One thing I’ve found after being a newborn photographer in the Seattle area, is that many homes that my clients buy are in need of renovations. It can take years to get your house to the home of your dreams. What I’ve noticed is that when a new baby comes along, the nursery is one of the very first spaces a family will tackle and the rest of the home needs some time to catch up. This doesn’t mean you should not have an in home session, even if only one room is complete. After years of photographing in all sorts of homes in various stages of renovations, I can confidently say that we can do an entire newborn session in one room only, whether that’s the nursery, the main bedroom, or the living room.
When is the Best Time for an In-Home Photography Session?
If you’ve decided that you want your family photography session at home, you may be wondering when the best time is. There are a few things to keep in mind:
Lighting
Lighting in your home is going to depend on the time of year. I typically like to avoid midday as the sun is often right above the home and not coming in through the windows. I find that a 10am or 2pm starting time are often the best times for your photography session.\
Nap times
If your little one(s) are still nappers, we will avoid naptime so that they are happy and well rested for their session.
Meal times
Like nap time, it’s best to avoid meal time for your session too. You don’t want growling little tummies, messy faces, and grumpy kids. I recommend feeding them before I arrive.
The length of the session
In home sessions typically last one to one and a half hours. It pays to keep that in mind when planning around your children’s schedules.
How to Choose the Right Photographer for Your Family Photo Session {Seattle Family Photographer}
Choosing the right photographer for your family photography session can feel like a daunting task, especially in a larger city like Seattle where it seems there are a ton of options. By writing this, I hope I can help you narrow down the search a little more.
Where do you want your session?
Are you looking to have your session at home? At a local beach or park? Or do you want an adventure up a mountain somewhere? By choosing where you want your session, you’ll be able to start searching for a photographer who does sessions in the place you’re most interested in.
Do you want a posed session where everyone looks at the camera or do you prefer to be photographed engaging with your kids?
All photographers have a style. Many will photograph families perfectly posed, and others, myself included, take a more lifestyle approach and photograph the parents playing and snuggling with their children. Once you decide if you want a posed session or a lifestyle session, you can narrow down your search even further.
Do you want your images to be light and airy, dark and moody, or somewhere in between?
Photographers each have a unique editing style. Look over photographers’ portfolios to see if their editing style is inline with the vision you have for your photo session.
Get to know them
Having a photographer come into your home (if that’s where you choose to have your session) can be a very personal experience. Follow them on Instagram, read their about page on their website. Is this someone you would feel comfortable with posing you or being in your home?
I hope this will help narrow down your search. For the record, I take a more lifestyle approach and while I do a handful of outdoor family sessions over the summer and fall, my passion is in home photography. My editing style leans a little more light and airy and I feel like I’m a pretty fun person to be around :) It would be an honor to be chosen for your family photos.
Why You Should Have an In Home Lifestyle Newborn Session {Seattle Newborn Photographer}
Those first few days when you welcome your newborn can be hectic. You’re tired, your older kids are adjusting to having a new little baby in the house, you’re getting to know your new little person, and you’re recovering from birth. The last thing I, as your photographer, want to do is put more stress on you by having you leave your home and come to me for your newborn photo session. Here in Seattle, if you have your baby any time other than summer, it’s probably going to be chilly out so there’s no better way to do your photo session than snuggling up with your little family and staying at home.
Children are more comfortable in their own home
If you have older kids, they’re already adjusting to a new sibling. It’s always best to keep them in the environment they already know and love.
You don’t need to take your new baby out in the cold
No need to bundle your precious little baby up and take them out in bad weather during cold and flu season.
Your home is an extension of yourself
That nursery you’ve spent so much time and energy on, let’s use that as the backdrop to your newborn’s photos.
You don’t even need to put on shoes
I don’t know why this is always such a big selling point for me, but I’m always happiest barefoot and I’m sure you are too!
