimes dads too.  Or anyone really.  With home portraits, I like to take a look ahead of time to see the areas I have to work with and the lighting conditions.  It allows me to plan out my lighting and the equipment I'll need to bring.  We'll talk about each area that we plan to photograph in and what needs to be done to ready it for the shoot. If we need furniture or props, we'll talk about that and make sure they are there the day of the shoot.  Clothing is always covered in the conversation.  On the day of the shoot, I want you to feel completely ready and relaxed--not feeling like you've got to run out to find one more outfit.

With this home session, we planned to start at 2:30--typically not an optimal start time during an outdoor session, but we planned to start at the front of the house in a beautifully shaded area and work our way to the open area in the back with direct light as the sun started on it's downward trajectory.  When kids are involved, I usually have about an hour before they start to tire of me.  I'm fascinating and fun, but I like to leave those littles wanting more rather than spent, so I plan my sessions to make the most of my kid time.  But at home, I usually get a little longer, because kids can take a break and head to their room or grab a snack.  And I try to plan the most fun part of the shoot for the end, so that the anticipation of the end shot keeps the energy level up.  With this home session, we planned on a few that involved the pool, so EVERYONE was excited to get to that part!  Just another cold winter day in Southern California!

Got a crazy fun idea for a shoot with me?  Let's chat about it!
Talk to you soon!