WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR lifestyle IN HOME NEWBORN SESSION
Hi there friend! I am so very excited for our upcoming session!! I can’t wait to capture beautiful images of your family during this special time in your life with your tiny new addition. These moments go by so quickly and I want to capture them in a beautiful authentic way for you to love and remember forever.
Time and length of session. I only use natural light in my photography, and late morning or early afternoon are good times of the day to shoot indoors as the light that enters your home during this time is typically nice and soft. Before the session I will ask for you to provide me with pictures of rooms in your home as well as what direction that your rooms are facing (you can use a compass app on your phone to look this up). I plan for these sessions to take around 2 hours so that there is plenty of time for feeding and soothing. I will keep an eye on the weather on the days leading up to your session. If you have multiple children, then dark and rainy days can be a challenge for shooting indoors.
Where in your home will we be photographing? We will only shoot in areas of your home where there is enough natural light (we will need to keep all artificial lights off). Sometimes it’s not possible to shoot in a room that you had in mind as it may not have enough natural light entering the space. As mentioned, I will ask for you to take pictures during morning and afternoon in several rooms prior to your sessions so that I can have a sneak peek on the light. Also, please don’t feel that you have to clean before I arrive. Honestly I would have never been able to do so myself whenever I have just brought home a newborn! I will help with moving things around when we shoot, so don’t worry about this part.
How to dress your baby? Your sweet baby is perfect just the way that he or she is. Keep it simple, a white onesie and blanket to swaddle is all that you need! Don’t worry about any accessories or elaborate swaddlers, we will capture these images just the way that life felt in this moment.
Mom, dad, what to wear? The most important thing is that you’re comfortable! We want to capture this time just as it is, at home and relaxed. I do however recommend that you avoid graphics/logos and text on clothing. Also, neutral colors tend to look beautiful for shooting indoors and often match the interior of homes. For moms, a simple top, cardigan, comfy dress or comfortable pants is a winner. To mention it, I loved wearing a pair of postpartum yoga pants after my last baby, they made me feel like “me” and everything else just made me feel uncomfortable. This is completely fine! With that said, if you want to be more dressed up, perhaps a pretty blouse paired with jewelry please go for it! I want you to wear whatever makes you feel great right now. For dads, the very same, however you’re comfortable! A simple t-shirt or long sleeve tee paired with jeans is a great look (however I suggest staying away from wearing a white t-shirt). Oh and also, for in home shoots barefoot is the way to go, it makes for relaxed and comfortable images. If you need help with selecting clothing, just let me know!
What to expect from me? I will focus on capturing connection, closeness and love in your images and I won’t ask for you to be anything but yourself. And don’t worry about what to do in the images, I got this part and will direct you :-)! During this time of Covid I will not be touching anyone in your family when I photograph you. However I will provide plenty of verbal guidance.
I will not photograph your baby in unnatural poses. I will be photographing your baby just the way that he or she is. Some babies do no want to leave their parents arms, and this is completely fine. We will take individual images if your baby seems fine with doing so. Also, your baby does not need to sleep when we’re photographing. My approach is baby led and we will go with the flow of what your baby needs. Feel free to take feeding breaks as needed! I will capture images while you’re feeding and if you’re nursing and feel comfortable, I will capture this as well.
Preparing older children. If there are siblings, please prepare your child by saying that a friend is coming to visit to take some pictures of your family. It is always best not to surprise them. During the session, please don’t worry if your child is “not behaving”. I have three children of my own so there is literally nothing that will surprise me :-) I will not force your child to do anything that he or she doesn’t want to do, and we will simply go with the flow.
What to expect after the shoot? You will receive your digital images in approximately 3 weeks following the session. You will receive an email with a link that takes you directly to the online gallery. From here you can view and download images.
Thank you for trusting in me as your photographer! I truly can’t wait to meet you and to capture beautiful images of your family! Let me know if you have any questions at all, you can ask me anything. See you soon!
Love,
Sara