My friend Melody officially launched her small marketing and content studio late in 2020. At the time, we did a branding shoot that gave her content to fill her website and to get her business running smoothly. Still, her brand story was so wonderful, we knew we’d want to go back and do a second shoot to continue that story. We tackled it recently, and we are both so in love with the outcome. I thought it would be a great reminder about how much I love sessions done in the home. As a journalist, lifestyle photos were some of my earliest work. Today, I find them so inspiring and I don’t think I do them enough!

Telling the Sparrow Creative Studios brand story

Melody created her studio to reflect her grandmother’s values, which is a really beautiful story that gives me goosebumps when she talks about it. She also talks about how her grandmother always had snickerdoodles waiting for her when she would go visit. She’s used that love she felt from her grandmother and carried it over to her own brand. These days, her customers might get a surprise package in the mail from her filled with fresh snickerdoodles (often from Cleo and Leo) and a bag of Sparrow-branded coffee from the Roasterie.

When she’s not hiring Cleo and Leo to bake cookies for her, Melody loves baking with her kids. Snickerdoodles have become a favorite of theirs, partially because she loves telling them about her grandmother, and because it’s giving them their own traditions to remember as they get older.

Melody also mentioned while I was there shooting that she loved visiting the Lawrence Farmer’s Market every Saturday, often with her kids, where she would pick up flowers from places like Pendleton’s and Moon on the Meadow. The kids, she said, love picking out the flowers they’ll bring home or share with their grandma. I loved capturing that part of her story alongside the cookies.

Why capture in-home lifestyle photos?

I find so much value in shooting lifestyle photos in your home. Melody told me she was worried about how messy her house can be with kids. But we both were so in love with the life the house added to the photos. She said her son acted exactly the way he typically does as she bakes with her kids. We captured real life in these lifestyle photos. She’ll not only love using them for her brand, but will use these photos for memories down the road, too.

In fact, when shooting kids in their home, they’re more likely to be relaxed and willing to be themselves in front of the camera.

Jack has never been camera-shy, so we can usually take great photos of him anyway. But he really shines in the comfort of his home, where he was so candid and hilarious. Even that kissing of the mixer was him being himself!

Capturing those important details

Melody also mentioned little things that were important to her that we wanted to be sure to capture in some of the photos. We found really great ways to incorporate those details. For example, her grandmother’s apron, which she always wore while cooking, was a subtle detail in many shots.

Jack used measuring cups as a toy holder, a hilarious detail I loved to catch. Melody’s pots and pans, which were made in her hometown, are right there in many of the pictures. Even hints of her obsession with Wonder Woman snuck into the photos without being over the top.

Ready for your own lifestyle photos?

I’m booking for 2022, and if you think an in-home lifestyle session may be perfect for your family, I’d love to chat! Get in touch and let’s start planning out the details. I cannot wait to bring your story to life.