What to expect from your lifestyle newborn photography session.
What is lifestyle newborn photography?
Often families are looking for a particular style of newborn photography but don’t quite know how to describe it. They know they don’t want posed photos with props but want something more natural and candid. This style of photography is called ‘lifestyle newborn photography’ – where we aim to capture the beauty and realness of your newborn and your family in your own home. I offer lifestyle newborn photography on Sunshine Coast.
How is it different to studio photography?
Studio sessions involve travelling to a photographer’s studio to capture your photos. These are often more posed in style and sometimes include props, assorted wraps, and hats. These sessions are often quite long, as the goal is to make the newborn very sleepy for the photos.
How is it different to documentary photography?
Documentary photography involves capturing real moments at home (this might include changing a nappy, bathing your child, eating meals, playing with toys etc.). Lifestyle newborn photography consists of this element; however, it is a little more styled and includes some mild posing. This might consist of me giving you some gentle prompts, such as where to stand/sit and where to place your hands, while keeping it relaxed and natural. I have many cues to help toddlers connect with you and your newborn. And I also ensure to capture different family combinations and your newborn by themselves.
What age is best?
For those more ‘sleepy’ photos, I recommend we do the session around 6-14 days of age. This isn’t a hard and fast rule – some babies are always unsettled, and others are sleepy and chill for weeks! But generally, babies tend to still be sleepy at this age, and they haven’t broken out in baby acne yet.
But if your baby is older, please don’t lose heart. The beauty of lifestyle newborn photography is that the photos are more about the connection between you and your children rather than the more posed studio photos you often see. So if Bubs is awake and looking up at you, these photos can be just as gorgeous!
What should we wear in our session?
Lifestyle photography is about capturing genuine memories. Therefore I want you to feel comfortable in what you wear – it should be to your style and taste.
Tip #1 - Colours
The best colours to wear are generally neutral, soft and earthy tones (such as olive green, mustard, tan, cream, brown, white, warm pastels and soft blues). However, if you love wearing colour, then please do! I would suggest that if mum is wearing something bright, maybe keep her partner and children’s outfits a little more neutral to balance things out. I recommend avoiding a lot of black, fluoro colours, logos and heavy jewellery.
Tip #2 - Mum's Outfit
Flowy clothing photographs beautifully – maybe a flowy dress or top. And linen and lace look beautiful. If you’re breastfeeding, try to wear something breastfeeding-friendly.
Tip #3 - Newborn's Outfit
Keep it simple – you want to see those chubby arms and legs and teeny tiny feet. A plain bodysuit is best – one with press studs at the bottom (so we hide the nappy). This might be a basic white singlet, a simple little romper or bloomers. Have backups handy in case of spews and nappy leaks!
Tip #4 - Siblings & Partners Outfits
I suggest deciding on mum’s outfit first, then your newborn, then siblings and the other parent. If Mum’s outfit is quite bright/with lots of patterns, keep the other outfits simpler. And if Mum’s outfit is relatively neutral, you could add more colour and patterns to your kid’s outfits. Flowy dresses are often excellent for girls, and a simple t-shirt or shirt with chinos, jeans or shorts works well for boys and dads.
Tip #5 - Footwear
For in-home sessions, I recommend going with bare feet or simple sandals. Socks are often grubby and don’t look great in photos!
How can we prepare for our session?
Have your house nice and warm. This helps keep your baby nice and sleepy, and relaxed.
Have some lovely wraps and blankets handy – a mix of neutral and colourful/patterned ones is good. Knitted or crocheted blankets can add some nice texture. If you have anything sentimental (like a blanket knitted by grandma), have that handy too, and we can use them in some photos.
Aim to feed your baby just before I arrive.
Suppose you can do a general tidying and remove any obvious clutter (such as on bedside tables). But please don’t worry about doing a thorough clean – I make sure to move aside any clutter in the background of images.
How can we include older siblings?
Many of my newborn lifestyle sessions include older siblings. Parents often worry about their toddler sitting still for photos – but I have some great tricks which help. Lifestyle photography doesn’t rely on everyone smiling and looking at the camera, instead capturing the connection between family members. Here are some tips for your session involving a toddler:
Word them up beforehand! Talk about how fun getting photos with their little sibling will be and how much of a big help they will be.
When I arrive, I give your toddler a lot of attention – ask them to show me their room and toys and take some individual photos of just them.
If your toddler is happy and cooperating, we will take photos, including them – with the whole family and their new sibling. If your toddler isn’t ready and needs more warming up, I’ll start with the baby and go from there.
I keep the photos with your toddler short and sharp and mix things up to keep it fun.
Have lots of snacks handy!
What does a lifestyle newborn photography session typically look like?
When I arrive, I’ll first have a little look around your house to find the best spaces and light. Rooms with lots of windows and light are best. Usually, we mainly use the main bedroom, but we also might use the lounge, nursery and backyard. I will use the studio light I bring if there is not enough light.
We will then try to get your newborn sleepy if possible – this makes for more settled photos (they can make funny faces when awake!), and then go from there. The photos will include combinations of your newborn and your newborn with different family members. If toddlers are involved, we often let them take the lead and involve them when the time is right!
If your baby is unsettled, you can feed them as much as needed (and if you would like some breastfeeding photos, please let me know!). If you are using a dummy, this can be helpful. We will also wrap your baby, and white noise is often helpful.
Sessions usually go for 60-90 minutes, depending on how we go about getting your newborn to sleep. However, if your newborn is awake the whole time – we still get beautiful photos and capture your little one’s personality!
How do we receive our photos?
I edit all your images in my style and provide them via a beautiful online gallery. You can share the gallery with family and friends and download the high-res images from there. If you want to get prints or framed prints, you can purchase these through the gallery. Your gallery will be ready within two weeks after your session.
If you would like to book your newborn session with me, please contact me via my contact form. I’d love to hear from you and meet your family!
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