Pros & Cons of Lifestyle Newborn Sessions
Since lifestyle newborn sessions are a relatively new genre in the baby photo game I thought it would be helpful to share with you more about it. I started off talking about what is lifestyle newborn photography and then moved on to why I personally love it. This week we are going to tackle some pros and cons. To be honest for some people the pros I list might be their cons and vice versa.
Pros:
- You don’t have to leave your home! That means no worrying about bundling up baby, making sure the diaper bag has everything you need, getting everyone dressed and out the door on-time. I remember after having my kids I consistently left the house 20 min after I had initially planned to leave! I finally learned to start the process 30 min earlier so I wasn’t as stressed. That is a free Mom tip for you there!
- If the baby doesn’t sleep that is okay! Seriously I like it when they are awake, especially for photos with Mom & Dad. As long as they aren’t hungry or fussy I’m totally cool with awake and if they are hungry or fussy we take a break and get them a nice full tummy.
- You get to show off the adorable nursery you decorated! Maybe this is my fav because I love home décor but you’ve probably spent a lot of time figuring out your nursery theme and picking out everything. During my lifestyle newborn sessions, we spend a lot of time in the nursery and I love to get photos of all the details plus of course baby amongst all those details!
Cons:
- No intricate poses or props! If you love a baby in a basket then this is probably not the right session for you. I tend to limit props to meaningful items that have a legacy in your family like a handmade baby blanket from a new Great Grandmother. Although if you’ve got a baby girl I’m a sucker for cute bows and headbands!
- You will be in photos! I get it, dressing the post-baby body is quite a shock. I’ve done it twice and let’s just say leggings can be a new mom’s best friend. I know you aren’t feeling right in your body but I guarantee you that in 20 years that little baby will look at those photos and only notice how beautiful and young their mom is! I want to capture your new relationship as mother and child so you have to be in the photos J!
- I will see your messy house and its okay! Seriously I’ve had three babies and I know how demanding they can be, plus add in houseguests to “help” and your house might look like a tornado ran through it. Typically in my lifestyle newborn sessions, we use the nursery and either the living room or master bedroom depending on the light. So you only need to have 2 rooms in your house looking presentable. Plus I will totally move things if they are in my frame so don’t worry about that. We can hide the new baby mess together!
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What is Lifestyle Newborn Photography?
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2024.
