As a Bay Area photographer, I always love to keep my indoor or outdoor family sessions fun, laid back, and have them take place in some of the most beautiful locations in the San Francisco Bay Area or in the comfort of your own home. It is not uncommon for clients to be unsure whether to have their sessions indoors or outdoors. It all depends on what you want the feel of your photos and session to be.

Do you want a cozy in-home session? Or do you want a session with nature or city backdrops? It’s not always easy to decide, so I’ve put together this list of pros and cons to help you figure out whether an indoor session or outdoor family sessions are best for you.

Laura Jaeger Photography | Bay Area Photographer

Why Might You Want an Indoor or In-Home Session?

You might want an in-home session if you’ve just had a newborn, want a relaxed, laid-back session, don’t feel like packing up the kids, and just want great portraits of how life is right now. What I love about in-home sessions is that I get to come into your home. Your natural environment where your whole family feels the most comfortable, and just capture those precious moments as a family.

One thing that I know as a mom is that life is always changing. Kids never stop growing, life keeps pushing forward, and photos of family life in the home, are precious. Always. I love to go into a home and go light hunting to find the best lighting. I do this to see if I can use it in a new, creative way. My documentary approach with a mix of portraiture tossed in there is a great combination for a unique experience that fills your gallery with images you’ll cherish for a lifetime!

Pros of an Indoor Session

1. The Comfort of Your Own Home – You’re in the space where you feel the most comfortable and relaxed! Especially for young kids or anyone who is a little camera shy.

2. Capturing Your Everyday Moments – In-home sessions offer many opportunities to capture daily activities together. Moments that can sometimes feel monotonous or insignificant, but that often tend to be the moments we look back on and treasure the most.

3. Meaningful Memories – In-home sessions document the physical place your family is now living.  Sometimes it’s the first place your kids ever called home and the place where you created special memories together as a family. Having family photos captured in your kids’ childhood home is something that will always be treasured.

4. Flexible Session Times – Since outdoor sessions are scheduled to coincide with either sunrise or sunset, they’re not always convenient for young families. That’s not the case for in-home sessions. These times are flexible and can be scheduled around nap times!

5. The Weather Doesn’t Matter – In-home sessions eliminate the risk of rescheduling your session if the forecast calls for rain or smoke. You can also confidently plan your outfits for the day and not worry about what the weather will do!

Why You Might Want an Outdoor Family Session

You might choose an outdoor session if you’re a fan of early morning light or golden sunsets and nature in all its glory. Outdoor sessions lend themselves to a sense of adventure and playfulness. These images include family portraits in action, capturing emotion in nature and using it creatively and beautifully. On sunny days, there can be a warm and radiant glow to images.

However, the fog and clouds add equally beautiful dynamism and depth to photos. We are so lucky in the Bay Area that we have many landscapes to choose from. Outdoor sessions can include cityscapes, rolling hills, sandy ocean shores, or towering redwoods, the choice is yours!

Pros of Outdoor Family Sessions

1. Natural Lighting! – One of the biggest benefits of an outdoor session is the availability of natural light. Depending on the weather, these sessions are great for capturing the golden light after sunrise or right before sunset which creates a natural, warm, and relaxed feel to your family photos. 

2. Variety of Scenery – Outdoor sessions can happen in various locations around the great Bay Area, from coastal to cityscapes, redwoods to rolling hills. This allows for unique and personalized backdrops for your photos and the option for a few different backdrops within a given area. If you have a location with special meaning for you and your family, this is a great place to start! 

3. Sense of Adventure and Playfulness – Outdoor family sessions allow for lots of photos of your family in motion, interacting with each other and enjoying the environment. Kids are free to play and run around which can result in candid, spontaneous photos.

Let’s Schedule Your Own Indoor or Outdoor Session Next!

Ready to book your own session? Whether it’s an indoor session or an outdoor family session, I would love to capture your beautiful family next! If you would feel more comfortable with a cozy in-home session then let’s do it!

If outdoor family sessions interest you more, I can recommend many beautiful spots in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check out my “Top East Bay Area Photography Locations For Family Photos” blog. In the meantime, feel free to learn more about me. If you think I’d be the perfect Bay Area photographer for you, then let’s connect!