Including the Whole Family in a Newborn Photo Shoot | DC Newborn Photographers

I often get asked questions about families wanting photos of other family members when we schedule the newborn session. My answer is always yes! With lifestyle family photography, it would be weird NOT to include siblings and caregivers.

Are you interested in seeing what a newborn session looks like with the whole family? Check it out!

• the newborn session is led by the baby (or the sibling)

  Baby doesn’t want to be put down? That’s okay! Baby is hungry? Totally fine. Baby didn’t get a lot of sleep? We still get great photos!

  If there are siblings, usually one of the children has more needs at any given moment. If the baby is settled, content, and happy, at one point there may be an older sibling that wants attention. At least one of these scenarios will likely happen during your newborn session and that’s totally okay!

• we will spend time getting each parent with the new baby

  This can be documenting what it looks like during a feeding, or putting them in a new outfit that one of the caregivers or parents picked out. This can look like taking a moment of rest. This can also look like mama looking beautiful in a dress because let’s face it, it takes SO much effort to get ready once you have children (let alone a young baby!)

• If there is a sibling, you know that if one of the parents is with the baby, the other parent is likely with the other child. This is a great time to get photos of the other parent with the other child!

• we will spend time in different areas in your home

• Since newborn sessions are typically scheduled in the morning, we will use the morning light coming through the windows. Think the master bedroom, kid’s room, and other family / living room areas.

• Moving around in different areas adds visual interest to your gallery and captures your home where you raised your beautiful family!

• if your family is calm and quiet, your gallery will depict calmness. if your family is playful and engaged and busy, your gallery will depict playfulness!

• I don’t force children and families to do anything uncomfortable or that doesn’t feel like them.

• My job as your lifestyle family photographer is to help guide and pose you to incorporate your connection, family, and environment to tell your story at any given time. For this family, it’s capturing a young boy and his baby brother.

• portraits of the kids

• There will usually be some moments that your baby is content, fed, and happy and I make it a priority to get portraits of the baby. This can be in a diaper or onesie, in a cute outfit, or can include a special blanket or item that was made or given to your baby.

• If there is a sibling, I typically try to get your older sibling to interact and trust me and there are usually some really great images that come from that.

I hope this was helpful to share what a session can look like with other family members.

Related blog posts:

• 3 rooms in your home to take newborn photos

• what I want you to know about a newborn session with a toddler

• in home newborn session in bethesda maryland

Send me a message to schedule your next family session!

In Home Newborn Family Session | DC Newborn Photography

I feel so so lucky to have this job! I photographed Mom and Dad for their maternity session at Brookside Gardens in the DC area and just a few weeks later I got to photograph them again at home with the new baby.

Related Blog Posts:

Maternity Session at Brookside Gardens

Frequently asked Newborn Session Questions

One thing I love about in home newborn sessions is that I get to talk with the family about this exciting time of their life, the change, the adjustment, and I get to photograph all. of. the. love.

Each newborn and family session is so unique and each family has different family dynamics, different homes and locations, and the interactions between family members can vary. And I’m here for all of it!

I hope you enjoy some the images below of this beautiful family.

Would you like to learn more about booking a lifestyle newborn session in the DC area?

Frequently Asked Newborn Session Questions

You’ve landed here because you’re interested in a newborn session! I’ve created this blog post to answer the most common questions about booking a newborn session. My lifestyle sessions are baby led and they are perfect for documenting your growing family.

Keep reading to find out the answers to frequently asked newborn session questions.

do you do in home sessions?

Yes! I actually prefer to do newborn sessions at home. Me coming to your home is one less thing for you to have to worry about - no need to drive to a studio, no need to buy props, and most of all - you’re in the comfort of your own home. It’s the perfect place for a newborn session!

can we take photos in my front yard or backyard?

