There are so many reasons I love in-home newborn sessions. Here are just six:
1. I get to really capture the essence of who you are. Our homes say so much about what is important to us — from the style and color of our couch to the art on our walls— so I love that I get to document what that looks like in this season of your life. From details that exist because of your new baby — like bottles or nursing items, favorite board books, and nursery decor that you’ve picked so lovingly — to details that will likely evolve in the months and years to come as your baby grows and starts to explore — like trailing plants on tippy plant stands — the way your home looks right now represents your family perfectly at this specific moment in time.
2. You are so much more comfortable in your own space. Besides the fact that taking your new baby anywhere can feel like such a huge undertaking (that exposes your newborn to so many potential germs at such a vulnerable time), getting to stay in whatever rhythm has been working for you in the first days and weeks can be such a relief. You can feed your baby in your favorite nursing spot, snuggle your baby, change their diaper and clothes in their sweet little nursery, and just sit back and adore them on your own comfy couch (basically all the stuff your days are chock full of right now) with comfort and ease. There’s just such a relaxed vibe to the session when you’re in your own home. In fact, I get told by most of my clients that it was so much easier than they expected!
3. Postpartum should be a time for rest. I firmly believe that we fail new parents in this country by not emphasizing and supporting rest in the first several weeks after a baby is born. In-home, lifestyle newborn photography sessions require very little from you. A shower, if you’re so inclined, and some casual, comfortable clothes. Perhaps a quick tidy of granola bar wrappers and stacks of mail from the end tables (but a full-on cleaning is never necessary! And I promise that I don’t care about the dirty dishes piling up in the sink!). You don’t even have to walk to the car and back (which is a bigger journey than you think in those first couple of weeks after birth). And a huge bonus is that, unlike posed, studio newborn sessions, there’s really so much flexibility in terms of timing. These sessions can take place anytime from the first days of baby’s life all the way until they are 3 or 4 or 5 weeks old. Honestly, if you’re not ready until 2 or 3 months, that’s OK, too. The laid-back flow of these sessions works really well for any aged newborn.
4. You receive photos that will serve as reminders – not only of what your sweet baby looked like as a squishy, little newborn – but also what this fleeting phase of your family’s story FELT like to you! It is my goal to document the details of your baby, home, routines, and life from a perspective that will showcase what your days look and feel like. One practically-unfathomable day, when your baby is 6 months or 10 years or 25, you will look back on these photos and it won’t just be the way things looked, but the way they felt that will bring the memories of life when your child was a newborn rushing back. You’ll reminisce about feeding and diapering and cuddling and adoring that sweet and tiny babe, and maybe you’ll shed a tear or two of joy and sadness and maybe another of longing for those days that will feel so recent and simultaneously so very long ago.
5. Your photos will be as unique as your family. As an artist, I love the challenge of walking into a new space for the first time and making art in this new location that is true to my style and unique to your family. It’s so fun to walk into your home and find my bearings. To take stock of the light and the space and figure out what spots I want to settle into. Where I can utilize especially meaningful pieces and what angles will provide the best lighting to highlight your baby’s sweet, tiny features and your complete adoration of them. Finding myself in so many different spaces really keeps my on my toes and keeps me learning and growing. I love the variety, both in terms of actually doing the work, and in terms of what I’m delivering to my clients. I always attempt to remain consistent enough that you’ll know what to expect when you invite me to document your family, but the fact that each space is different ensures that your photos are also truly unique to you!
6. The size of your home matters not at all! I’ve photographed newborn babies in sprawling estates, one-room apartments, sweet bungalows, and everything in between. All I really need is a window or two and whatever space is yours. There’s truly no need to fret that your home isn’t straight out of a magazine or that you don’t have a Pinterest board inspired nursery. The magic lies in the connection of your family, your adoration of your new baby’s every coo, and a little light shining through that one window.
If these sound like fantastic benefits to you, let’s chat about scheduling your newborn session in your home, too. Click here to get in touch.