Lifestyle Newborn Prep Guide
Getting Ready for Your Lifestyle Newborn Session
Hi, I’m Erika — your personal photographer! Congratulations on your new (or soon-to-be) arrival! If you’re reading this, it means your little one is almost here or has just joined your family. What a thrilling time! Thank you for scheduling a lifestyle newborn session with me and entrusting me to capture your beautiful family pictures. I am so excited for your upcoming newborn session. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me via text or email with any questions before your session. Here’s a guide to help you prepare for a beautiful lifestyle shoot.
BEFORE YOUR SESSION
1. Choose Your Locations
Let’s clear up a common misconception: an in-home session isn’t limited to just the nursery! For a varied gallery, consider using spaces like your master bedroom, kitchen, or living room.
2. Select Your Outfits
You might wonder why wardrobe selection comes after choosing your spaces. The colors in your home will influence what colors look best. For in-home newborn sessions, I recommend lighter-colored neutrals. White, creams, blush pink, sage green, light blue, etc. are all great base colors. Muted colors, soft pastels, and light earthy tones give a romantic, airy look. Avoid being too “matchy” and having everyone in the same color.
Mixing in texture and patterns adds dimension and interest to a wardrobe. BUT, don’t overdo it! Consider having only one family member in a pattern that is not too overwhelming and another in a texture of a solid color. Keep it minimal enough to add interest.
Here’s my top wardrobe tip: start with Mom’s dress! Avoid busy patterns and tight clothing. I do encourage moms to wear something comfortable and flowy and not constricting. Dresses add movement and elegance to photos, and they’re perfect for that postpartum stage. Having a light sweater or cardigan to go over your outfit works well too for pictures. If leggings or jeans are comfortable, wear them! BE YOU!!
For more inspiration, check out my Newborn Session Styling board on Pinterest.
3. Declutter Your Space
Don’t overlook this important step! Before your session (ideally the day before or the morning of), take a moment to tidy up the areas we’ll be shooting in. Remove items you don’t want to appear in your images. While it’s tempting to think “that can be edited out,” it can be time-consuming and costly.
Areas to declutter include:
Nightstands
Cords
Dressers
Countertops
End tables
Under the bed
4. Freshen Up Those Nails!
Whether you prefer a clean look or a fresh manicure, pay attention to your nails, your baby's, and your partner’s. Since hands often feature prominently in newborn photos, make sure to remove any chipped polish.
ON THE DAY OF YOUR SESSION
1. Consider Hair and Makeup
Let’s be honest: hair and makeup artists are incredible! They can transform a sleep-deprived new mom into a stunning version of herself. A little contouring can go a long way, especially when you’re still adjusting to motherhood.
2. Dress Your Baby Simply
For the session, a simple onesie works best under a swaddle. Babies love being swaddled, and it keeps them comfortable. I highly recommend a plain large swaddle so we can wrap your baby like a burrito! Just remember: newborns can be sensitive to changes in clothing. The less we change them, the happier they’ll be!
Let’s pick one outfit you love for your baby, and we’ll try it on before swaddling. Remember, newborns often wake up when changed, which can lead to fussiness, so we want to make the most of our time for photos!
3. Feed Your Baby
This is the easiest tip! If possible, time your baby’s feeding just before I arrive. A full baby is a happy baby, which makes for a smooth session. Of course, we’ll always take breaks for feeding!
If you would like any feeding/nursing pictures, we absolutely can do this at the beginning of the session…so hold off feeding babe until I get there and we’ll get some feeding/nursing pics done first!
4. Declutter Your Space
Don’t overlook this important step! Before your session (ideally the day before or the morning of), take a moment to tidy up the areas we’ll be shooting in. Remove items you don’t want to appear in your images. While it’s tempting to think “that can be edited out,” it can be time-consuming and costly.
Areas to declutter include:
Nightstands
Cords
Dressers
Countertops
End tables
Under the bed
5. Freshen Up Those Nails!
Whether you prefer a clean look or a fresh manicure, pay attention to your nails and your baby's. Since hands often feature prominently in newborn photos, make sure to remove any chipped polish.
6. Turn up that heat!
I’ve found that baby is soooooo much happier in a warm environment. This allows for babe to be comfortable for any naked/diaper pictures and isn’t so upset to have their clothes changed if the house is extra warm.
ON THE DAY OF YOUR SESSION
7. Want to include props? Totally up to you!
Since this is a lifestyle, very heavy on the candid and documentary nature of a session, I leave any ‘props’ that you’d want to include up to your discretion! You can absolutely round up your own items to incorporate into photos, such as your own swaddles, hats, basket, headbands, outfits, etc… for babe. Outfit/blanket changes are absolutely okay and I love when we get some a variety of pictures of babe in different outfits and blankets!
8. Let the fur babies join in the shoot!
If you want to include your dog/cat in the session, I’m all for it! Just have some high-value treats ready. We can capture some sweet moments with your fur babies, whether it's them kissing the baby, resting a paw on them or posing for a family portrait.
9. Let the light in!
I LOVE natural light. We will be embrace your home’s natural light (open up those window blinds!), turn off the overhead lights and take advantage of the natural brightness as much as possible (which is why I prefer to do these sessions at around 10am, if schedules permit). I’ll pop you all next to windows as much as possible for those pics. If the natural light is not sufficient enough (trust me I get it, some houses are dark), I will use my flash at a very low power to bounce off of the ceiling to add just enough light to illuminate you all in your space.
When in doubt, ask me! I’ve been photographing babies for well over 15 years and I can absolutely help guide you with any questions you have in regards to what to expect at your newborn session, what to wear, etc… I am always happy to help my wonderful clients!
See you soon! - Erika