I. At Home Family Session in Richmond, Introduction
In March, I visited Nina’s beautiful home in the heart of Richmond, in South West London. Nina and Pete wanted some intimate and relaxed photos in their much-loved home. This three-storey house is located in a quiet cute cul-de-sac. Its front gate is framed with lovely bamboo. I enter and ring the bell. Nina opens the door, with cheeky little Max on her hip. They warmly welcomed me with a cup of freshly ground coffee and a caramel stroopwafel. Food and coffee always put me in a great mood for the day!
Max is only 14 months and is full of life. He loves reading stories and takes every opportunity he gets to sit on my lap and show his favourite books to me. He is in this wonderful growth stage where he discovers and interacts with the world. As a Photographer, I always encourage my clients to get photos of their child and family at as many important stages of their life as possible: right after birth, when they start to smile, when they get their first teeth, when they take their first steps, when they can peddle on a bike, etc… Time can be so cruel! Photographs and videos will be your only way to show your child where they come from and to remember them when they were so small.
In this blog post, I will show you this intimate home family session and give you an insight into my thoughts and creative process.
II. Setting the Scene
The importance of having pictures done in your family home
Family homes take a lot of blood and sweat, just like children. We get very attached to them. We spent years saving to be able to pay for a deposit and then spend our whole life decorating and improving it to our family’s taste. A home is very personal, and it makes it the perfect background for your family photos. And guess what? It doesn’t have to be perfect. Firstly, because perfection doesn’t exist, but secondly because as a photographer, I only need pockets of niceness. And it’s exactly what we have done in the shoot. Nina’s and Pete’s home wasn’t fully finished. The paint wasn’t perfect everywhere. But it doesn’t matter, because I can isolate the nice places of the home and make it look great. The star of the show is you, with your home as the supporting act.
What is an ideal home setting for family photography?
A great home for family photos will be somewhere that is spacious, nicely or neutrally decorated and with a good amount of natural light. This house was perfect as it was built over three floors, which gave us a lot of options and with windows from both south and north. South-facing is usually better, but Max’s bedroom was facing north and it worked fine. As I usually like grain in my photographs, it doesn’t bother me to rank up my ISO in my settings.
It’s important to have rooms with a minimal amount of clutter in the background, otherwise, it could be distracting backdrop for the photos. We moved a few items in the background while capturing Nina breastfeeding Max in the parent’s bedroom.
Is there any home decor or props that can elevate the photoshoot?
As a Family Photographer, I like to focus and my subject’s features, love and connection during the photos, so I involve as few props as possible. However, I appreciate it if you get gorgeous flowers or some beautiful furniture to sit on, like a rocking chair for example. In this session, we used books as Max loves reading stories with his parents. This creates a beautiful storyline for the session as I think it’s important to show what your toddler love doing at this moment in time.
III. Preparing for the Photo Session
What are the key preparations needed before the photoshoot?
Before each session, I will communicate with the lead parent organising the session. I will ask them what they are after if they prefer indoor or outdoor, and what time we should shoot as each baby has their own sleep patterns, and we will select a date and time for the session. I will send them the contract and the model release if they agree to have their images shared and will be taking a 50% deposit to reserve the day on my calendar.
What to wear during the session?
Before the session, I will send out a blog post on what to wear for the current season, which includes a Pinterest board on what to wear and what to avoid. You can read my spring what to wear here. Whilst it’s good to pick something from the mood board, I will also suggest selecting an outfit that will complement your home decor and allow you movement and comfort.
IV. Capturing Intimate Moments to create connected photography
The Creative Process: Candid and Natural posing
During the session, I will direct you to beautiful family portraits that showcase love, warmth and togetherness. We will get in an activity, like reading, jumping on the bed (if allowed), cuddling, playing in the garden, breastfeeding or different types of games depending on your child’s age. We will do little amount of very posed photos looking at the camera, most of the images will be natural moments of your family looking at each other, creating natural poses that express genuine expressions and interactions.
If you have pets in your home, I will love to include them in a few images as I believe pets are true members of the family. During the session, we will be patient and take our time, take breaks and allow your child to be themselves. This is the key to capturing authentic moments. It is okay if we run out of the 90 minutes session. I never plan more than one client a day so I can focus on your family and create beautiful art.
During the session, I will snap photos of you with your other half, without your children as I believe it’s important to have some gorgeous couple photography in your gallery. These are some of my favourite images.
At the end of the session, we went outside to capture a precious photo of the family in front of their front door. Pete threw Max in the air which created an irresistible giggle in everyone. These will be some heartwarming photos to cherish forever. Max has done a brilliant job and earned a short walk to Richmond park after the photoshoot.
Post-Processing and Sharing the Photographs
What are some creative ways to share photos with your family and friends?
After the session, I will edit the gallery and send you back your images within 2 weeks. You will be able to share the gallery access with your family members, just share the link and the password.
I must urge, don’t make the mistake to leave your photos on a hard drive where they won’t be admired. I believe printing your photos is so important, and because of this, I offer my signature prints and albums printed on professional paper. My signature albums are beautifully laid out by me so you don’t have to worry about doing the work yourself. It makes it so easy for you to showcase in your home so grandma can easily admire your family heirloom. This is so important to preserve these precious memories for future generations to come. One day, you will be a grandma and you will be able to show these dearest family heirlooms.
Sharing your photos on social media
I love it when my client publishes their photos on social media. Please make sure to tag me at @albalone or mention me in the comment section. I will also ask you to please keep your images as they are, filters on images take your photographer’s hard work away.
V: Nailed it!
I hope you enjoyed this article and understand the importance of encapsulating your family in a home setting. I encourage you to get some photos in your home too and to print your photos. Family photography has the power to show people where they belong, and evoke joy, love and gratitude. Nina’s family was an absolute joy to photograph and her home what the perfect backdrop to create intimate family photography.
Before I leave you, I wanted to give a shoutout to Nina’s brand, Nighttire. She produces temperature-regulated pyjamas made out of bamboo that is soft and comfortable. Go check her generous work on this link.
If you as well wish to create timeless and connected family heirlooms with me, don’t hesitate to schedule a portrait session. You can contact me on the button below. If you want to know more about me, feel free to read the many articles I wrote on my blog page here.
