Congrats! You’re expecting a new little babe and are over the moon! You definitely want to capture this time together, but you’re not sure what style you’re looking for. That’s the best thing about photography, there’s something for everyone. A newborn is only a newborn for about 3 weeks, so with such a limited amount of time, you’ll want to start planning as soon as possible-I always suggest to start looking before your 3rd trimester-you only have small window once that little babes is born! Now… let’s get into it.
What IS the difference between a lifestyle session and a posed session
Posed/Studio Newborn Photography
Posed newborn photography is exactly how it sounds. Posing your sweet baby on different props and backdrops to capture those sweet little features. The photographer will control all lighting and use tons of props such as buckets/baskets and wraps. We love to get that sweet babe all curled up and sleepy!!
Parent shots are always included in these as well, but are also “posed.” I usually use a solid backdrop for parent shots and a flokati rug/ backdrop for siblings! Studio newborn sessions take place around 10-15 days old while your baby is still sleepy and “bendy” as I like to say. Scheduling these UNDER a week is also a bit tricky, as we try to avoid cluster feeding and want to give you, mom, some time to recover and get into somewhat of a schedule. The session take about 2-3 hours depending on how sleepy baby is. Parents are able to sit back and relax, trusting their photographer to handle the session from start to finish (your babe is in GREAT hands).
Lifestyle Newborn Photography
A lifestyle session is a lot more “laid back” and takes place in the client’s home. It tends me a lot more candid, just capturing your family and your day to day lives. Think snuggles and giggles!! The timeframe for these are also a bit more flexible, as we don’t need to do as much posing. I would say to try and get these scheduled within the first 4-6 weeks. These typically use natural light as opposed to studio light and use very little to no props. This type of photography is best for parents who may not want to travel with their new babe or who want a more “candid” look for their images. Lifestyle photography is great for those intimate family moments that you want captured and typically last about 1-1.5 hours. Documenting real life and moments that may otherwise be overlooked.
Now that you know the differences between the two, hopefully this helps makes your decision a bit easier! There’s no right or wrong answer, just whatever works best for your vision and your family!