You want professional family portraits with your new baby, but you’re not sure which type of newborn photo session is best for you and your family. Is it “better” to do your newborn photo session in your home, or in the studio. I get this question all the time!
First, I want to say that no matter which type of newborn photo session you choose, we will get GORGEOUS images of your family with your new baby that you will be excited to share with friends and family, and that you will want to hang all over your home.
You should also know that the poses I will do with you for each type of newborn photo session is essentially the same. You’ll hold your baby naturally, sitting on a bed or a chair, standing by a window, sitting on the floor. The backdrop will be different and of course the feel will be different, but essentially the goal is the same–to keep the focus on you and your family with natural poses and genuine emotion.
There are benefits to both locations and photo session types, and it usually just comes down to what you are most comfortable with or what you envision your images looking like. Sometimes I even have clients who book with me and then wait until after the baby is born to decide on a final location.
REASONS YOU MIGHT CHOOSE A STUDIO NEWBORN PHOTO SESSION
You don’t have time to clean (or don’t want to)
The first few weeks postpartum can be—disorienting to put it mildly. Between the sleep deprivation, trying to walk without separating my legs above my knees, and inability to use my arms, the idea of cleaning my house was basically the last thing on my mind.
The biggest benefit of doing your newborn photos in the studio is that you do not have to worry about your home being clean, or even tidy. Leave the dishes on the counter and the laundry on the floor and come on over to the studio.
You want a neutral backdrop
I’ve spent a lot of time choosing all of the items that I purchased for the studio, specifically to be a neutral backdrop that is ideal for newborn photos. I chose creams, tans, beiges, and browns with lots of textures, which makes your family the main focus of the images. Most people’s homes do not look like this (mine might if I wasn’t married and didn’t have kids! lol) but it is great for photos.
You don’t have a finished nursery or “perfect” home
Sometimes we just don’t get around to designing the perfect nursery with gorgeous furniture and a handmade mobile and all the cute little details you saw on Pinterest. Sometimes its just a changing table on your dresser and a bassinet next to your bed with mismatched bedding. THAT IS FINE! But maybe you don’t want that as the backdrop of your newborn photos. I get it!
Come to the studio where all of my set ups have specifically been designed for newborn photography sessions. I have a bed set up, multiple chairs and wall backgrounds, and a client closet full of dresses for mom and cute clothes for babies to choose from, for a neutral and ideal backdrop for your photos.
Your home doesn’t have a lot of space or natural light
If you live in the Boston area near me (Roslindale), you might not have a gigantic space with tons of natural light in all of your rooms, so you might be worried about space and light. I totally understand. This was the main motivation for me to find a studio–to have an amazing, large, well lit space for newborn photos. My favorite part of the 1200 square foot open room is the full wall of floor to ceiling windows with sheer curtains for the absolute best natural light for these photo sessions.
REASONS YOU MIGHT CHOOSE AN IN-HOME NEWBORN PHOTO SESSION
You want to include your pets
For a few reasons, I don’t allow pets in the studio (mostly for insurance/liability other clients allergies, but also because it means extra cleaning). So if including your pets in your newborn session is important to you, this is one big reason that you might want to do your newborn session in your home. I totally get it! Some of my favorite images are pups licking baby ears, they are adorable and priceless.
You’ve decorated your nursery and you want to show it off
I don’t know about you, but I fell DEEP into nesting during both of my pregnancies, specifically wanting the babies’ rooms to be perfect. One thing I loved about doing in-home newborn photo sessions with my own babies was documenting all the work I put into decorating those rooms, and getting to solidify those memories of rocking them to sleep in the chairs I picked out, staring at them laying in their cribs with the sheets I carefully choose, and standing in front of the handmade mobile that my mom gave me.
You want more personality in your images
Obviously, there is something more personal about doing photos in your own space. Your artwork, your furniture, your color, your life will be the backdrop of these images. You won’t just be sitting on a bed with pretty white bedding with some dried flowers on the rattan nightstand–you’ll be sitting on YOUR bed, that you sleep in every night next to your baby, that you play with your toddler in before bedtime. That means something, and if its important for you to be included in your images, that is and important piece of this decision!
A third – which type of newborn photo session is best? Both!
I personally couldn’t decide between doing my own newborn photos in my home or in the studio, so I ended up doing two newborn photo sessions with each baby. Now, I doubt that the average person is this invested in their photos, but it is an option, if you want! I am always down to do two sessions for you, so you don’t have to choose just one 🙂
