Reasons to Have an In-Home Photo Session – Moving out of your Home

I love to share reasons and life events when I think you should hire a family photographer. One great reason to book a family photo session is when you are moving out of the house that you called home.

“Home is where the heart is.“

“This means your family and home always have the deepest affection and emotional pull. It is the place where you have a foundation of love, warmth, and happy memories.” (source: the Idioms)

But it’s also so much more than that.  It might be the place where you brought your babies home from the hospital.

The place where you paced the floors into the wee morning hours trying to soothe them to sleep.

It’s the just-big-enough-kitchen-sink where your baby splashed their chubby hands into the warm water squealing with delight.

It’s where your baby began to crawl and take their first steps.

It’s the cozy corner where you fed and rocked your baby to sleep while you sipped a coffee or tea….the same spot where that little one curled up on your lap while you read their favorite book for the 148th time.

The images in this post are from a session with a family I got to photograph a couple of years ago when the youngest was just a baby. They were just about to prepare to move when Mom contacted me…

“We’re going to be moving from our current house sometime this winter, and I’d love to have memories of us in our tiny crazy (packed to the gills) house where we became a family.”


Of course, I immediately emailed her back with a “YES! ABSOLUTELY!”

“These are absolutely perfect and exactly what I was hoping for! We had so much fun, and I am so grateful to have these memories.” -JM

The family was doing yoga when I arrived so I had to capture that. They also played hide-and-seek and then we went outside for some photos! I love to get photos of a family on their front porch or stoop, especially if they are moving!

Whether you lived in your house for 3 or 13 years, your home is chock-full of so many memories! Having a photographer take photos of your family in your home before you move will result in images that will spark memories for you and your children for many years.

I know I tend to forget so many things as each year passes and I’m so grateful for the images that I have to remind me of people, places and things from my past. I moved over six times throughout my childhood so I love to look at old printed photos taken in the homes I used to live in.

It’s so fun to see the style of the furniture (brown couches), carpet (orange of course), and even the art hanging on the walls (usually owls and random farm pastures in tones of brown). I love to see how my bedroom looked and the items I had around my room.

We usually rented and could not change too much, but in one house my mom hung the most beautiful wallpaper and my Dad bought me a (new to me) canopy bed. Seven year old me thought it was the bestest bedroom ever. I only have one photo of that room but I treasure it.

We’ve moved five times since we had our first son and all three of my kids love to see photos of the houses they used to live in. They barely remember a few of them because they were so little but as they flip through albums I’ll hear things like, “That was my favorite toy!”, “I forgot we had a tire swing!” and “That was the comfiest chair!” (referring to the Papasan Chair they all fell out of numerous times).

When I plan an in-home session with a family, I tell them to think of a few things they usually do together. And if they cannot think of things, that is ok too! You can just ‘play it by ear’ when I get there! However, the last thing I want is for you to do things your family usually does not do. I have a list of ideas here, but if your family does not usually bake muffins or do crafts together, then let’s not do that just for photos!

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 thirteen years of experience photographing families, newborns and babies in Pittsburgh including Valencia, Mars, Wexford, Seven Fields, Warrendale, Bradford Woods and Adams Township  Her style is very relaxed and natural and your family session will feel like a stress-free Sunday afternoon with your family!