I've definitely blogged before about my Newborn Sessions, but went into more specifics about the sessions I was sharing photos from and the specific challenges I faced during those sessions. I thought I'd write up a post about what my newborn sessions are like, because I have a somewhat unique approach to newborn photography.
One thing I've learned being a parent and a photographer is that babies are unpredictable. Newborn babies are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph (at least, for me they are). My approach to newborn photography is to do a lifestyle session, rather than posed newborn sessions. I do this for two reasons - first, because of what I just said - babies in general are unpredictable and second, because I love capturing personality and lifestyle photography is my way of doing that.
When I arrive for a Lifestyle Newborn Session - I do have LOTS of stuff with me. I bring a bunch of different photography gear and some props and posing pillows. I know what you might be thinking - I just said I don't do posed newborn sessions, and while this is mostly true - I do want to capture some photos of just the baby, so I bring along some stuff to help accomplish that. I also want to give the parents the chance to get some photos with those adorable outfits they received - so my session is sort of a combination of both.
Sleepy babies are the easiest to pose, but newborns, in my experience, have very unpredictable sleeping schedules - I've yet to photograph a newborn who slept through the entire session (even my own newborn didn't sleep a wink while I tried to photograph him). Sometimes getting a baby to sleep during a session requires a quick feeding session, where we can then squeeze in some posed photos. But sometimes, that doesn't work and our posed photos are of a wide awake baby. As a photographer, I've learned to go with the flow and take cues from my subjects.
Because I have to go with the flow, I do whatever works for the family during our session. Mom or Dad hasn't had a chance to put herself together today? No problem, photos with the parents are close ups of the baby, where you don't have to look or feel totally put together to be able to feel the love in the photo. Your house isn't clutter free and you don't want that stack of laundry being the focal point of your photos? I can work with that too! Have your own ideas in mind? I'd love to hear them and discuss what is possible during your session!
My goal is to capture the love of a growing family. This can be done in so many ways, I don't want to restrict myself to only doing posed photos or only doing family photos.
If you're interested in booking a Lifestyle Newborn Session or just learning more details about a session, feel free to shoot me an email - soPhotography4@gmail.com
Thanks for stopping by!
~so~