MANCHESTER FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER // THE MAGIC OF AN IN-HOME SHOOT

Manchester Family Photographer’s thoughts on booking an in-home shoot as an amazing way to capture the most precious memories.

I had planned to write this blog post in Autumn / Winter but the weather has been so unbelievably terrible lately, it’s been fast tracked to August! 

Whilst you may have booked an outdoor shoot in your local park / woodland hoping for a bright day, the weather on your chosen date might have other plans... But I’m here to say, we don’t have to let the rain ruin everything! An indoor shoot might not be something you’d considered before, but here are a few reasons why a shoot in your own home might just be the best option for you!

Where do you have most of your memories with your family? I’m guessing the answer is “at home”. It is where you have your little routines, downtime and the kids run free. I can capture the magic of the everyday in your own home.

I always ask families before their shoot what it is that they want to remember about this stage in their lives. In planning this post, I had a good think about what it is that I want to remember about our life now, as Marnie has just turned 2.5 years old. It is the intense interest in the stories in her books, and reading along as much as she can. It’s the dancing around the living room after she has demanded that Alexa play her favourite songs. It’s her tippy toes as she reaches to turn on the tap as she washes her hands. It’s the way she holds my face with her tiny hands and emphatically tells me she loves me “so so much” and lands a huge kiss on me! The way she gently plays with her animals and acts out whole scenes of taking them to the vets. These are the little insights into home life right now that would never be present in the outdoors. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love seeing Marnie run around like crazy, exploring the woods, finding fairies and stomping in muddy puddles, but there is also so much magic to capture in our everyday home life. 

You might want to choose an activity to do - like baking - or just be playing with toys together on the rug, dancing around, doing whatever you feel like doing!

I know my own mind immediately jumps to “oh my goodness, the house isn’t tidy enough, is there enough space, what about the handprints on the sofa”? But honestly, your home is your child(ren)’s safe space, the place of their first memories. They will look back at the images in years to come and have all those wonderful heartwarming feelings of nostalgia come flooding back at the place they grew up in.

We can skip past any parts of your home you don’t want to be photographed, and all we really need is a little space near a window! I’ve had families have in-home shoots mid-renovation and they’re beautiful; mid-house move and they’re beautiful; in full-blown newborn chaos and they’re beautiful. We’ll always work with the space you have and capture those beautiful, authentic memories.

Plus, it is pretty rare that during the 60-90 minute family shoot, there isn’t a period of at least five minutes where the rain takes a breather and we can run outside for some outdoors shots too!

So, if the forecast is looking super grim, consider having your family's everyday adventures at home captured instead. Have a good think about what it is about your little ones and your family right now that you’d love to have captured. An in-home family photos might just be the best decision ever!

I’ve included some family photos from some recent in-home shoots in Manchester and the Lake District to give you a little idea about what home family shoot looks like.

If you’d love your family’s everyday adventures capturing in photos to cherish forever, whether at home or outdoors, just click the below button to get in touch!

Thanks so much,

Laura

Manchester Family Photographer.