When I first started photography, I used to scroll Pinterest and Instagram looking for the perfect poses, the ones that I thought everyone wanted and expected. I would nervously show up to sessions with a metal list of every pose I thought I had to get. I would leave a session either with pride that I had captured what I needed, or I’d be kicking myself for not getting everything on my list. I ran my business like this for a while and to be honest, it was exhausting. Sessions stressed me out, but shooting my own family was a completely different story.
In January of 2015, I did a workshop all about lifestyle photography. It changed the way I photographed my kids. Instead of stressing about them being perfectly dressed and perfectly posed, I started to photograph them exactly as they were, and not only did I see a huge improvement in my photography, but I started to love and treasure the moments I was capturing for my family. Below is the first photo I took during that workshop. Nothing amazing, but just a quiet moment captured and an unposed and natural way.
I felt happy with my personal work, but I was still trying to be a “perfect” photographer when it came to my family sessions. I knew there was a huge disconnect there but I didn’t quite see why. Slowly, after lots of workshops, a ton of family sessions, and a whole lot of soul searching, I realized that I needed to relax more when I photographed families. I needed to forget about perfection and focus on the love and connection between family members. Once that happened, my whole approach to family sessions changed and I was able to start enjoying paid shoots, as much as my personal shooting. Still shooting outdoors at beaches and fields, I was happy with the direction my photography was moving, but there was something missing. I realized how much I enjoyed shooting in the home. I noticed how much personality was in a family’s home and how much more comfortable the kids (and often the parents) were in their own space. I saw the beauty in a family’s space and felt like I needed to show a family the beauty that I see in them. About a year ago, I nervously made the decision to switch over to an in home lifestyle business model. I posted a couple of model calls for in home sessions to build my portfolio, and announced on social media that I was making the switch. I felt like I was going to lose a ton of families, but the response has been better than I could have imagined. People seem to have realized the benefit of not trekking for ages to get to an epic location, they realized that there is so much beauty in their every day and that it should be celebrated. They’ve realized that there is no better backdrop than the four walls in which they are most comfortable.
If you feel that you would like you’re next family session to be held in the comfort of your own home, let’s chat. I’d love to talk to you more about this.
