Of all the pictures I’ve taken of the Farmand Family in the last couple of years, these family portraits at home, riding bikes, coloring, and swinging have to be my favorite! These pictures are so authentically THEM, and this type of shoot is quickly becoming my new favorite! I love being a spectator to what a family’s life is like.

For the Farmand family, it’s filled with lots of laughter, lollipops, playing in the backyard, tickle fights, maybe a real fight or two :), and playing dress up. It was so fun talking to Nico & Hazel and getting to play with them at their house! These two kids are loved so much by their parents and it’s just a really sweet thing for me to witness. Katie, their mom, was a youth group intern for me when I was in middle school, and she was always one of my favorites, so watching her interact with her family is always really special. Life has a way of coming full circle!

In order to get genuine and candid pictures of a family at their home, my job is to place them in the right light (if possible), ask them to show me their favorite thing to color, read, etc. (basically prompt an activity), and then let them go for it! I don’t “over pose”, tell them where to look, etc. If there isn’t perfect window light in a special place in a family’s home, I usually still shoot there because I can make it work, and capturing a moment is way more important than the perfect light. I do my best to capture that soft, pretty light by opening all the blinds and turning off any overhead, artificial light. If the lighting is really difficult and unflattering, and there was nothing I could do about it because I wanted to quickly capture a moment, I can turn the image black and white in post production. After shooting in the home for a bit, we usually move outside for some more timeless and classic family portraits all together. And to take pictures having outdoor fun!

To book your own family portraits at home, riding bikes, coloring, and swinging, or doing what your family loves to do the most, just click on the “Contact Us” button at the top of the page, or email me directly at lucy@lucymacleishphotography.com