Why Your House is the Best Location in Atlanta For Family Photoshoots

Why At-Home Family Photography Creates Authentic and Memorable Images

When most people think about having a family photo session in Atlanta, they start thinking about nice parks. Or maybe a field somewhere. In fact it’s a question I used to be asked often: what are the best locations for a family photoshoot in Atlanta?

But your house is actually the best location for family photos. Having a documentary family session at home offers several unique advantages:

The first reason I love having family photo sessions at home is comfort and familiarity. We are all the most comfortable at home in our own surroundings. It’s so much easier to relax when we are comfortable, but this is true for children especially. Being comfortable leads to being ourselves, which leads to great candid photos. The photo below was taken in Mom and Dad’s room, where this little girl felt so comfortable that she turned the bed into a tumbling mat/trampoline!

Your home is the best location for documentary family photos because it’s the most meaningful location to you and your family. It adds context to your story, and therefore depth to your photos. So much of our family life takes place in our homes, and not in pretty fields. Photos from an in-home session will include the rooms of your house in the background, as well as favorite things like stuffy collections! It would just be weird to bring your Paw Patrol stuffy collection to a pretty park, but the picture below tells a very specific story of a specific time in this kids childhood.

Documentary family sessions at home allow for the capture of everyday moments that are often overlooked. These little moments are what is woven together to make up a childhood. These can include morning routines, meal times, and bedtime routines. These pictures celebrate the real, unfiltered essence of family life. One day these sisters will no longer share a bunkbed that is covered in loveys, and they will no longer climb into bed to listen to their mom read them a story. They will only be this age once, and even though the minutes before I took this picture, and a few minutes after this picture were pretty chaotic, I was able to stop this little moment of calm and preserve it. I like this picture also because it’s a great example of a mess. Everyone with children has a messy house, and isn’t it gorgeous?!

Does the idea of getting everyone dressed, fed and our the door on time make you nervous? Me, too. Especially with a newborn and young children involved. Being anxious is not a great way to start a family photo session, so let me come to you. In-home family photoshoots are so convenient, and can be scheduled around you and your family rather than the sunset which is often the witching hour! We can just relax and go with the natural flow of your family, including snacks, naps and outfit changes. There's even plenty of time for tantrums and quiet time alone if that’s the phase you’re in right now.

Documentary family sessions are awesome because they are authentic! I realize that’s a buzzword, but I mean actually authentic, not just seemingly authentic. Being at home encourages natural interactions and genuine emotions. Without the pressure of posing, family members can just be themselves, which inevitably leads to emotional photographs. The mood in the picture below is so her in the best way. Playing in water at home is one of my favorite things to capture, and dry clothes are just steps away.

Having family photos taken at home allows us to see change over time. Documenting your family in the same setting over time allows for a visual record of growth and change. This is particularly powerful for long-term projects like "A Year in the Life" or "Baby’s First Year," as it highlights how your family evolves in the place where they live and grow. Many families will move to a different house at some point, and pictures that include your old home will be so precious. Even at the same house, the paint colors change, the furniture changes, and your family changes within it. Before very long the little girl in the picture below will outgrow her snack table, and I love the idea of this picture sparking the memory of Dad playing peek through the window.

Your family photos can be unique! I know your family is one of a kind, so why would you want your family photos to look like other families? At-home sessions can be tailored to fit your family’s own lifestyle and preferences. I recommend choosing activities that are meaningful to your family, such as baking cookies, gardening, or playing board games, to be part of the session. As the mom of a teenager I know that I will miss my kids lying on the floor with our dog, not to mention game night.

Which leads me to another reason your house is the best photo location: pets! If you have pets, you know they are part of the family, and most likely not a family member that you take with you to a park for a photoshoot. Pets are often in the background of our lives, and having your photography session at home makes it easy to include them in your story. I am always excited to include pets in pictures, and know that in a lot of ways they are your kid’s sibling.

The last reason to have your next family photoshoot at home, is that photographs taken at home become part of your family’s legacy. They capture the essence of your family’s life and the place where you made memories, creating images for future generations to cherish. The picture below is such a sweet part of this families life for a very short amount of time. Dad would put their newborn baby in his pouch t-shirt and play the piano with him on his chest. Baby boy won’t remember this, but what a gift to see this picture later on in life, and to show your own kids the love you were born into.

Documentary photography focuses on capturing life as it happens, without forced poses or artificial setups. This approach leads to images that are natural, spontaneous, and reflective of your family’s true dynamics, personalities and connections.

And if you’re still thinking there’s no way you’d invite your photographer into your home, maybe consider splitting your session up and starting or finishing at your house. One benefit of longer sessions is that we have plenty of time for activities at home, and then head over to your neighborhood park to take a portrait. I do think that portraits are important, and I totally love a good family portrait. My favorite family portraits are on the front steps of the house that life is happening inside.

So if you’re waiting for the weather to change, or to lose 10 pounds, or something else, just stop. This parenting thing passes us by so quickly, and we don’t get to go back.

If you are interested in learning more about the long term projects I offer like A Year in the Life, you can read more here.

Let’s talk about how I can document this amazing life you’ve worked so hard to create!