Setting Up Your Indoor Session For Success

The weather is getting chilly and while there are some people who are excited to bundle up in cute coats and hats for their photos, more people want to take their sessions indoors. Whether you want to do an informal lifestyle session or just bring your portrait session into your home, there are a few key things to keep in mind to make your indoor session a success.

1. You Still Need Natural Light. If your favorite photographer is a natural light photographer, they still need that even when they're shooting indoors. Pick the room in your house with the biggest window, or the room that has the most number of windows, and know that this is the room your photographer will want to use. If you have more than one option, you can always email photos of the room choices to your photographer to ask them which would be better. There might be small details that would make them choose one over the other.

2. Clean Up Prior To The Session. Once you know what room you'll be using, try to make sure it is picked up ahead of time. Maybe the night before or during your kids' nap time (if you have little ones). We don't need one more thing to do when we are trying to do photos.

3. Select Your Props. If you have props you will be using, collect those around the same time you are cleaning up the room and leave those items in the room so they are easily at hand during the session. Collecting things that will encourage kids to smile are also a great idea to have.

4. Lay Out Your Outfits. Just as if you were going to another location for your session, laying out your clothes the night before will make clothing changes easier. I also recommend getting kids dressed as early as you can. Starting a session by wrangling kids into clothes is not what we are going for with our relaxing experience!

Anything you can do ahead of time to make the day-of as stress-free as possible is a win. Sometimes in-home sessions can be more stressful than having to go somewhere but they don't have to be!!! And being in your own home can often help kiddos relax and take better photos!