Westbrook Family Photographer in home portrait session

THE ‘C’ FAMILY

As a Westbrook Maine Family Photographer who specializes in family photos full of connection and genuine emotions, I am drawn to in-home sessions.  There is some thing so authentic about the family portraits taken of a family in their special place.  It truly is the most ideal setting.  Whether it is a new home or one they have lived in for decades the level of comfort and ability to just relax and be themselves is just something you do not see when you are on location.  Have you ever considered doing a photography session at home?  If not you really should and I am hoping once you see this next session you might be convinced of where your next portrait experiences should be held.  

I want to take a moment to say that if you are having a newborn baby this is truly my favorite location for portrait sessions.  As a mom, getting in front of the camera right after you have a baby can feel overwhelming.    However, being in the comfort of your home so important during this period of time.  No need to pack the bags or worry about forgetting something.  Everything stays right at your fingertips.  As a photographer I can say that newborn sessions at home provide the best family portrait session experience.  

Recently, I was welcomed into the Westbrook Maine home of the ‘C’ family for the first time.  They truly are a beautiful family inside and out. From the moment they welcomed me at the door to my last sip of coffee I felt so at ease.  The kids were so laid back and easy to photograph and provided lots of giggles.  I truly had so much fun.  Which to a lifestyle photographer is the key ingredient to unlocking my creativity.  Like most other creatives, I do not create my best work when I feel rushed or stressed.  So family sessions like this one are exactly what I live for.  

One of the main reasons I switched my focus from wedding photography to family photography was because I truly loved the way I felt when I left family sessions.  I will be sitting in my car looking through the images and smiling from ear to ear.  I am always so excited to get home and edit a few for a quick preview.  Then for the next few days I am always rushing back to my computer to see what images I captured.  All the while smiling and eagerly excited to get the family their gallery.  I never feel stressed or worried.  I never felt this way with weddings.  That was exactly why I knew I was meant to be a southern Maine family photographer and haven’t looked back since I shot my last wedding in 2015.  No regrets.  

Recently I was chatting with some moms about why they had never considered an in-home session.  Most mentioned they worried about their house being in perfect order. They didn’t want people to see the mess.  Trust me I get it.  As a mom to a little tornado myself I know how much I clean and how messy my home can look after he comes tearing through it.  But I can promise you, that doesn’t even matter. The way I shoot we find little areas of great light and the clutter or mess won’t even show. So no need to do a deep spring clean for me.  I can truly work around almost anything.  

Another concern moms had  people don’t want a lot of their home put on the internet.  Another valid fact.  I never force people to sign a release for me to use the images on my social media site.  It does help me with marketing, but it is more important to me that you put your family portraits on your wall than me post them to my instagram feed.  However, if you don’t mind them on the internet then I will always communicate with you as to what you are comfortable with.  You will see from these images below that you would never be able to see the layout of their home, personal details etc.  I am there to focus on your and your family…not your decor.   

A couple of reason I want to highlight as to why you should do a in-home session (at least once) is that these are the walls that you are raising your family in.  However, it might not always be.  So making sure you have beautiful family photos of your family in a place that will always have a piece of your heart is so important to me.   

Another reason I love in-home family sessions is the time of day I can shoot.  I arrived to their house at 10am. Normally I do not like shooting sessions outside at this time of day. The light bright and everyone is squinting or sweating. Kids are generally well rested and in a great mood in the morning. A little later time also gives them the opportunity to have a good breakfast and relax before smiling for a camera.  It truly is so nice when working with little kids not to be rushing to get to a location for early morning or evening.  Plus you can shoot any day of this year.  You don’t have to worry about weather like rain or snow pushing your session.  

This is what mom had to say about her lifestyle photography session.  Truly no better compliment than leaving me a review.  These really were some of my favorite photos of this year.  

“We had absolutely the best experience with Carrie!  Her in-home photo sessions are honestly the way to go!  Her flexibility and amazing eye for lighting, gave us the most beautiful family photos in places of our home I would never expect!  She was so patient and engaged with our kids and made her way around our very curious pooch.  Thank you Carrie, we will definitely use you again in the years to come.”

So lets book your home-sweet-home sessions and create your new favorite photos.  As always included in my session fee is 50+ digital images and wardrobe consultation.  I love to help people find the perfect set of outfits weather it be a playful patterns with so much color or classic white.  I always talk with you to get a sense of your style and then we build a wardrobe from there.  

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