Don’t Be Scared When I Ask You These Questions Before Your In-Home Family Session in Wilmington
Don’t be scared when I ask you these questions before your in-home family session in Wilmington.
If you’re booking an in-home family photography session with me in Wilmington, NC, Leland, or the surrounding area, you may get a few questions from me before I ever show up at your door.
You might read them and think:
Oh no. What is this photographer going to ask me?
Don’t worry.
I’m not going to ask:
Did you remember to clean under the couch?
Just kidding. I don’t care what’s under the couch.
Is your house Pinterest-worthy?
Absolutely not.
Can you guarantee that your toddler will behave?
If you can, please teach me your ways.
Will everyone promise to smile nicely and look at the camera?
Please don’t.
Can you make sure nobody has a meltdown during the session?
Nope. Meltdowns are welcome, too.
Did you remember to hide the laundry basket?
I probably won’t even notice it.
Can your husband please pretend he enjoys having his picture taken?
Actually… I might ask about that one. 😂
But there are a few things I really do like to know before I come to your home.
Does your husband hate having his picture taken?
Please don’t panic.
He doesn’t have to suddenly become someone who loves photos. I’m not going to make him pose for an hour or force him to smile at the camera.
But if he’s not a big fan of pictures, I do recommend talking to him the night before about exactly what you need from him that morning.
Maybe he can get the kids dressed.
Maybe he can make breakfast.
Maybe he can handle shoes, diapers, or whatever usually makes your morning feel a little crazy.
Give him one specific job so you don’t have to carry everything in your head.
And tell him this:
You don’t have to love having your picture taken. You just have to show up, be present, and love on your family. I’ll take care of the rest.
Do your kids know I’m coming?
Please tell them.
You don’t need to make me a surprise.
Tell them there is a photographer coming to your house and that I’ll have a camera.
But also tell them that I’m going to hang out with you.
We might read books, play, have breakfast, cuddle the baby, run around, or do whatever your family normally does in the morning.
They don’t need to practice smiling.
They don’t need to be excited.
And they definitely don’t need to understand that they are supposed to “behave” for me.
When children know what to expect, I’m not just a stranger walking into their home with a camera. I’m someone they already know is coming to spend some time with their family.
What if your house is chaotic?
Good.
Please don’t spend the morning trying to create a version of your home that doesn’t exist.
If breakfast is happening, let breakfast happen.
If your toddler is running around in pajamas, that’s okay.
If someone spills something, we’ll keep going.
If the baby needs to eat, we stop and feed the baby.
If your kids want to show me their favorite book, toy, stuffed animal, or hiding place, I want to see it.
Your home doesn’t need to be spotless.
Your children don’t need to be perfectly dressed.
Your morning doesn’t need to go according to plan.
That’s one of the reasons I love in-home family photography in Wilmington, NC. Your children are in a place they know and love. They can move, play, explore, and simply be themselves.
And sometimes the photographs I love most happen right in the middle of the beautiful chaos.
What if your child is shy?
Please don’t worry.
Your child doesn’t have to say hello to me right away.
They don’t have to look at my camera.
They don’t have to smile.
They can hide behind you.
They can watch me from across the room.
They can warm up slowly.
I won’t force them.
Children are allowed to take their time with new people.
Sometimes the most beautiful photographs happen after a child has quietly watched me for a while and finally decides I’m okay.
And sometimes they never completely warm up.
That’s okay, too.
A shy child doesn’t need to be fixed before your family photos.
Your children are not being graded.
This is probably the most important thing I want you to know.
Your children are good children even when they are curious, shy, loud, silly, emotional, energetic, distracted, or completely uninterested in my camera.
I don’t need them to perform for me.
I want to photograph the way they reach for you.
The way they crawl into your lap.
The way they laugh when their sibling makes them laugh.
The way they hide their face when they’re shy.
The way they run through the house.
The way they look at their new baby.
The way they are right now.
I also don’t want parents spending their entire session correcting their children.
Instead of worrying about whether everyone is being “good,” I want you to enjoy them.
If your child is extra energetic, let’s work with that.
If they’re curious, let’s follow them.
If they’re shy, let’s give them time.
If they’re having a hard morning, we’ll slow down.
And if we need to pull out a surprise treat at the end and eat ice cream together?
Even better.
So when I ask you these questions…
Don’t be scared.
I’m not trying to prepare your family to be perfect for the camera.
I’m preparing myself to meet your family exactly where you are.
Whether I’m photographing a family with a brand-new baby, a toddler who never stops moving, siblings who can’t stop laughing, or a quiet little one who needs some time to warm up, there is room for all of it.
Your home doesn’t need to look perfect.
Your children don’t need to behave perfectly.
You don’t need to know what to do in front of the camera.
You just need to be together.
I’ll take care of the photographs.
And years from now, I hope you’ll be grateful that we photographed not only the beautiful, quiet moments—but the wonderfully ordinary, slightly chaotic ones, too.
That is what I love about being an in-home family photographer in Wilmington, North Carolina.
I don’t want to photograph the perfect version of your family.
I want to photograph yours.
So when I ask you these questions before your in-home family session in Wilmington, please don’t worry that you need to have everything figured out before I arrive.
You don’t need a perfect house, perfectly behaved children, or a perfectly calm morning. You just need to show up and be with your family. Let your kids be loud, shy, silly, curious, cuddly, and completely themselves. Those little things are not getting in the way of your photographs—they are your photographs.
My job is not to make your family look perfect. My job is to notice the love, the connection, and all those little moments you may not realize you’ll miss someday, and turn them into something you can hold onto.
Pola
Hi, I'm Pola.
Lifestyle photographer specializing in newborn and family photography in North Carolina.
I offer in-home newborn, pregnancy, and family photography for mothers who want to remember these days as they truly were. My sessions are slow and gentle, with no pressure to clean, pose, or perform. I focus on love and connection, creating simple, honest images meant to live in albums and be passed down for generations.
