In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Session | Nashville Tennessee Family Photographer
In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Photography
by Five Pence Photography
My approach to newborn photography is purely sentimental. With all my heart I wish I had these done for my family as we brought each baby home. Sadly, I didn’t, so I take my regret and turn it into emotional storytelling for you.
I know what there is to miss about having small babies and children. I know how terribly fast the newborn days go by! I know you want to remember how they feel on your chest, how little their feet are, how wonderful it is to watch your spouse become a parent. If you’re like me, you have pets, mayyybbee even too many, and your heart swells watching them become ‘siblings’ too! What about the cute little humans you may already have - you want all this sweetness and goodness to be bottled up, to be remembered and shared forever!
But, how do I get all of that?
A typical in-home newborn session takes about an hour, but we should plan on two. Sometimes, it takes a little time to warm up, or we might need some extra time if there’s a lot of diaper changing and soothing and feeding needed. Allowing for this just takes the stress out of the session.
There are 2 dominating factors in your session with me.
1) My newborn sessions are baby-led. Since I don’t do heavy poses and prefer to keep things natural and loose, the baby is in charge. When she is hungry she can eat, when she needs a change, you can change her, when she needs a cuddle, she will be cuddled!
2) We will follow the light available in the house. I am a natural light photographer and tend to shoot where the light is best in the house. We’ll open blinds, move closer to a window, or rearrange a bit, if we have to, to get the best light.
Usually, all the action happens in the baby’s room, master bedroom, and living room.
But not always - we may get to be creative or just have to follow the light around.
You don’t have to deep clean your house!
Make your beds, open your curtains and blinds, a quick tidy is really all that’s neccessary. A good tip I’ve learned along the way is grab an empty laundry basket, and go through the rooms you think we’ll shoot in and throw all the mess (chargers, books, wipes, toys, wallets, etc) you don’t want in the photos and place the basket in a closet so nothing from it gets lost.
In my lifestyle sessions, I do make portraits of just the baby.
I keep it simple by using the floor next to a window or your bed. I keep the poses and wrapping simple because I prefer to still be able to see the baby. Baby should wear simple clothing like a onesie or sleeper. The more snug the fit, the better as something too large wrinkles and never sits right on their little body.
All family members should wear clothes that are comfortable.
It can be tricky having everyone in string and different patterns, but that’s not to say it won’t work. If you’re confident in your styling then go for it! But if you’re not, then it’s best to try to avoid patterns on everyone. I recommend starting with Mom’s outfit first, then, you can organize everyone else’s. Try to avoid anyone in strong reds and neon colors as they cast a color onto your face. Also, try avoiding clothes with words and logos. The reason here is to create a more timeless portrait and to not have the clothes be a distraction.
And really, barefoot is best!!
Usually, a newborn session is scheduled between the hours of 10am-2pm.
Those hours of the day usually provide the best light and tend to work well with newborn sleep schedules. If you have toddlers, keep snacks that aren’t too sticky or drippy available throughout the session. It can be hard to bribe a toddler to “behave” through a whole hour or two, so I think it’s nicer to have some ready to give as it’s needed and they will be more willing to participate in the session.
If you are breastfeeding I lovingly urge you to have breastfeeding photos taken during the session. May you be so lucky your breastfeeding journey continues until baby is ready to wean, but you never know when it might end abruptly due to medical reasons and you will be glad you have some.