This time of year it’s not uncommon to want an at-home newborn photography session, especially here in Minnesota! While my studio is always comfy and warm, a lot of clients don’t want to worry about making the trek in the snow and cold with a newborn baby in tow. I get it, trust me I do. This is why on top of offering posed newborn photography sessions in my studio I also offer at-home lifestyle newborn photography sessions.

At-home newborn photography sessions are done as lifestyle sessions, which means there are no posed or styled photos of the baby using props. Baby can certainly be swaddled, which I highly recommend, but I don’t use any bowls or baskets and I won’t pose baby into any positions. I capture the baby in a more natural state either awake or asleep.

What are the Benefits of Having an At Home Newborn Photography Session?

First and foremost, you get to stay home! No need to worry about rushing out the door with all.the.things you need for your baby. You might need to tidy up your house a little; just the rooms we’ll photograph in, but that’s about it.

Second, we’ll have access to the baby’s nursery. Having images captured in the baby’s nursery can be extremely special because as time goes by the baby’s room will turn into a toddler room and then all of a sudden you have a teenager. You’ll always treasure having documented the little details of the baby’s room.

Last, but not least, there is no timeframe that these photos need to be done by. While it’s best to have posed newborn photos done in those first 2 weeks, lifestyle newborn photos can be done at any time. Some clients like to wait until the baby is around 1 month of age because it gives them time to recover after delivery and around that age the baby is more likely to be awake for longer periods of time.

When Would an At-Home Newborn Photography Session NOT Work?

The only time an at-home newborn photography session would not work is when you don’t have the space or light in your home to make it work. A good amount of natural light is required since I use only natural light for these sessions. As you can see in the photos below, we used their master bedroom for the majority of the photos because it had an abundance of natural light as well as light-colored walls and decor, so the light was literally bouncing everywhere. This is ideal.

If you’re not sure if your home would work, you can always send me photos before the session and I’ll give you my honest opinion on whether this type of session would work in your home or not. If not, there’s always the studio.