Of course! We will discuss areas at your home that are most important to you. When indoors, mid morning around 9 or 10 is the best time for soft light, but it can be a hard time to photograph outdoors at that time, unless there are shaded areas outside of your home. If you’d like both, I will discuss with you about arriving a few minutes early to your home to find the most ideal areas outside that will photograph well so that we can get a mix of indoor and outdoor photos.

what age does my newborn have to be?

Because I’m a lifestyle family & newborn photographer, we can be more flexible when it comes to timing of scheduling the newborn session. I have photographed newborns right after birth up until about 2 months of age. So the answer is - whenever is a good time for you!

do you use props?

I don’t bring anything to my newborn sessions other than my camera, lenses, and maybe a step ladder. No props! Your home environment makes the perfect backdrop. If you have a family heirloom or outfit you’d like to photograph your baby in, we can incorporate that into your session.

what if my baby is awake?

If your baby is awake, I’ll photograph your baby alone and with family members!

what if my baby is asleep?

Same! If your baby is asleep, I’ll photograph your baby alone and with family members! If there are sibling at your family session it may be better to take these sibling shots when your new baby is asleep.

what if my baby gets hungry?

That tends to happen at newborn sessions, and guess what - I’ll still be clicking with my camera! Whether you’re nursing or bottle feeding, I love documenting these feedings based on your comfort level.

do you include other family members?

Absolutely! With this being a lifestyle session, all family members are included. I usually try to take portraits of the baby alone and with each family member. Including pets!

do you pose the baby?

I will direct you to place the baby in the best lighting and may wrap the baby in a swaddle but I don’t do much posing when it comes to my lifestyle sessions. Because I don’t use props, we won’t be putting baby in those adorable froggy poses or putting baby in a basket. Baby alone or in family’s arms are the perfect places for newborn babies at lifestyle sessions!

what is included in the session fee?

Your session fee includes your two hour session along with a digital gallery to share and save your images. I typically include galleries of over 50 images from your session.

do I need to clean my house?

No need to worry! We will only photograph rooms that have the most light - the living room, master bedroom, and nursery are usually great areas. We will be using window light so it’s a good idea to clean any clutter from things that won’t add to the story. I’ll likely ask to rearrange some items depending on the angles of the photos we take.

when should I book the session?

Because I only offer limited newborn sessions each month, please contact me at least 2-3 months before you’d like your session. I’d love to add you to my calendar!

What Should I Wear for my Family Photo Session?

I get this question often! What should we wear for family photos? When you’re picking out what you want your family to wear for family photos I always like to suggest a few things you can do.

The first thing I will note is that I am a lifestyle family photographer so what’s most important to me is that you enjoy your session and the photos are able to show what your family connection feels like, not necessarily a photo of everyone dressed perfectly and looking at the camera.

With that being said, I do feel that there is some strategy that comes along with outfit choices.

Keep reading to see what to wear at your family photo session:

Keep these tips in mind and you can dress as dressy or casual as you’d like!

1. be comfortable

   Dress comfortable! If you have little ones, you’ll be carrying them and moving around to play with them and I want you to be comfortable! Comfortable to you can mean a dress for you Mama, or it can simply be a cute top and jeans (or shorts!). I would suggest dressing with the season so that you’re nice and comfortable and not too hot or too cold.

2. start with mom’s outfit

   I usually recommend starting with an outfit that Mom feels and looks great wearing. Once Mom is good to go, see if your family members have clothes with colors that compliment the colors in your outfit. For example, if you’re wearing a patterned dress, you can have your family members wear choices that bring out the colors in your dress.

3. coordinate, not match

   Your lifestyle family session isn’t a formal - let’s all go to a studio and dress alike - everyone look the same - session. Be you!

   Simply use colors that go together such as different shades of the same color or complimentary colors that are opposites on the color wheel. We aren’t going to be all wearing those white tees and matching khaki pants here. Add some more interesting clothing choices than that! I promise your photos will look much better when your outfit choices coordinate and look arranged but not matchy matchy.

