7 Reasons to Stay Home for Your Family Photo Session | Upper Saint Clair Photographer

There are several great reasons why a family should consider having their photos taken at their home by a professional photographer. In this post, I’m going to list my top seven reasons why I think you should opt to stay home for your next family photo session!

I’ll also include a bunch of images from a recent family photo session with one of my favorite families! I love that these parents choose my storytelling at home sessions! We took some photos inside, outside their home and then headed over to the nearby park and playground!

It is important to not that an at-home photo session does not mean we need to stay inside for all the photos! Depending on the time of year and the weather, we can get photos outside on the porch and in the yard.

1. Comfort and Familiarity:

• Relaxed Environment: Being in a familiar environment helps family members, especially children, feel more at ease. This results in natural and candid photographs, capturing genuine expressions and emotions versus fake smiles and frumpy kids who do not want to say cheese and pose for a photo! And let’s add that this is also preferred by most adults!
  
• Personal Touch: The home setting adds a personal touch to the photos. It reflects the family’s lifestyle, interests, and memories, making the pictures more meaningful. Your home is the PERFECT “backdrop” for a photo session and all of your belongings make the perfect “props”!
  
  

2. Memories and Nostalgia:

• Capturing Daily Life: Home is where families spend most of their time together. Capturing your everyday activities and routines in a photo session creates cherished memories and gives you and your kids a glimpse into your family’s life.
  
• Nostalgia: Looking back at the photos taken inside your home will definitely evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. It will spark memories for all of your family members of the place where they shared moments of joy, laughter, and love. (and chaos, we all know about the beautiful and crazy chaos that takes place at home!)
  

3. Versatility and Creativity:

• Various Settings: Our homes offer diverse settings for photography, from cozy living rooms to well loved kitchens and unique bedrooms. All of the different rooms in your home create many different “locations” for you session!
  
• Personalize the Shoot: Your family is unique so your session will be unique or personalized just to your family! This is unlike an outdoor session where every family gets photos in a field at sunset! Let’s make your session unique and meaningful. I want to take photos in the spaces and rooms where you all usually hang out!
  

4. Weather and Convenience:

• No stressing about the Weather: Unlike outdoor photo sessions, we do not have to worry about the weather for indoor sessions! This ensures that your photo session can proceed as planned, regardless of rain, snow, or extreme temperatures! So let’s stop stressing over the forecast!
  
• Convenience: Families don’t have to worry about traveling to a specific location. The convenience of having the photographer come to their home saves time and effort, especially for families with young children or babies.

5. Storytelling and Connection:

• Storytelling: As I mentioned above, YOUR home tells a unique story about YOUR family. I will capture details like children’s artwork on the wall (including marker drawings ON the wall), beloved stuffed pets and toys, the shoe pile by the door and your kids’ favorite books piled on the coffee table.
  
• Emotional Connection: Family’s have strong emotional connections to their homes! Integrating these emotional elements into your photos will result in unique and meaningful images that will resonate with everyone in your family for a lifetime!
  

6. Quality and Professionalism:

• Professional Expertise: An experienced photographer like myself knows how to utilize the available light and space in your home to create beautiful images. So no excuses about your home being too dark or too small! I guarantee it is not either of those!
  
• Lasting Quality: The photographs from your in home session will be timeless. They can be proudly displayed in the home on the walls or my favorite method is creating a photo book or album from our session! These are lasting mementos that family members can cherish forever!

7. Include your Feline and Canine Fur babies!

Yes, you can always take your doggo to a park to include them in a photo session, but in most cases, you cannot bring your kitty to a park! And some dogs get very overwhelmed in a park setting and it can be difficult to keep them calm. Like children (and adults) pets are more relaxed at home in their own environment!

So in conclusion, choosing to have photos taken inside (and outside) your home with a professional photographer offers a unique and intimate experience, capturing your unique family’s life in a way that is authentic while also being a lot of fun!

I promise you will not regret choosing to stay home for your next family photo session!

If you’re looking for a family photographer in Pittsburgh,  please get in touch to inquire about a session! I’d love to plan a photo a unique photo session for your family!

Here are some other blog posts that you might want to check out! 

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All images by Mary Beth Miller Photography 

Mary Beth Miller Photography specializes in family and newborn photography in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and many of the surrounding areas. Mary Beth has over fourteen years of experience photographing families, newborns and babies in Pittsburgh including South Hills, Bethel Park, Upper Saint Clair, Bridgeville, and South Park Twp.  Her style is very relaxed and natural and your family session will feel like a stress-free Sunday afternoon with your family!