Kim Hildebrand
I hear it all the time. Â Most families don’t want to get family photos taken at their house because they’re super worried their house is too messy, or too small, or not Sunset Magazine-worthy. Â But honestly, guys, it doesn’t matter! Â I’m hear to tell you why your house doesn’t have to be clean for family photos. I live in an old 1950s midcentury house in North Seattle with plenty of small rooms and small windows and dark spaces. Â But guess what? Â There are also other areas in my house that have large windows, a clean-clutter free area (don’t need much space, honestly), and beautiful light. Â There are always these spaces! Â Always. Â I promise. Â But, I thought I’d go a little further in this post and tell you, actually, to show you, that it REALLY doesn’t matter.
Example 1: These silly sisters share a bedroom. Â A messy bedroom. Â I walked down the hallway and saw the window light and curtains in there room and told mom I was going to take a few photos in there. Â You should have seen the look on her face. Â She was mortified, first, that the door was open and that I had seen inside, and second, because I actually wanted to use the space. Â Before she started quickly cleaning up I told her to stop, and that none of that mattered. So see the before and after.
What the room looked like:
How I photographed it:
Example 2: Â I have a dear friend who lives in a beautiful remodeled house with her loving and sassy family. Â She’s got a fantastic taste in shoes, clothes, and home furnishings. Â She also does not really give a flip if her house is de-cluttered or not. Â Especially her kitchen. Â It would absolutely drive me nuts to have a messy kitchen. Â So when I suggested we do her session at her house the first thing she said to me was, “Well crap. Â Now I have to clean up.” Â We laughed and I told her she didn’t really need to clean the whole house. Â Who really does. Â We are living here, after all, and with three busy kids and a large black dog, how often are we really living in perfectly coifed and perfectly styled homes free of dog hair, dust, stains, and straight photos on the wall? Â Um, MAYBE once a year.
So I went over for the session, and she had cleaned the living room, the main area we would shoot, but when I rounded the corner I saw that she pretty much shoved everything that was out into the kitchen instead. Â No problem. Â I can deal with that. Â Besides the kitchen, I brought a ton of gear that was scattered all over her living room by the time we started shooting at the fireplace. Â I didn’t want to stop the session and move all my crap. Â No biggie. Â So below is an example of how I can work around the clutter through my shooting angles. Â Easy peasy.
What the room looked like, with my crap camera right and a messy kitchen:
How I photographed it:
Have I convinced you? Â So please know, your home is the single best place in the world to take your family photos. Â Your home is where you are raising your kids, and your home is where they are most comfortable, and most themselves with you. Â Don’t worry about the clutter. Â It’ll be beautifully you.