4. stay away from large logos & “screen tees”

   Unless you’re going for a specific look/theme for your photos, please stay away from wearing shirts with large logos or screen / character tees. This can sometimes date the photos and won’t look as great for the professional look of family photos. It is probably best to stick with solids and prints for your session.

5. add pops of color

   I love love love color and it’s pretty obvious on my website and when you see my work! If you have some items in your wardrobe with a little bit of color definitely go with that! It helps to make the photo more interesting and helps to add layers and variety to the photo.

6. add a mix of texture & pattern

   I would change things up and have one or two of your family members in a different texture or pattern than you. This can mean someone in your family wearing plaid and another member wearing something a little more simple. Think about what you already have in your wardrobe and lay out everything before your session to see how it all looks together.

I have also put together this Pinterest Board in case you need more What to Wear ideas! I hope this is helpful!

Send me a message to schedule your family session!

Fresh 48 Hospital Session | Atlanta Family Photographers

This blog post may have caught your eye because it features an adorable fresh new baby! In these days of COVID-19, restrictions are in place that do not allow hospital photographers to help document these special new moments for a family as they welcome their little one. I was looking through photos from previous sessions and I wanted to share photos from a Fresh 48 newborn session that I did about a year and a half ago. Even though these photos aren’t super recent, the photos are still meaningful, as this Mom and Dad welcomed their baby girl.

So What is a Fresh 48 Newborn session?

A Fresh 48 Session, also known as a Birth Place Session or Hospital Newborn Session, is a photo session that takes place where you welcome your baby within the first 48 hours of your baby’s life. These are typically done in a hospital once you are in the recovery room, but can also take place in your home if you have had a home birth. It’s a special time that allows you to soak up every second of welcoming your baby, holding her, changing her, and taking in all that parenthood has to offer, while having a photographer to document these moments.

Fresh 48 Sessions are a little different than Lifestyle Newborn Sessions, in that there are key elements included within the first couple of days of welcoming your baby. These are a mix between lifestyle and documentary, where there isn’t much posing, but rather me moving around the room photographing hospital elements such as the hospital bed, the hospital bassinet, the hospital shirt and blanket, and more elements that help to tell the story if your baby’s first few moments.

Typically, I like to take a photo of your family, as you may have not yet taken a photo of your new, growing family. I take portraits of Mom alone with baby, Dad alone with baby, and of course portraits of baby. Many times the families include images from the Fresh 48 session to use in the birth announcement of their baby. Fresh 48 Sessions are also a great time to document the siblings meeting for the first time.

These sessions can range between 30 and 60 minutes, considering ensuring you have enough of a variety to tell the story of baby’s first few hours. I like to include the typical hospital clothing, as this is the only time baby will probably be in this clothing. I also enjoy incorporating adorable outfits like this matching robe and swaddle for Mama and baby.

Send me a message if you’d like to chat more about booking a Fresh 48 session! I offer a bundle when booking with a maternity or newborn sessions so please mention that so we can find a way to offer you several images to welcome your baby!

related blog posts

Atlanta Family Photographers | Decatur Newborn Photography

I had the opportunity to photograph this family when I flew home to Atlanta last month for a lifestyle newborn session. I enjoyed my time getting to know this family and how we could document their new addition to their now family of four. Newborn sessions are perfect for this type of storytelling!

Lifestyle newborn sessions take place usually right in your home and we use your home elements to tell the story of your new and growing family. During this newborn session we started out by taking lifestyle portraits of this little guy and some with Mom, and then had his big sister join the fun. We were able to get so much variety that incorporated blankets that meant a lot to the family, lots of snuggle time with the baby, their family dog, and of course playful images of big sister on her trampoline and playing “skies” with her Dad in their gorgeous great room with beautiful skylights.

Are you interested in a newborn session in Atlanta or the DC area? Send me a message and let’s see how we can document this new and important time for you and your family.

related:

Victoria’s Lifestyle Newborn Session

Did you know I also offer Fresh 48 Sessions?

Check out the Fresh 48 Newborn Session information here!