How to prepare for an in-home newborn session

You’ve scoured Instagram and Pinterest, looking at all the different styles of newborn photography and have decided you are drawn to a lifestyle in-home newborn session…great! You are in the right place! But now you may be thinking, what all is involved with this? Is it going to be too much for me to take on after just having a baby? It’s actually super simple and this post is written to inform you of what to expect and ease any nerves about utilizing your home for the photoshoot.

First, and possibly most importantly, your entire home does not have to be spotlessly clean! I have had 3 children myself and now first hand how challenging it is to keep a clean home in the newborn stage when you are simply trying to survive and get enough sleep. As a natural light photographer, I utilize beautiful window light, so we will almost always be taking the photos near wherever the best window light is coming in. Typically this is the living room, nursery, master bedroom – or, even sometimes I find beautiful big windows with gorgeous light in places like the dining room, or of course a sun room. Think through the areas of your home that get the most window light and tidy up the area close to those windows – that’s all I need clean! I can even help if needed!

Next, we will want the temperature of your home a little bit warmer than normal so that we can photograph all those precious baby rolls! Since we’ll most likely take some photos of the baby’s little body without being completely bundled up in blankets, we’ll want him/her to stay nice and cozy. Having the temperature anywhere as high as 78 (or as close to that as you are comfortable with) will help the baby to be happy and cozy warm in a variety of positions.

Lastly, it’s important to try to give the baby a feeding right before I arrive, or as close to the session start time as possible. I realize this is not always possible, but it’s a great goal to strive for! If the baby is well fed and nice and warm, it will most likely make for a great start to the session. I should add though that, as we are going about the shoot, multiple breaks for feeding and comforting the baby are normal and expected, so please do not worry at all when these times arise as the session unfolds!

That’s it! It’s really pretty simple – tidy areas near the best windows, have the temp cozy, and feed baby right before I come! I hope this post was helpful and if you are interested in having me document your family, I’d be honored! You can contact me here.