My final In-Home Session of 2024 was with the wonderful Weldy Family; we played trains, ate popcorn (fantastic photo session snack for anyone interested), drew pictures and played outside on their sport-court (major points Weldy Fam!). After delivering the gallery of images, Katherine, the mom, commented that the images felt "cozy" and I couldn't agree more.
Last year when I shifted my work to primarily In-Home Sessions on film photography, I started to realize that in order to capture genuine, emotive moments, I actually had to do more planning and preparation.
At first this seemed counterintuitive to me.
"If I'm going for genuine moments, shouldn't they be spontaneous and less planned?"
I needed to further clarify my goal; what I care about most is capturing genuine, emotive moments, not necessarily spontaneous ones. Sometimes a genuine moment happens in front of me and I have my camera settings just right and the light is just right and I'm on the right position to capture it, but usually one of these factors is off. Waiting for such moments can feel like waiting for lighting to strike, and as a professional, I need to be able to deliver consistent images session after session after session. Now this doesn't mean that I'm not looking for spontaneity during a session, I'm just not counting on it anymore.
So what do I do instead?
The answer is ... preparation.
I started beefing-up my Intake Process. I started asking the client more questions beforehand. I added a phone call for all new clients before booking. I added an In-Home Walk-Through before the session takes place. I added outfit consultation for the client and started sketching poses once I saw the space in person.
I began seeing three major benefits after implementing these new steps : first, my images started improving; second, my clients were more relaxed and actually enjoyed the session, and thirdly, I became much more confident. Once I knew that I could consistently create genuine, emotive images session after session, I went into sessions more able to relax and make creative work. It has become an upward-spiral of preparation and results. I can't wait to see where it leads in 2025.
