Who told you that photo sessions should be limited to outdoors or to a photo studio? What made you think that family photos should be saved for the fall or that winter is much too cold of a season to book a couples session?
All of that is simply not true! Any time that you want updated photos is the perfect time to schedule a session. There are so many options to how you can personalize a portrait session; the sky is truly the limit.
In the past, I have taken anniversary photos at a local coffee shop. I've photographed engagement photos for a Renaissance festival-loving couple. At another session, a hand-crafted globe stood in for the traditional engagement ring. From your dress to your props to your location, you can always personalize as much or as little of your session as you would like.
In fact, my favorite portrait sessions are the ones truly crafted around who the couple, family, or person is. There's just something so special about authenticity and celebrating what makes you YOU. One of the best ways to create an intimate, cozy session is to bring the photos into your own home. Yepp, I'm talking about an at-home lifestyle session!
There are several reasons why I love at-home lifestyle sessions:
1. They are a great way to document not only your family, but your home and your lifestyle during a very specific point in time.
The photos taken during these sessions typically involve very little posing, resulting in mainly authentic moments being photographed.
Relaxing in the private of your own home is easier than doing so outside where there might be onlookers.
At-home lifestyle sessions tell a story. It's all in the details!
Today, I'm going to use an at-home couples cooking session to show you just how sweet and intimate having a session in your home can be. When Valerie and Alex moved into their first home a few years ago, I immediately offered to take photos of this huge milestone in their relationship. Moving in photos? A dream of mine! In fact, this is on my bucket list of session types to complete.... if anyone is interested! 😉
Unfortunately, we weren't able to make that session a reality. Instead, once they were fully settled into their new home, we opted for the sweetest at-home cooking session to celebrate not only their cozy space, but their love for one another. Cooking in itself is such an intimate process, especially when you're doing it with or for someone you care about. For Valerie and Alex, cooking is a huge part of how they spend their time together.
Pro Tip: De-clutter and clean before taking photos in your home. This includes picking up your floors and counters. Anything that you don't want photographed should be put away. This ensures cleaner photos that you're more likely to appreciate for years to come.
There are obviously thousands and thousands of recipes to choose from for a cooking session. Some, messier than others. I don't think I would ever recommend that someone avoid making a recipe during a session just because it might be messy. I mean, life is messy. And we are literally talking about a lifestyle session here, right? However, there are settings in which a messier recipe might be more appropriate. Like, a larger kitchen or baking with your grandchildren. In this case, a one-pot pasta dish was the perfect pick! Not only were we able to end the session with a cute dinner, but using just one pot allowed for the perfect amount of mess in Valerie and Alex's small kitchen!
As I mentioned before, one of my favorite things about at-home lifestyle sessions is the attention to detail. Similar to a wedding gallery, some of the photos taken during a lifestyle session will simply be of inanimate objects important to the bigger story at hand. Important details related to Valerie and Alex's session included the cookbook they worked from and the bowl of garlic they keep on their counter.
While some detail photos could feature inanimate objects, others might feature your hands. Some might be candid snapshots of the process or activity. For instance, when you imagine someone decorating a Christmas tree (another great at-home date idea, might I add), part of that imagery and storytelling involves hands placing ornaments on branches, right? Similarly, during a cooking session, some photos might highlight your hands at work. This might mean photos of a knife in action, hands peeling garlic, or hands passing an item to a partner.
Because lifestyle sessions are truly intended to capture your lifestyle, I also love to photograph the moments happening alongside the main activity during my sessions. Bringing all of these details together helps to really tell the story of a home; in essence: this is who we are, this is what we enjoy, this is what we do, this is what we love.
I urge my clients to embrace their true selves. If you watch TV together while waiting for a kitchen timer to ring, go ahead! Cuddle up on the couch! If you tend to clean between tasks, by all means, do so! Just maybe flirt a little while you're at it. And, if you use the time to love on your pets... Well, that's adorable. DO IT!!
Of course, there is a reason I recommend selecting an activity for your at-home lifestyle session and that is to give your session some direction! For a cooking session, the photographer should be following the story of what it means to be in your kitchen. Not only are they are photographing what it feels like and what is occurring between steps in the recipe, but most importantly, they are photographing how you and your family interact with one another and work together! This is where we find the most adorable candid moments. From hugs and kisses to observing what the other is doing, this is the sweet spot of your cooking session!
One of the best parts about a home cooking session specifically is the food! When you take the time to cook a beautiful meal together, it only makes sense that you eat it together too! Again, this is a time that calls for even more candid shots. Don't worry though! If your photographer is any good, they will not be photographing you eating! Instead, they will be photographing the food and the little moments of connection that happen during the meal.
Lastly, doing at least one posed photo doesn't cause any harm! Throw one or two in just for fun! Or, if you prefer posed photos, find a way to work with your photographer to achieve more of a 50:50 split between posed and candid photos. A posed photo from Valerie and Alex's session can be found below.
If a cooking session isn't for you, here are just a few more pieces of at-home lifestyle session inspiration:
New home
Decorating for Christmas
Baking cookies
Blanket fort and movies
Painting a nursery
For additional inspiration, I recommend collaborating directly with your photographer!
A few of my typical side notes:
Pábitel Photography is now on Bluesky!
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Visit my print shop for nature + landscape photos!
I am currently booking all of the sessions! Contact me to learn more, or check out my services to learn more about what session types I provide.
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