Lifestyle Session on Location | Brittany Lynn Imagery LLC
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of doing an in-home lifestyle session with the Copley family and let me tell you – it was a blast!
The Copleys are an adorable family and I am so thankful that they invited me into their home to take their first official family photos with their newest member: baby Harper.
We originally had plans to shoot outdoors for this session but Mother Nature had other plans and of course, we had to oblige. Being a family photographer often requires us to be flexible and to stay on our toes at all times because there is so much that can change our plans and we have to be able to go with the flow without stressing out or cancelling completely. After all, I know how much planning goes into a family session and for it to fall apart right before it is scheduled can sometimes be a huge travesty. The weather took a turn and became unseasonably cold so a few days before the session, we decided to hold it indoors at their home to keep newborn baby Harper happy and safe.
When I arrived, I was greeted happily by Rob and little miss Autumn who welcomed me into their living room where I was able to look around for the best lighting and start developing my game plan for the session. Meanwhile, Harper was upstairs and I could hear her crying steadily for a few minutes straight and I could only imagine how stressed out her mother Amber was becoming.
The session began in the living room with some adorable images of Autumn gleaming with her new little sister and my heart was entirely full of love. We moved the session upstairs in favor of some more natural lighting and continued to shoot as the girls allowed and selectively participated. Autumn was absolutely adorable and let me tell you: she is such a ham! This little girl is full of spunk and she is so insanely intelligent! I had the most wonderful playing with her and making a fool of myself at the expense of laughter and smiles.
Can I be honest for a moment?
This session was beautifully chaotic. And I want to write about it because it was everything a family session is.
See, the thing about sessions with small children is that they are unpredictable and usually complex. Children are tiny people with big thoughts and plans. Sometimes, they don’t always understand why we are doing things and even more so, they don’t always understand their role in the activities we choose for them. The younger they are, the more ambitious they can be and in all reality, one hour is a short amount of time. If they aren’t in the mood to participate, it can be very difficult to capture their true nature. Difficult but NOT impossible.
I want to stress these things because as a mom, I can FEEL the stress parents have when their child is bouncy and excited and wants to show off instead of participate. I can feel the anxiety over the fact that they just spent a good amount of money on outfits for their children to wear for this session, only for them to whine, pull at their shirt, and cry all over their new pants.
And I want this post to be an assurance. You are not alone, almost all children get overstimulated during a session, and there is nothing to worry about.
Sometimes, the excitement can lead to some pretty amazing images of them in their natural habitat and you may be surprised at how well the images turn out.
So for all of my moms and dads out there reading this: just show up, smile and laugh, and let us worry about the rest! If you stay smiling and participating, your children may mirror you but at the very least, for those few-and-far-in-between images of them smiling, you too will be smiling and you will receive invaluable family portraits that reflect who you all are and the joy you all experience when you’re together!
