Portraits at Home, No Studio Required| Hesperia Fantasy Photographer

Knock-Knock!

Who’s there?

Your favorite photographer.

This is just like the old days, when doctors would make house calls. Photographers will make house calls, too.

A home studio is in the works for me, but until then, I’m a traveling photographer. I can travel to you and your home.

Recently, I packed my car with lights, tripods, fabric, flowers, and so much more. I drove 40 minutes to a client’s home to photograph her daughter.

During the consultation call, we spoke about clothing options, makeup, and hair. I wanted to create a fine art portrait. The result turned out beautifully.

I arrived at the home and began setting up, which takes roughly 30 minutes. The client had cleared a large area in the living room. Exactly what I needed for one or two people.

I had enough space for my backdrop, stand, boxes, and my ginormous 7-foot light.

It was perfect!

Setting up for a in-home photo session.

Mom fiddled with the daughter’s hair a bit as I tested the lighting and my camera settings. And then, it was go time.

I posed the girl and guided her the whole time. The aim was fine art, so I didn’t want her eyes at me for every photo. She did beautifully, and I even stuck mom in there for a mother/daughter photo.

Dad came home and had to wait outside the front door for a minute while I moved the light setup. Ha! He couldn’t get inside the house. When I say I brought my huge light, I meant it.

The daughter did a quick outfit and hair change, and then we kept going. It was easy for the family and very non-invasive. Other children hung out in the family room and watched TV, while relaxing.

I came, took photos, and left.

In-home photos are very stress-free for large, busy families.

A big bonus about having an in-home session is having your clothing and everything else available. No “I forgot this or that”. It’s all in a bedroom or hanging in a closet, upstairs.

These sessions can be as casual or as glamorous as you’d like. Have I mentioned how stress-free this experience is?

Beautiful young lady.

The whole session lasted about 2.5 hours, including the set-up and take-down.

I printed a few of her images and I am over the moon, in love with how they turned out! I can’t wait to show my client the final prints.

I’ve done a handful of in-home sessions, and they always seem to be very calm and tranquil.

Optimum for families with a newborn, a few young children, or if you want to have a non-traditional family session. In-home sessions are great!

Tips for In-Home Sessions

If this sounds like something you want to do, here are a few tips.

The photographer will need an 8x10ft area, at least. Most people can push a couch out of the way or carry the kitchen table and chairs into a bedroom. Think temporary space.

It’s preferable if you have a large window, extra bright room, or a sliding glass door, in the home. These options usually give great lighting.

The setup that I chose to use was a studio-style backdrop. I brought a backdrop stand, fabric backdrop, and had the client sit on boxes. I also brought a few bags of props for her to go through for ideas.

If you’d like to create lifestyle memories in the kitchen, baking cookies, you won’t need to move as much furniture around, depending on the layout and size of your home.

Have any extra outfits and accessories nearby. It’s easier and quicker for you to change if you’re outfits laid out and ready to go. Shoes aren’t needed unless they’re part of the story we’re telling.

As an extra bonus, I always tell Mom to look polished because I’ll grab a few photos with her as well.

Black and white fine art portrait.

This was a super fun photo session, and I loved doing it. Although I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me want a studio even more.

Cue the manifesting!

Thanks for reading Portraits at Home, No Studio Required | Hesperia Fantasy Photographer. I hope it gave you some insight on how easy it is to have a photographer come to your home and take beautiful photos without all the added stress.

Thinking about redecorating your home? This interview with an interior designer might give you some much-needed advice.

Would you ever do an in-home photo session? Here’s another blog post about non-traditional family photo sessions.

Cheers!

Annette