Leading up to your lifestyle newborn session

Congratulations on your little one on the way! Since baby will be arriving soon, here is a little more information on how to best prepare for your in-studio lifestyle newborn photography session in VIctoria.

You and your photographer have most likely blocked out an estimated date for your session but your exact date and time will be confirmed once baby arrives. Once you have had some time to settle in with your new growing family, you can connect with your photographer to set up your session date. Since the ideal time to take lifestyle newborn photos is at 7-21 days, it is best to get in touch as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a session up to 1 month after baby arrives! My style is more focused on family and connection, so the time frame is a little more flexible 🙂 Your little one will just be more alert for their session, which can beautiful also!

An in-home session is ideal for a more storytelling newborn session. These sessions focus more on your connection and your daily life than a perfectly posed and curated session. When you look back at your life in 30 years, every moments will be precious and noteworthy. So grab a cup of coffee and cuddle up in your living room, dance together in the kitchen, or play on the floor with your toddler as your partner snuggles your new babe in the background. If you do choose an in-home session, I will reach out in advance to see which areas of your home have the best light. All we need is a couple of good spots to make an in-home session magical! Keep in mind that your home will be showcased in your photos, and it doesn’t need to be perfect to do that!

The day of your in-home newborn photography session:

Your newborn session will be start anywhere between 10am and 1pm. My sessions last about 1.5-2 hours in length. This allows for normal interruptions such as feeding and changes.

One of the concerns I hear often which deters people from doing an in-home session, is the need to have a perfectly decorated and tidy home. This is definitely not a necessity! What is important, is to remember that your home will be captured as it is, and that is beautiful and authentic! In 30 years, you will look back on these images with a sense of nostalgia. Those authentic images of you in your home will elicit memories of the past to come flooding back!

I do love to use a variety of spaces in your home in order to tell an authentic story, but instead of worrying about cleaning up every room in your home, you can tuck clutter into unused spaces in your home such as an office or closet. Your photographer may ask to move items around so that they are not in the frame or to position you in the best lighting. All you really need for beautiful images is a window with some nice light and your family!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for your in-home session

-Turn your heat up by 2 degrees to ensure baby is warm and sleepy during the session.

-If you use a soother, please have it available as it can be very helpful when soothing baby

-Babies get fussy. It is very normal for your baby to be fussy at some point during the session, and that is why we allow for more time. My sessions are baby-led, so we just take their cues and take our time during the session. Even though it looks like babies sleep the whole time during their session in the final photos, this usually isn’t the case.

-The things in your home will be in your photos, and that is a good thing! This is the stage you are in. Let’s capture that authentically! Tidying the clutter can make a big difference. Pop it into an unused room such as an office or a closet!

-Choose your outfits accordingly. If you are going for a relaxed vibe while hanging out in the kitchen, get some cute comfy clothes and have the kids barefoot. No need to wear a fancy dress or outfit unless it’s your vibe!

What to wear for your Victoria lifestyle newborn session

One of the perks of a lifestyle newborn session is the wardrobe! I know that this is the last thing you want to think about with a newborn at home, so I provide a women’s client closet full of beautiful flowy dresses that are available for all clients to use. I also provide many neutral newborn items. This includes knitwear, cute onesies, and wraps, blankets, onesies, bonnets, and simple headbands for your newborn. If you have other children, I do have a collection of toddler clothing for ages 0-5 available for client use.

In order to have the best results possible, there are a few things I suggest for the day of the session. Firstly, wear loose fitting clothing and remove things such as elastic bands from your wrist to avoid lines. Secondly, undergarments are more important than you think. I suggest skin-toned undergarments so that they do not show through lighter coloured clothing. I also suggest strapless bras or bras that can have the straps tucked in order to avoid them showing up in your images. If you are drawn to lower cut dresses, no bra with nursing pads works well too. I always suggest clients bring nursing pads to avoid any milk leaks 🙂

If you choose to wear your own clothing, your outfits should be whatever you feel the most comfortable in. Whether you feel best in tights and a t-shirt, or a long flowy dress, choose what works for you. When planning your family’s outfits, I suggest that Mom chooses her outfit and then bases the other’s off of that. Your outfits should ‘go together’ but not ‘match’. For Dad, a basic white or other neutral t-shirt works great. I suggest lighter colours if possible as black can be a harsh contrast.

Colours and patterns

Neutrals and deeper tones photograph the best. I lean towards lighter neutrals as I feel that they allow the focus to be on baby and create a romantic, warm image. If you are drawn to warmer images, avoid colours such as blue and black as this creates a cool toned look to images. Don’t be afraid to mix in patterns and textures such as lace. It is best to avoid clothing with logos, large patterns, pictures, or sayings on them as they can be distracting.

Newborn Photography sessions are baby-led

My best tip for a successful newborn session is to go into it without expectations. Every baby is different and most babies have a stretch of fussiness during the session. We have scheduled extra time into your session for soothing, feeding, and changing, so please don’t worry if your babe takes some time to settle. Sessions last between 1.5-2 hours. My sessions are baby led and we only do poses that work for your baby. If you have certain poses that you are drawn to, please feel free to bring inspiration images, but not all poses work for every baby.

If you need some inspiration, you can check out other newborn sessions in my portfolio!

Let’s get in touch!

About me:

Hi! It’s me, Angela. I’m a photographer based out of Victoria, BC who specializes in Family, Maternity, and newborn photography. I am also an educator who thrives on supporting others in the photography community to build the business of their dreams! I live on Vancouver Island with my family and two pups! In my free time, you will find me exploring nature or chasing my little ones around the park with a coffee in hand! Have a question? Please don’t hesitate to reach out! I look forward to hearing from you!

Contact me via my website here!

You can also check out more styling tips here!