3 Things to Consider When Choosing the Location of Your Session
The session location options I offer are at home, your birthplace, or at the park. The parks I am referring to are either in Fort Jennings or Kalida Ohio. Outdoor sessions are great for children because they can play and explore. However, in-home sessions add an extra dose of sentimental value to your images that will transport you back in time to the home you raised your kids in. Just because you opt for an in-home session, doesn’t mean we can’t make our way outside there too!
I always advise that newborn sessions take place at home or at your birthplace. As for family or maternity sessions, the location is up to you! This is your guide to deciding the perfect location for your family or maternity session.
1. Consider the time of day and the time of year.
My sessions just feel like you are spending time with your favorite people. And when choosing WHERE to have your session, considering the time of day or even the time of year may help you in making that decision.
Time of Day: Sessions are scheduled according to the best light. While an home session or birthplace session will often be late morning (around 10:00am), an outdoor session will be about 2 hours BEFORE sunset. Morning time is also an option for an outdoor session, but the afternoon is off limits as it casts unflattering shadows. I am willing to be a bit flexible and work around nap time, but my portfolio looks the way it does because of the amazing light I choose to shoot in.
Time of Year: Depending on the time of year, sunset sessions can be difficult to swing when it comes to little ones’ bedtime. In the summer time for example, the weather is great, but the sun sets later in the day while in the fall and spring the sun sets earlier. Then the weather in Ohio can also make it more difficult to do an outdoor session especially when it is cold, but it is not impossible.
Summary
Home Sessions: Any time of year and typically starts at 10:00 am
Birthplace Sessions: Any time of year and typically starts at 10:00 am
Park Sessions: Best in spring, summer, and fall and typically start 2 hours before the sun sets (with some flexibility)
2. The ONLY thing your home needs is natural light.
As long as you have a window in your home with natural light coming in, your home is suitable for an in-home session. It does not have to be Pinterest- worthy. It does not have to be fully decorated. It does not even have to be spotless. Your home is your safe place and adds comfortability to the session for you and your family. We will shoot in any place with good light, but below is a list of potential locations we may use during your session. If it is too dark in any of the rooms, then we probably won’t shoot there. Quality images come from good lighting and I know just how to find it.
Places we may shoot in and around your home:
Master bedroom
Living room
Kitchen
Nursery/ kids’ bedrooms
Front-porch
Backyard
3. The parks I use are local to me in Fort Jennings, Ohio and Kalida, Ohio.
This may be very close to you or a bit of a drive. The parks I choose to shoot at both have bodies of water to fish, a playground, and plenty of pretty places to shoot your session. I like to incorporate meaningful like fishing, playing on the playground, a picnic, drawing with chalk, a gender reveal for pregnant mamas, really anything your family finds meaningful. This makes your session and the photos themselves so much more meaningful.
Home
The Park