A New Family of Three {Seattle Newborn Photographer}
I photographed this sweet couple back in December while they were waiting for their sweet girl to arrive. It was so special getting to go back and photograph them now that they’re a family of three. Welcome to the world beautiful girl!
Welcoming a New Baby Boy {Edmonds Newborn Photographer}
A Favorite Family Returns {Everett Family Photographer}
I really can’t describe how much it means to me when families return year after year after year. I photographed this beautiful family for the first time many years ago and it was my very first lifestyle newborn session, the very session that got me hooked on lifestyle. After that, I stopped offering posed newborn sessions. It was such a big turning point in my photography journey. Fast forward a bit and now I get to see this family grow every year. It’s been such an honor to photograph them through all their changes.
A New Family of Four {Seattle Newborn Photographer}
There was a point during quarantine when I felt like I would stop photographing families altogether. I don’t know why I felt this way. I have always loved photographing all families, but newborns in particular, hold a special part of my heart. It may have been the stress of everything and just feeling down in general. When June came around, we were given permission to begin working again (with some restrictions) and suddenly, all these people started reaching out. I booked sessions and decided I’d see how it went. The first session back I was totally in love with it and I’m still questioning why I thought I’d give it all up. Newborn sessions like this make my heart happy. This sweet little girl was only 6 days old and big brother is only one. When photographing young kids like this, it’s best to let them take the lead. If they want to stay in their parents’ arms the whole time, that’s totally fine with me. This baby girl is so loved and it was an honor to take her newborn photos. Welcome to the world Josephine!
A Brief Guide to Professional Photo Restrictions {Edmonds Family Photographer}
The photos that a photographer hands over to you are part o their life’s work. It has their name or branding so there are a few important restrictions to not !when it comes to the professional! digita! images that you receive.
1) Copyright. The digital images that your photographer provides you with have a copyright, which means the photographer has the option to use those photos to market their work and services anytime in the future. We are however also respectful! of our clients so if there are any images that you would prefer to keep private, it’s best to let us know about it ahead of time so that we can honor your wishes.
2) Image"type. We aren’t able to provide you with the original files or raw images. All images given to the client have been cropped and have been edited. If you do require further touch-ups we would need to provide you with a quote.
3 )!mage altering. While we appreciate your business and welcome the sharing of our photos on social media platforms, we ask that the images not be altered in any way as this is against our copyright policies. What constitutes image!altering?
• Adding filters or editing photos in Photoshop
• Removing our logo or studio name
• Color correcting or including transitions from color to black and white
• Clipping people or objects out of the original shot
So why do we have this as a restriction? Our photos are a representation of our work so when a customer alters an image it directly impacts our name and brand in the industry. When we present you with the final images, they have already been through our editing process and don’t require further alterations. When images are altered, the results are not always reflective of our original work and can then be mistaken for ours. We greatly appreciate your loyalty and cooperation in this matter. We are happy to give a quote if you want images to be edited in a specific way or if you want further alterations made.
Photographing Summer {Seattle Family Photographer}
Can you feel that warm breeze in the air? Finally, it feels like summer is almost here in Seattle, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that summer is my absolute favorite time of year to photograph my own children. There are many reasons why. I absolutely love the sun and our Seattle summers are full of it. When the kids are out of school, I have way more opportunity to photograph them. Because there is no school, we often let them stay up late which means I can be shooting at sunset, my favorite time for outdoor photos. I love to shoot film and warm sunny days are perfect on film. Summer is a time of vacations, long lazy days and bright colorful clothing which adds some playfulness to images.
Going into summer, I like to write a photography bucket list. I also sit down with my boys and write a summer bucket list, and the two often go hand in hand. For example, if the boys want to fly kites on the beach, then my photography bucket list will include taking images of them flying kites on the beach, but I also add other goals, such as shooting after the sun goes down. Above is my 2019 summer photography bucket list. Please feel free to use it as inspiration. Some things I’ve put on it are literal, others you can use any interpretation you’d like.
