Preparing for an In-Home Session

Capturing Clara Kate’s lifestyle newborn session in her family’s San Antonio home was such a delight! In-home sessions are a favorite of mine, especially with newborns. For Clara Kate’s session, we focused on creating a relaxed, joyful environment in the areas of the home that provided the best lighting. When it comes to preparing for an in-home session, there are a few things you can do to ensure it is both an enjoyable and stress-free experience from start to finish.

To best prepare, I always start with a phone consultation to discuss which rooms you envision using for your session. Lighting is key for in-home photography. Therefore, I often suggest a FaceTime call or request a few room photos to get a feel for the light at the specific time we’ll be shooting. This process helps us both prepare for the session and allows us to select the rooms with the best natural light, resulting in soft, timeless images.

During my phone call with Clara Kate’s mom, she mentioned that the nursery lighting was a bit dim, and she was right. However, that didn’t mean we skipped capturing the nursery! I made sure to spend some time documenting the nursery details so they would have these beautiful images in their gallery. I love seeing all the work and love that was poured into your little one’s room.

Don’t Deep Clean Your Home!

It’s easy to feel like you have to deep clean the whole house before your session, but trust me—you don’t! You’ve just had a baby, and my focus is on capturing the beauty of this moment, not how spotless your home is. During in-home sessions, I just need one or two rooms with great natural light, and even those rooms don’t need to be deep cleaned! All that is needed is a light tidying up. For Clara Kate’s session, the family’s master bedroom turned out to be the perfect spot. The light in this room was amazing, and a quick tidy-up was all it needed.

When I say tidy-up, think of it as decluttering areas that will be visible in photos, like nightstands, tabletops, or shelves. Tiny details like dust won’t show up in photos, I promise! More than anything, I don’t want to create more work or stress for you! This is meant to be a relaxing and joyful time and I never want to take away from that.

What to Expect on Your Session Day

To keep things relaxed, it’s helpful to focus on just a few essentials before our session. Having your baby in a clean diaper and making sure they’re well-fed will give us a smooth start. I often begin the session by capturing those special nursery details while you finish any last-minute touches or feedings. Once you’re ready, we’ll move to our selected room, and from there, I’ll simply capture you interacting with your baby.

Remember, at the end of the day, you don’t need a large number of rooms or a spotless home to create beautiful in-home newborn photos. As long as we have one room with plenty of natural light, we’re ready to capture timeless memories. So, relax, enjoy the moment, and let me handle the rest!