Lifestyle newborn sessions are so precious and sweet. I can’t get enough of meeting my newest clients and seeing their beautiful little faces. And trust me when I say that I can’t wait to see the proud mamas too! I typically get to photograph both the maternity and newborn portraits, so I’m genuinely excited to see mom again and meet her new baby!
So, you’ve done your research about a studio session vs. a lifestyle session, and you’ve chosen an at-home lifestyle session. Good choice! Now you might be wondering what to expect during a lifestyle session. You might have questions like – Do I just show up a few days after the baby is born? Do you need to do anything special to prepare? What happens if your baby (or other children) aren’t having it?
I’ll answer all those questions and more!
Lifestyle Newborn Session Process
First, I highly recommend booking your newborn photographer as soon as possible. This is important because I only take on a limited number of sessions per week to ensure that I’m available for my families and offer the best experience. I know that babies don’t usually come on their due dates – they come when they’re ready! So, I plan out my newborn sessions accordingly.
As I mentioned before, I often photograph maternity sessions for newborn clients (but not always!). This is wonderful to capture this precious time for mom as well as get to know each other before the newborn session.
Whether or not you had maternity portraits taken, a few months before your due date, we’ll connect to chat about the session. I’ll offer wardrobe guidance, see if you have any special requests, and share an outline of the session.
Truth be told, we can do as much planning as possible, but your baby will run the show! I plan out my sessions to allow lots of time so that we aren’t in a rush or stressed. You can read my entire blog post on how to prepare for your newborn session here. In a nutshell, try to feed baby a half hour before the start of the session so that she is full and sleepy. If we need to pause for a feeding break, that is totally fine!
Of course, we’ll want to include your other children in some of the photos as well as capture a family portrait. You don’t have to worry about this part of the process at all. First of all, I am positive that your older children will be so excited to show off their new sibling that we’ll have so much fun capturing the love they have. I have many tricks up my sleeve to get everyone smiling and looking at the camera, so you can trust me to make it happen!
After the session, we’ll set up a time for you to view your beautiful images and choose which ones you want to print in an album or framed portrait. All you have to do is choose what you want, and I take care of the rest. I even hand-deliver your printed artwork to you and help you hang it up. It’s that important to me that you can display your newborn portraits without lifting a finger.
Portsmouth Newborn Photographer
There is something so special about capturing newborns and their amazing families. Whenever I walk into a client’s home for the newborn session, you can just feel the love and excitement. I hope reading through this post helps you understand the newborn photography process! I don’t ever want a client stressing out over the details. I take care of all that. You made the baby, so let me handle the rest. If you want to set up a time to chat, please click here for my contact form. If you’re an expecting mama, be sure to join my online community The Village for Seacoast Moms to connect with other local moms and resources.
