Everyone has a different way of dealing with the pandemic around the world right now and what was normal, no longer is.  In a world where we must self isolate to protect our families, kids are now being home schooled, work is now being done from home, and you are even celebrating major milestones (like crawling or walking, celebrating a major birthday)from home.  Parents everywhere have been improvising special moments from creating a club for a 21st birthday  to setting up their own personal Disney Park at home. We want these moments from home to still be special to your family and be able to capture these moments on your own. 

You may have had one of these milestone sessions scheduled with us and we have had to postpone until it is safe to begin shooting again.  So while you may capture some of these memories at home, please remember we are a small business that will rely on your support when this all over.   Don’t let these photos at home take the place of the session you had scheduled with us but let it instead be a part of the memory.  We honestly enjoy being part of those milestones too.

Here are some tips to take photos at home:

  • Have fun with taking photos:

    Your kids are not always going to cooperate.  Don’t get frustrated about this.  Your kids are going to do what they do best, be their adorable cute selves and give you tons of personality.  Embrace that and you will have great photos.  Catch them being silly, catch them crying, enjoy it all.

  • Wait until after naptime and meal times

    This is something we recommend even when you come into the studio.  We find that kids and babies are usually so much happier after a good rest and a full belly.  I would say as an adult…I am too!

  • Find the light

    Choose a room or area with lots of natural light.  Make sure the overhead light is off.  Have kids sit at  90 degree angle to the light source.

  • Choose your background

    Decide if you want to use the natural surroundings or if you want something that is a little more of a set up.  If you are doing a set up, be sure to use a backdrop that is at least 60 inches.  You can use things like table cloths, kraft paper, gift wrap, etc for backgrounds. 

  • Pick your props

    You probably have plenty of props around your home.  You can be super minimal and use a chair or a cute little basket. You can also pull out a ton of holiday decorations that you have in storage for a fun little holiday set.  For younger babies, use soft plain colored blankets or flokati rugs.

  • Time to take pictures!

    Again have fun with your kids taking pictures.  This should not feel like a chore or be miserable for them.  Get down at eye level with them, or bring them to your eye level with a stool or chair.  Do things that make your kids laugh to bring out the real smiles.  For babies who can’t sit up yet, try taking a shot with them on their back and shooting over them.

You don’t need a fancy camera to get some great shots, most cell phones have a decent camera on it.  Take your time with your kids, but also know their breaking point.

We hope these tips help you get some great shots and we would love if you share some them with us via email at info@bigappleportraits or tag us  on Facebook or Instagram @bigapplepix and use the hashtag #portraitsathome

If you are hoping to do a cake smash session at home, take a look at some tips from one of our photographer friends Nicole Starr here.