Preparing your home for photos: 3 simple things to do

Little girl in ruffled dusty orange dress sitting in kitchen looking at the camera. Dad looks at the baby making a funny face. Photo by Shannon Fisher.

I’ve been working as an in-home family photographer for years and years. I’ve seen a lot of houses! And trust me, when I come into a home for a photo session, my eyes don’t go first to a mess or a dirty countertop or how aesthetically pleasing the home design is.

Screenshot of two texts that say, "can't believe how nice and clean you made our home look" and "LOVE the photos so much!!! They turned out amazing!" — *Case in point.*

I focus on the people in front of me and the relationships I’m being let into. And that’s what I concentrate my camera lens on: your family, not your stuff.

If I’m your photographer, you can trust me to make your space be the backdrop that highlights YOU in an environment where you feel comfortable and therefore more yourself.

But still, it’s vulnerable to let someone see your space. Most people naturally worry about making their home presentable when someone is coming over. So for those who are wanting to be extra prepared before you have a photographer in your house, I wrote this for you.

There are certainly a few things you can do to prep for your session. I’ll cover those before letting you know what type of preparation you can skip.

3 things to do to prep your home for family photos

Where are my to-do list people? If you love checking things off a list, do these things before your maternity session, newborn session, or family session.

1. Clear the clutter

Mom holds baby in her lap sitting on a bench next to a rustic wood dining table. A minimal print with a red X shape hangs on the wall. A dog peeks above the table. OC newborn photography by Shannon Fisher. — *A beautifully clutter-free dining table and bench*

If you can only do one thing, make your surfaces look tidy. Do a lap around the main living spaces and put away stuff that doesn’t belong: laundry, packages, dishes, shoes, dog toys, mail, trash, toys that normally live somewhere else, etc.

Warning!! Don’t get sucked down a rabbit hole of reorganizing, rearranging, making donation piles, and paring down your stuff. Stay focused!

Once you get your living room, bedroom, and kids’ bedrooms to their almost-normal state, you’ve done what you needed to do.

By the way, if you’re a new parent doing a newborn session…honestly just showing up for your photoshoot is enough. (P.S. If you need help deciding when to do newborn photos, I got you covered.)

2. Turn off overhead lights

Newborn baby lays on her tummy on a pillow while her big sister holds shiny plastic up in front of her. Parents look on and smile. — *I love seeing their bedroom as it is with the changing table and monitor on the dresser. Normal life.*

This will take just a second, right before the photo session starts. Get those overhead lights off! Overhead lights are typically too harsh, too cool-toned, and create harsh shadows on your face. We don’t want those vibes.

If you have lamps and other light sources, you can turn those off too. I love using natural light.

Then, throw open the curtains and roll up the blinds. I usually do that for my clients, but it can help things move along if it’s already done by the time I get there.

I often have clients who stress about their home being too dark. But don’t worry: I can work with any lighting environment. I have been doing this for a long time! My love of documentary-style family photos means I’m super comfortable adjusting my camera settings to the lighting environment, finding pockets of great light, and making your space shine.

3. Do some self-care

Pregnant woman in tight brown dress stretches arms above her head in a stylish midcentury living room. Photo by Shannon Fisher, maternity photographer in Orange County, CA. — *Self-care during the session? Yes please*

One of the most overlooked ways to prepare for your session is to do something nice for yourself. Coming to the session feeling grounded and relaxed will be more important to the final result than a clean house.

Do NOT skip this one!

Here are some ideas:

Take an extra-long shower while your partner watches the kids-- SUCH a treat
Order lunch to be delivered after your photoshoot-- fresh food on your doorstep feels so good!!
Get some fresh flowers for the table-- my favorite weekly ritual for myself, it feels special every single time
Schedule your routine haircut at least a week or two before. This is not the time for a major change or a new hairstylist. Get your usual so you feel like yourself.
Order a fresh round of Nuuly, the clothing rental service-- a bit more sustainable than buying a heap of new clothes and then returning it all. (P.S. Here’s what 10 of my clients wore for their family photoshoots if you want ideas.)

Don’t worry about...

A deep clean

A pregnant mom holds toddler's hand as she draws with chalk on concrete. Backyard toys are scattered around them. Photo by OC family photographer Shannon Fisher. — *The chalk on the wall makes this photo magic. I'm so glad it wasn't washed away before the photo session.*

Don’t stress yourself out scrubbing down every surface and mopping your floors. Honestly, you don’t even need to vacuum. I promise, the camera won’t see dirt on the floor or grime on the countertops. Save yourself the sweat and skip it.

Planning activities

The mental load is officially off your shoulders once I arrive. You don’t need to come up with a plan for what we’ll do together. We will talk beforehand to come up with a plan for the session together.

As you spend time as a family, I ebb and flow between being a fly on the wall documenting it all and engaging, chatting, and doing minor directing so that the light is best. We’ll just hang out! It’ll be easy and relaxing.

Your home looking “cute enough”

A dad reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar to baby, who is looking in his eyes. Mom holds the baby. Photo by lifestyle family photographer Shannon Fisher. — *I love seeing the touches of their personal style everywhere you look, but my eye is mainly drawn to the baby gazing sweetly at his dad.*

Don’t worry about where in your house we’ll go or which area is aesthetically pleasing. My clients often have this fear that their house isn’t good enough to be the setting for pictures, but then can’t imagine doing photos any other way.

We’re not doing an interior design photoshoot-- we’re capturing you and your kids as you are, in the exact environment where you’re raising them. We’re also letting you be in the space where you feel most comfortable to be yourself (resulting in the relaxed photos full of personality that I create for my clients).

Keeping track of time

Again, the mental load is officially mine to carry. Sessions with me last about two hours on average. Overall your only job is to be present!

Directing your partner or kids

Mom and dad sit with three daughters on a leather sofa, reading. They're surrounded by plants. Photo by documentary family photographer Shannon Fisher. — *There's some toys on the table-- no big. That's real life.*

You won’t need to tell your kids to smile or make sure your partner is staying on track. I will let you all know when it’s time to move on to the next thing and when I need people looking at the camera.

Let’s celebrate your family in this season

Photographer Shannon Fisher holds her baby on her lap on the bed, both have big smiles. Mom is holding baby's leg up in a high kick position. — *Me and my daughter! I mainly see our utter joy in this photo. The messy bed, water on the nightstand, and stuff in the crib reminds me of that season of life.*

As I’m writing this I’m surrounded by the clutter of moving boxes as I settle into a new home with my husband and two-year-old daughter. I am just realizing that we’ll never again be in the home where we became parents.

When I look back on photos of my daughter at age 1 and 2, I’ll see the living room she took her first steps in, the bedroom where I nursed her, and the kitchen where she helped me bake cupcakes and make smoothies. I’m so thankful I have those photos, even though the actual house wasn’t ideal for me in some ways.

Whatever your house looks like, I know you’ve made it into a beautiful home. This is your permission slip to celebrate the people in it. If you’re in Orange County and need a photographer who will make your everyday life look like art, contact me!