My Approach to Lifestyle Photography Sessions

There’s something about photographing a family in their own home that makes me feel pretty special… It’s as if I’ve been granted the privilege of being welcomed, not only into a house, but also as a witness to a family’s interactions and the relationships the members have with each other. This is why I love lifestyle sessions. Because to me they are a great way to showcase life as it is – imperfect, but beautiful – and to document the little moments in an authentic way. Those are the ones that matter most anyways.

When I talk about lifestyle sessions, I always try to emphasize that they cannot be prescriptive. This means every session that I do is envisioned and executed differently to reflect the family that I am with. Ultimately, its about their personalities and this particular time in their lives. 

Here’s how I plan and conduct a lifestyle photography session at home.

Before a session

In a prior call with the mom (or my main point of contact) we talk about their house, the rooms they have, and how they are used by the family. We also talk about activities that the family loves to do together, perhaps daily traditions or happenings centered around objects that may be special to them. We also talk about their kids interests and personalities. This information helps me brainstorm activity prompts for the session and come prepared. 

Start of the session

At the beginning of a session, I always do a walkthrough of the property to confirm the locations and rooms we will be shooting in. The mom and I often make this selection together based on her preferences and vision, while also considering the availability of natural light. 

At this time I also point out objects or light furniture that we need to move around to create a clean image (without making it seem too clinical). For example, removing remote controls or phone chargers from view, or pushing a coffee table to the side so I get a better line of sight to a reading nook. 

During the session

I always want to make sure my clients recognize that lifestyle sessions are not traditional portrait sessions. What this means is that, while I will always try to get a few images with everyone smiling and looking at the camera, the focus is on connection and capturing natural interactions. 

To do this, I give families activities to do together that generate authentic smiles. Things like “jump on the bed or pillow fight,” “lets play hide and seek,” “show me your vegetable garden,” “lets hear daddy play his guitar,” “lets have mom read a story.” For kids, I also love asking them questions about their interests – this usually gets them engaged and then they get excited to share with me their favorite toys or show me how fast they can run. At some point during the session, once the kids are comfortable with me, they tend to take over – which is great for candid photos. I let them be silly and play with their parents and this is usually when I get the money shots.

This is what it is all about. Letting the families be the stars of the show in their natural element, and using photography simply as a means to memorialize beautiful moments.