Why you should consider an In-home Newborn Lifestyle Session
You’re prepping for your little one’s arrival. The nursery is ready to go. You’re nesting instincts are on overdrive as you attempt to plan all the things before life gets just a taaaaaaad busier ;).
One of the things on that potentially long list might be hiring a photographer to capture those first amazing moments with your baby. You’ve seen the photos of babies propped in buckets and boxes and other unnatural poses. But…you’re not quite sure that’s your style - what is a baby doing in a bucket anyway, you wonder…? You’ve also seen beautiful images of a newborn snuggling up with Mom and Dad in their own home and see that labeled a ‘lifestyle newborn session”. Thinking this is more your style (and marvel at the convenience of a photographer coming to YOU), you settle on this type of session.
But, what is a Newborn Lifestyle Session anyway?
You might have seen the term on various photographer websites, but t’s not quite clear what differentiates it from a traditional posed newborn session. If I were to explain what a lifestyle newborn session was, I’d say it is a more relaxed and natural approach to capturing your newborn/family in the comfort and familiarity of your own home.
“Lifestyle newborn photography is a relaxed and natural approach to capturing your newborn/family in the comfort and familiarity of your own home.”
Along with its natural style and the convenience of being home, I find these types of sessions to have several other amazing benefits to consider:
1) Sessions are baby-led. Our session follows their needs and we document along the way. Is baby hungry? Let’s take a feeding break. Unsettled? Time for a little snuggle. Sleepy? Take some quiet time and rest. We basically are following their natural rhythms.
2) Sessions are relaxed. While I provide a plan and structure, there are no expectations other than documenting how beautiful this stage is in your home and surroundings.
3) The focus of our session is on your connection as a family. I document the love and emotion I see - whether it’s Mom and baby, Dad and baby, sister and baby or even baby with a well-behaved family pet.
4) Less age restriction - because we are not relying on posing sleeping newborns (a very short stage) we are afforded more flexibility on how old a newborn can be. Sleepy stage works (1-2 weeks), alert stage works (3-4 weeks), alert and smiley stage works 4-6 weeks). Each age brings its own magic.
5) The context of your home and surroundings provides a historical snapshot of this time in your life. That nursery wallpaper you spent hours choosing. The mobile or hand-knit blanket your grandmother gifted you. The style of your home. It’s all preserved for you to revisit and relive over and over again.
In short, shooting in-home newborn sessions is, in my opinion, one of the best and most natural ways to document and preserve the special memories of beginning and expanding your family. I find that this format enables me to tell your very own unique story at a very precious moment in time.
Would you like to find out more about booking a newborn lifestyle session with MK Photography? Click here to connect.
