A Beautiful Lifestyle Newborn Session | South Jersey Newborn Photographer

In Home Lifestlye Newborn Photography

It’s been a while since I posted a blog on here, I really need to get better at my blogging for 2024, but I’m here now so let’s dive in!

If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I mostly photograph newborn sessions in my south Jersey studio, however, every now and then I get a request to come into a client’s home and my goodness do I love it every time!

Lifestyle Newborn Sessions are so raw and intimate and I absolutely love the emotions they bring along with it. These are the first few moments home with your new addition, and I am here to capture it all!

Here are a few of my favorite images from my latest in home session - The Fino Family

Why Golden Hour is My Favorite Time to Shoot

If you’ve been around for a while-or even if you’re new here- you’ll notice that the majority of my images are shot at Golden Hour.

What’s golden you might ask? Golden hour is the hour or so before sunset where the sun/sky gives off that gorgeous golden glow! It is my favorite time to start a session!

While, yes— it is 100% possible to still get beautiful images mid day, if done properly—you will get an entirely different look and very different colors as opposed to shooting later in the evening.

A lot of parents are hesitant this time of year to shoot at golden hour now that the sun is setting so late—trust me mamas, I GET it— but let me put a few little notes in your head to ease that anxiousness....

• Kids LOVE being outside and there's so much to explore! Even if they get a little fussy, which I 100% expect past bedtime and it is 100% normal, it's usually an easy fix with a few distractions and some silly noises

• You cannot, cannot, cannot recreate that amazing light. Period. The golden colors are something you just can't replicate during the day. If you’re hiring me, I assume it’s because you LOVE my work, so trust me!

• CANDIDS. Candid images are my GO-TO. If I was a little kid, I wouldn’t want to sit and smile at a random person with a camera either. Let me help east the stress of “posing” and just enjoy your family. Playing together, snuggling and laughing make for the perfect photos, and help your little ones feel less stressed. Also, when all else fails—I brring snacks. Snacks always win.

Trust me when I say it is WORTH IT. If all of this still doesn’t ease your mind, and you’re still unsure about letting the kiddos stay up late for photo day, I would definitely suggest considering a fall family session instead of summer! The sun sets around 5pm in the fall, so golden hour occurs a lot earlier—allowing you to get the look you want AND get those kiddos to bed on time!

What Type of Newborn Photography is Best for You? | Lifestyle vs. Posed

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!