You’ve done your prep. You’ve watched the walkthrough video. You knock on the door – now what? When you strip away all the context and think about what a family photography session may feel like for your clients, you realize there’s a stranger in their living room asking them to act natural and it can be weird. The first 10 minutes of an in-home family session is your chance to make it less weird and set the tone for relaxed, connected family imagery they’ll love.
This is Part 2 of a four-part May series on in-home family photography. I’m sharing about what to do the moment you walk through the door: five practical ways to set the tone, build trust with kids and parents, and ease into the session before the cameras are even out. You’ll also hear two things I’m careful not to do because they have the potential of sabotaging all my positive efforts up to this point.
The free In-Home Session Field Guide has all of this in one concise spot, including language from last week’s episode, swipe email copy, a pre-shoot pep talk for yourself, and more.
Find It Quickly:
2:30 – Why the first 10 minutes matter more than you think
5:00 – Tip 1: Hospitality
10:30 – Tip 2: Kid level
13:00 – Tip 3: Notice the good
15:30 – Tip 4: The loop
17:30 – Tip 5: The pep talk
21:00 – Transitional shooting before direction
22:30 – What not to do
Mentioned in this Episode:
In-Home Session Field Guide (free): leahoconnell.com/home-fieldguide
Episode 72: Part 1 — The Walkthrough Video: https://leahoconnell.com/guide-to-in-home-family-photography-sessions-part-1-the-walkthrough-video/
Episode with Rachel Larsen Weaver: https://leahoconnell.com/an-interview-with-rachel-larsen-weaver-on-pursuing-the-love-of-art-business-and-people-photo-fuel-podcast-episode-13/
You might also like:
Episode 69: Stop Posing, Start Playing
Episode 68: Why I started a retreat and mastermind for family photographers
