Let’s talk about all the upsides to taking some of your sessions inside!

As your family photography business grows, are you finding yourself burnt out by peak season demand, stressing about the forecast, and longing for more free nights and weekends to spend with your own family?

You aren’t alone!

Many family photographers start by focusing on outdoor sessions since outdoor sessions are popular with many clients. However, especially if you’re in the Northeast like I am, focusing solely on outdoor family sessions limits the times of year (and the times of day) you can schedule your work. 

As at-home photography becomes more popular, it’s time to consider diversifying your offerings to include indoor family and newborn sessions—or even some small business branding sessions—to build more flexibility into your business. 

In this post, you’ll learn why growing your business with indoor sessions is a smart move—plus all the things to consider as you make the transition. 

Running a year-round photography business . . . 

Managing my calendar more effectively was one of the top motivators for increasing my number of indoor sessions. 

Spreading sessions throughout the year can be the key to falling back in love with your work. It can also help even out when to expect income. 

Babies are born throughout the year, so in-home newborn sessions can help fill your calendar in otherwise slower seasons. You can also promote in-home family sessions as an opportunity to capture day-to-day life in an extra beautiful and meaningful way. Taking photos at home also makes kids more comfortable and nixes the need for shoes—so many wins. 

I’ve done this in my own business over the past several years, and it’s made a huge difference. While I’m still busiest in fall and spring, I’m less stressed knowing that I have more freedom to schedule sessions in a way that works for my life. 

Overcoming the location objection . . . 

“But my home isn’t HGTV material!”

This is one of the biggest objection you are likely to get from clients when it comes to indoor sessions. Sometimes, clients worry that their home isn’t stylish enough or is too cluttered to make a good backdrop. We’ve all fallen down that Pinterest rabbit hole!

The thing is, you, as a photographer, know that it’s all about how you frame the shot! Just like you shoot to avoid parked cars or other people outdoors, you’ll also find the best areas and angles indoors. 

I do a walk-through of the home when I first arrive at an indoor session and determine which areas are the best backdrops. I also provide a guide (you can check it out here!) with tips for families to prep their home before the session. 

As you get started, you may want to find a model family who is willing to let you take their photos and also take wider shots of the whole room to show the “behind the scenes” and assure potential clients that you know how to get creative and make their spaces look great. Take a look at the collage below. Can you see *anything* beyond the bed and the two tables beside it? Nope. For all we know, the entire rest of the room is filled with clutter.

Timing is everything . . . 

When you work outdoors, the best lighting happens at sunrise and sunset. Unfortunately, sunrise and sunset are the times when you would likely rather be sleeping or relaxing! Beyond that, most clients with young children don’t love being up super early or pushing bedtime back to get that golden hour light. 

If you shoot indoors, the best time is midday, when the sun is strongest overhead. That means you can schedule sessions between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Children will be happier subjects, and you’ll be able to fit work into normal business hours when your own kids are likely to be in school or have available childcare. 

No more weather woes . . . 

If you live in an area with challenging weather, adding more indoor sessions to your schedule can eliminate a lot of stress. 

Imagine if two of your three sessions in a given week were indoors. You would only need to hold one backup rain date. There would be so much less complexity. And your clients wouldn’t need to fret about the forecast either. Dreamy, right?!

The lighting learning curve. . . 

When I first started shooting indoors, lighting was the hardest part to figure out. At first, I only utilized natural light from windows, but eventually, I found that was too limiting. 

After a lot of practice, I started perfecting the art of using off-camera flash to enable me to shoot in any space regardless of natural light source. As a Boston area photographer, I often work with families with smaller spaces in older, darker homes. By learning to mimic the look of natural light with off-camera flash, I can now confidently work in any room that’s meaningful to my clients and know I’ll get beautiful images. 

If you’re interested in incorporating more indoor sessions into your family photography business and want better control of lighting, I have a course for that!

I recently took everything I learned when I went from natural light only to off-camera flash convert and put it all into a self-paced e-course for photographers.

The course will save you the trial and error I went through, so you can up your game immediately. You’ll learn the basics of using off-camera flash, which equipment I recommend, tips for flash placement, plus editing and troubleshooting tips to boost your confidence! 

Check out Off Camera Flash for Natural Light Lovers