How to prepare for your lifestyle newborn session
Not exactly sure what lifestyle newborn sessions are all about? Click here to find out!
I get it, when you have a new baby you barely have time to take a shower let alone clean the house! And now you’re going to have some photographer poking around your home during such a vulnerable time. DON’T STRESS! Leave the dirty dishes, don’t mop the floors, and ignore the piles of laundry I won’t judge! Trust me, my house is a disaster 90% of the time and I don’t even have kids yet. Blame my dogs… definitely not my own fault…..
Focus on decluttering 3 main rooms
The nursery, the master bedroom, and the living room. Declutter areas that might show up in images, like the tops of nightstands, coffee tables, the area surrounding the couch/crib, basically just throw anything that’s laying around into a closet for now. If you LOVE your kitchen and want a few photos in there as well go ahead and put any clutter on the counters into the cupboards. If your meh about your kitchen and don’t really want any photos in there than don’t worry about it!
Open all the blinds and turn off the lights
It may look super dark with the lights all off but that’s okay! My camera is magic in low light and if you leave any lights on the yellow from those lights will throw the colours off when I brighten the photos in post processing.
Try to Dress & feed baby right before I am scheduled to arrive
A fed baby is a happy baby, most of the time, so try your best to feed baby right before I’m scheduled to arrive (I am notoriously on time). It’s up to you if you want to dress them before or after the feeding, you may want to do it after in case of any spit ups. If they’re not hungry, no worries! I don’t put a time limit on these sessions so you are more than welcome to feed at any time! If you want breastfeeding photos I am happy to take those as well, if you’re not into it I won’t force it on you!
Crank the heat
Babies are happiest when they are warm and cozy! Turn the heat up a few degrees warmer than you would normally have it. Especially if you want some nakey baby photos! Keep this warmer temp in mind when picking out your outfits! Speaking of outfits….
What the heck do we wear?!
The answer is different for everyone but here are a few tips!
Choose your outfit first mama!
Base the rest of the families outfit on what you chose
Pick coordinating colours, nothing too matchy matchy (unless that’s your vibe than you do you!)
Neutral colours are great because they will always match your home decor
Avoid anything with large logos or any words (this is the one thing I am real serious about)
For men, wear long pants and go bare foot
For women, if you’re a dress kinda gal than HELL YES! Long, flowy dresses with bare feet bring such a earthy vibe to photos
Ultimately I want you to wear whatever you feel your best in! If that’s a t-rex costume than all power to you! Keep a back up or two on hand in case of spit ups or blow outs. You are more than welcome to wear as many outfits as you’d like! Baby too! Now is the perfect time to show off all those cute baby clothes you stock piled during pregnancy.
What about my pets?! Can they be included?
Hell to the yeah they can be included! Pets are family and they should be included in at least a few! Besides, your pets might be your baby’s BFF’s as they grow up. How special is it to feature them in the photos so you can show your child who their bestest buds were when they were teeny tiny!
Props or no props?
I don’t bring props with me because lifestyle sessions are all about capturing life as it was in that moment, me bringing props that you will never see again kind of defeats the purpose of that documentary vibe. BUT, if you have any special blankets, stuffies, swaddles, hats, headbands, etc that YOU want featured in your photos than make sure to have them on hand! I know how special it is for Grandma to get a shot of their newest grandbaby wrapped in the blanket they made for them!
RELAX, MAMA!
Before I arrive time some time for some much needed self care! Take an extra long shower, maybe even throw some make up on, do all the things that make you feel your best! You spend all of your time taking care of others, take a few hours for yourself if you can.
The best part of lifestyle newborn sessions is how laid back and flexible they are! We will take all the time we need to capture these magical and not-so-magical moments of parenthood, no matter what mood baby or their siblings are in that day! If a little bit of cry-screaming was enough throw me off my game I wouldn’t be in this biz, so don’t stress if they are just not having it! And don’t even think about apologizing! Kids are wild, I get it.
