File this one under ‘Things you don’t need to worry about for your photo session’.

In all the houses I’ve been in, I’ve NEVER walked into one that I considered too small.

Well, maybe if you live in one of those trendy new tiny homes (check out this documentary if you haven’t seen a truly tiny house before), then we might need to talk about options. But if you live in an apartment, condo, small bungalow, townhouse, infill or single family home, your home is NOT too small for an in-home newborn or family photo session.

I’ve done a few newborn sessions in condos and the resulting images are some of my favourites. Condos often have large balcony windows that aren’t obstructed by trees, so it can actually be a big advantage over traditional houses.

Your smaller home may mean that we won’t move around as much during your session and will instead hang out in a few rooms (usually the master bedroom and living room). But, this doesn’t mean your gallery will be any less diverse. What you’ll see is me moving ALL around you to document your life from as many angles as possible. You simply get to hang out on the bed and snuggle – easy!

Small homes (or cozy homes? I think maybe that is a better reflection of the small homes I’ve seen!) often provide beautiful opportunities to add architectural elements and personal mementos to your images.  The resulting photos are intimate and tell the story of your life as it is right now.

And the best part? You’ll get to laugh as I attempt to plaster myself against the wall and into a corner to get the shot (but, the real truth is that I do that even in big houses!). I’ve been known to push clothes aside in closets so that I can maneuver myself right against the back wall. You may even see me shlepping in my ladder from the car so that I can get up high for a full room shoot of all of you. (And I wonder why sometimes I have bruises the day after a session!?! Full contact photography here.)

The one consideration in a small home is to ensure as much clutter as possible is hidden away.  This does not mean you need to clean like a maniac the morning before I arrive (that is stress that is NOT required!). Just simply tidy your countertops as much as possible and put the toys away – shove them in a closet if necessary and then tell me not to open it. The less clutter, the more space we have to work with and the cleaner your resulting images will be – more focus on you and less on the background clutter.

If your home is what is holding you back from having an in-home session, please don’t let it. Your home is part of your family, and it should be featured in all of its glory – even if that glory is less than 1000 sq ft. I promise you we can work with it, and that when you look back 20 years from now, you’ll be so glad you have those images to show your child where he grew up. How the rocking char you rocked him to sleep in used to shimmy across the floor with every push until it eventually hit the wall. And how his toy trucks made marks in the baseboards. And how you recorded his height on the door frame every 6 months with the same pencil. It’s all part of his story.

Fiddle Leaf Photography offers in-home newborn, breastfeeding and family photography in Edmonton and surrounding communities including Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc, Spruce Grove, Ardrossan, and Stony Plain. Let’s chat about your house and how we can make it part of your family’s story. I’ll even bring coffee and we can take a tour of your home where I’ll point out all of the lovely light and photo opportunities. I promise – there will be lots of beautiful spaces I’ll find for you.

 

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