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With winter in full swing outside, there’s nothing better than staying warm in the comfort of your home! This time of year is perfect for an in-home lifestyle session. To help you prepare, here are six tips for a successful at-home photoshoot.
Choosing which rooms to use
The word “photography” means “painting with light.” That’s why it’s essential to use rooms with plenty of natural light from windows. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to read a book or look through a drawer without turning on overhead lights. Rooms with light-coloured walls usually give better results than those with dark or highly saturated colours.
The most commonly used rooms are the living room, the primary bedroom and the children’s bedroom. These are the most personal spaces in your home and will help create images that truly reflect your family. If the lighting isn’t ideal in these rooms, we can always use other bright areas, like a guest room or the kitchen.
Ideally, you can send me a few photos of these spaces before the session. This will give me a better idea of the lighting and room size, and allow me to plan accordingly.
Clearing the windows
If your home tends to be a bit dark, we will need to stay close to natural light sources. The best thing you can do is clear the windows to let in as much light as possible.
If you have blackout blinds, make sure they are fully open before the session. If large windows are blocked by furniture or objects, try moving them elsewhere. This will give us more flexibility and make the session much easier.
Planning around your children’s sleep schedule
We all know there’s almost nothing worse than a tired child! When little ones are part of the session, it’s best if they are well rested.
In general, children are at their best in the morning. At the same time, homes are usually brightest between 10AM and 2PM. For these reasons, I recommend scheduling your at-home session during this time. If your child still naps in the morning, we can start about 30 minutes after they wake up. Your little one will be refreshed and ready for the camera!
Tidying up before the session
Whether it’s a couple/engagement, maternity, newborn or family session, I highly recommend doing a quick tidy-up the day before.
There’s no need to remove every item that isn’t Pinterest-worthy! However, clearing out visually distracting objects will make a huge difference in your photos. This includes tissue boxes, full trash bins, laundry baskets, clothes on the floor, electronic cables, skincare bottles, yesterday’s glass of water, magazines and more. Gather them and place them somewhere we won’t be using, like a closet or bathroom.
We may still need to make small adjustments during the session, but it will be much easier if most of the work is already done!
Planning an activity to do together
While this step isn’t mandatory, planning an activity to do as a couple or family during the session can be so much fun!
I especially love ending the session this way. It helps us finish on a positive note and often brings smiles back to little (and big) grumps. In my opinion, this is often when the most meaningful memories are created and captured.
The activity is entirely up to you. You can bake cookies, have a pillow fight, put on a little music show, build a blanket fort, do crafts and more. Your photos will feel more unique and full of joy.
Don’t forget to enjoy the moment
Even with all this preparation, there might still be some mess in the room, your baby might have had a rough night or an older sibling might have a meltdown for no reason. And you know what? That’s completely okay!
Our goal is to capture this chapter of your life as it truly is. If it happens to be an average day, so be it. This moment passes so quickly, so it’s important to enjoy it while it’s here. These photos will become a tangible memory of what your life looked like during this time, including both the beautiful and imperfect moments.
So take a deep breath, be gentle with yourself and soak in this time with the people you love. At worst, it will become a funny story to tell in a few years! 😉
Last update: May 2026
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