For just over a year now I have been offering only at home newborn photo shoots and I have had the most amazing response.
For years I did studio photo shoots which worked very well to an extent, but I found myself getting little bored with the providing the same “routine” photo shoot for every family. Every family is different, unique, they have gone through a different birth experience, a different way of introducing their new little baby to the world. You can’t slot this incredible chapter of your life into a rigid ‘one size fits all’ routine.
This is one of the reasons I decided to experiment with going into people’s homes to take their first ever photos with this new little life.
I was nervous at first. What if there wasn’t enough light? What if nothing matched? What if I couldn’t find enough inspiration to start the photo shoot. I had NO reason to worry. The minute I walked into these spaces, there it was…click! I was telling a story. Their story, not my own where I put the baby in a basket with the same pink coloured wrap for a girls or blue for a boy. I started using their nursery’s, their blankets, the beautiful windows, gifts that had been given by loved ones and Ta daaaa!. I was telling their own story through my photography, in their own space, where THEY feel at home, comfortable. Heck I even had parents have a little nap whilst I was taking snaps of bubba.
All of my sessions are done using natural light. I find this is less disturbing or little bubba and also gives an organic finish to your images. I’ll use your blankets, furniture, gifts and your beautiful home as a backdrop.
I book my newborn shoots in 10 days after your due date. Of course this date could change but its just a good indicator to me that I’ll need to reserve some time around that period. I always try to get the shoot done within the first 2 weeks so little one is relaxed and super sleepy.If you already have 1 or more adorable little ones, its lovely to get some gorgeous sibling shots too. Sometimes its a good idea to have them either occupied in another room or have a family member have them for the first hour or so of the shoot. This is because I try to spend some time with new baby in a super relaxed, calm environment to get some sleepy pictures of them first.The shoot can take anything from 1-4 hours with feeding and settling so bare in mind to block a good amount of time out that day. Please also try to have the house a few degrees warmer than normal. If you could also make the house as clear as possible, that would be great. I’ll be using window areas, beds and potentially the nursery if there is one too.
This was a revelation to me. Here I am a year later and consistently only booking at home newborn sessions and totally loving it. So, if you are curious about booking one of these then get in touch with me now.
Here are a few snaps from Melissa and Calum’s home photo shoot with gorgeous little Sophia and their Cocker Spaniel, Myla.
