So I mentioned in my last blog post (you can find it here) that one of my business goals for this year was to incorporate more in-home family sessions into my bookings.

I was lucky enough when a friend recently had her second baby and very kindly allowed me to gain some practice photographing her family in their home on one Saturday morning in May.

If you're not sure what is involved in an in-home lifestyle photography session, here are a few reasons why I love them:

1 - Everyone is so much more relaxed. Kids and adults alike. You're in your own home, kids can play with their own toys, in their own space, you get to sit on your own couch and lay in your own bed.

2 - Kids are often a bit more receptive to a strange person taking their photos if they're in their own space - they usually love to show off their room or their toys. And if mum and dad allow, I'll even let them jump on the bed... all in the name of a good photo of course!

3 - They are so much more intimate than an outdoor session. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE outdoor sessions (I'm sure I'll write another blog another day about those), but in-home sessions have a feel and emotion you can't emulate in an outdoor environment.

4 - We're not as time limited as an outdoor session. We don't have to schedule it to start an hour before sunset, and have it all wrapped up by the time the sun has gone. If you need to stop to feed kids, or take a toilet break, we can. No rush. No hurry.

5 - We can do it no matter the weather. If it's miserable, cold and raining, we can still go ahead and do the photo session. If it's 40 degrees, sunny and there are snakes around (!!) we can still go ahead and do the photo session.

6 - The time of day in-home sessions are done are much more family friendly! During summer, when the sun doesn't set until 8:30pm most kids are asleep in bed. In-home session are usually done around mid-morning or mid-afternoon. We can also schedule them around nap times!