If you’ve booked an in-home family photo session, you might be wondering how to prep your home for a photo shoot. This might feel overwhelming, especially if you’re in the trenches of early postpartum, but I’m here to help! First of all, don’t stress too much. Don’t feel like you need to buy new furniture or paint your walls or completely redesign your home. Below I’ll list a handful of easy steps to follow without breaking a sweat.
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Before I get into my recommendations for how to prep your home for a photo shoot, I’ll also mention that in-studio newborn sessions are also a GREAT option if you want to do absolutely zero prep to your home. Of course, I also love a good in-home session, too! I’m happy to chat and help steer you in the best direction for your family if you’re interested in booking with me. Contact me or check out more of my work.
How to Prep Your Home for a Photo Shoot in 6 Easy Steps
Choose 2 or 3 rooms.
Narrowing it down to a select few spaces means you don’t need to go crazy prepping the rest of the house! Choose ones that ideally have a good amount of natural light and have a neutral wall color. This will most likely be a kitchen, living room, and/or bedroom.
Clear clutter.
Look, we all have clutter around our homes – we live here! But the clutter is not visually appealing during your photoshoot and it distracts from the main focus of the photos which is you and your family. Take a good look at tabletops, counters, dressers, and other surfaces and pare them way down. We don’t want them to be empty; just a few aesthetic décor items are good. This applies to kids’ toys too – throw most of them in the closet and keep just a few wooden ones or stuffed animals out.
Open up all the blinds.
We want all the natural light possible! The only exception to this would be if you have white sheer panels – keep those drawn since they help create a nice, filtered light.
Clean windows and mirrors.
While you’re at it with the blinds, go ahead and give them a good Windex, along with any mirrors. I know those little fingerprints and chubby hand prints are charming, but the smudges can be distracting in your photos.
Make your bed (if you’re shooting in your bedroom).
If you don’t have a white or cream comforter, throw a plain white sheet on instead and add a neutral colored throw for some texture. Be sure to add plenty of pillows (also neutral colored) to finish off the look.
Turn off any lamps or overhead lights.
The mix of artificial lights can throw off skin tones and just make a photo look bad.
Last but not least: don’t forget to relax! Once you’ve shoved some clutter in the closet, don’t worry about going too crazy. Your home is your home, and you don’t need to hire a decorator in order to take photos there. Your photographer will not expect perfection, and they will help find the best spots around the home.
If you enjoyed this post, here are some others on my blog you should check out:
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