You know that you want to hire a photographer to capture beautiful images of your new baby. But once you begin to research your options (or perhaps scour Pinterest for inspo), you realize you have a decision to make as to where you want your images captured. Do you want to travel to a photography studio for your little one’s photos or have a photographer travel to your home and create lifestyle newborn photos? This can be a difficult decision to make and there are pros and cons to each option. In today’s blog, we’ll dig into these pros and cons to hopefully give you the knowledge you need to decide. Plus, I’m sharing some photos from my most recent in-home session to give you an idea of the kind of images that are typically captured in a lifestyle session.
First, let’s discuss the pros of a doing lifestyle newborn photos in your home:
Pro: Comfort and Relaxation
One of the biggest advantages of an in-home newborn photography session is the comfort and relaxation that it provides. Your baby is so new and tiny, and you’re likely sleep deprived, which means staying in the comfort of you own home might be a better option. Having the photoshoot in your own home eliminates the need to travel with a newborn, which can be a challenge in and of itself. Also, photographing in your home allows you and your baby to be in a familiar and comfortable environment, which can help to reduce stress an lead to better photographs.
Pro: Color Palette and Style
While most newborn studios are neutral colored (often all-white), your home features the colors and style that your family prefers. This means that if you decide to frame and hang any of your images, or place them in an album, they style of the images will flow well with the style of your home. Lifestyle newborn sessions usually take place in the living room, master bedroom and/or nursery. Keep this mind as you make your decision.
Pro: Safety
Safety is always a top concern for families, especially when it comes to newborns. Newborns are delicate and their immune systems are still developing, so it’s important to minimize their exposure to outside environments as much as possible. By having a lifestyle newborn session in your own home, you can control the environment and eliminate any concerns about exposing your baby to germs or other potential health hazards.
And now for potential cons of doing lifestyle newborn photos:
Con: Getting Your Home Ready
While you certainly don’t need to clean your entire home for your lifestyle session, you will need to ensure the “shooting” areas of tidy and free of clutter. This can feel like a daunting task when you’re postpartum and running on very little sleep. Here at the KFP studio, we take care of everything, so that you can literally show up in your sweat pants and a messy bun and we can get you completely ready. As you’re making your decision, just consider how much work you want to do or will be able to do once you’re home and settled with baby.
Con: Props and Supplies
Most newborn studios are fully stocked with wraps, blankets, props, and various background/furniture options. When you opt to have your session in your home, your photographer won’t be able to bring all of their supplies and props to your home. They will likely bring a few wraps or blankets to use, but know that the majority of the props and tools used in your session will come from your home. This is not a bad thing, but it will result in a different look in your final gallery. You’ll need to decide which style of photo you prefer.
Con: Lighting
The most important factor in really beautiful photography is light. When a photographer is coming to your home, especially if they’ve never been there before, there is no guarantee that they’ll be able to create the right background with the right lighting. The whether, amount of clouds in the sky, direction of your home – all of these factors play into how well a room in your home is lit. This is why it’s so important to hire a professional. An experienced photographer will be able to find the best lighting scenario in your home, but it might not be the same quality as what you’ll find in a studio setting.
There are many benefits to choosing an in-home newborn photography session over a traditional studio session, but honestly one is not superior to the other. From the comfort and relaxation provided by a familiar environment to the personalization and safety that it offers, an in-home session can be a wonderful way to capture the beauty and innocence of your newborn. However, they can be a lot of work on mom and dad, and are a little risky when it comes to weather and light. Whichever location you decide on, as long as you’ve hired an experienced photographer, you should leave your experience with beautiful images of your newly expanded family.
Are you expecting?
Are you expecting and looking for a newborn photographer? First of all, congratulations!! We would be honored to chat with you about what you’re looking for in your experience and explain how we can serve you! You can contact us HERE to get the conversation started. We can’t wait to meet you!
If you want to read more about our tips for a newborn session, head to this blog!
Kayla is a Knoxville family photographer offering family, maternity and newborn photography in a natural light studio or on location in Knoxville, TN and the surrounding area. Want to read more about what it looks like to experience a KFP session? Click here for more details or contact us to book your family or newborn photo session.
It’s interesting to know why people choose to book an in-home newborn photography session instead of a traditional one. Last week, my brother’s wife gave birth, and as their baby shower gift, I want to pay for a newborn photography session for them, so I’ll email your insight about lifestyle newborn photos. Thanks for explaining that an in-home photography session comes with comfort and relaxation perks.