Let's talk a little more about lifestyle photography because I have totally fallen in love with these kinds of sessions, and I think you will, too! You may have read this earlier post so let's talk a little more about how these sessions work and what makes them so great!

First, some more words from a mom who had a lifestyle session with me. Some of her family's images are below!

“I LOVE the lifestyle session pictures. I know I will look back and be so happy to see those toys, books, and rooms in my pictures. This is our real life! Laurie was so easy to work with. We basically just fed kids breakfast and played for an hour. She captured all the special moments of everyday life. I highly recommend!!!”

What are we going to do at our lifestyle photo session?

A lifestyle session is obviously not your everyone-smile-at-the-camera type session (although we can catch a couple of those shots while I'm with you.) But it's also not a completely documentary-style session with zero interaction between the subject and the photographer. It's something in between those.

My job in these sessions is to capture your family doing what you like to do together, and I realize that having a photographer in the room immediately makes the whole experience a little more "staged" off the bat. But that's ok! Sometimes just tiny little directions from me (usually directing around the light) are just what is needed to take these images from general "snapshots" to something more and something deeper.

Before your session, we will chat about the kinds of things your family likes to do at home together and what kinds of things your kids are into right now. The activities themselves that are planned are really just the vehicle for catching the REAL thing, which is your family's love and connection with each other.

So you don't have to worry about what to "do." We'll have a very loose game plan (with lots of flexibility!), and as I will tell you the day of the session, if you ever aren't sure what to do, pick a kid to play with or make them laugh! I will help you keep things flowing from one activity to the next, and I think you'll be surprised how quickly the time goes by (and how much fun it is!)

What do we wear for a lifestyle photo session?

You'll also want to think about what to wear, just like you would for a "regular" family photo session. Think about your home's decor. If you like to decorate in bolder colors, you may want to have your family dress in softer neutrals. If your home has a more light and airy look, bolder clothing colors can work!

You definitely don't want everyone wearing the same color, and I LOVE these sessions with everyone in bare feet (although it's not required!) You want to look nice but still comfortable.

What makes a lifestyle photo session so special?

Don't get me wrong, I still love a more "traditional" family session in a pretty outdoor location. But these sessions inside your own home, where you and your family spend so much of your life, have a unique and precious element to them.

Think about how many memories have been made within those particular walls. How much laughter, how many late nights, how much growing, how many tiny little traditions. These sessions catch it in a little slice and let you hold onto it. Because we all know this slice will change so, so fast.

A sample lifestyle photo session

Ok, so on to this amazing session! This one started with the perfect example of how flexible these sessions can be. The kids had gotten a little later start on their morning and were about to eat breakfast when I arrived. This actually turned out to be PERFECT! I mean, they eat breakfast every day, so let's capture it! These ended up being some of my favorite images of the whole session, and they weren't even planned originally! I love that!