5 Benefits of unposed Lifestyle Newborn Photography
As a Maryland Newborn photographer, families I work with are looking for newborn photography sessions that are unposed and feel more natural. They don’t want photography that is too staged or puts their baby in unnatural poses. They are looking for newborn photography that documents their baby and family just the way they are. This is where unposed lifestyle newborn photography comes in!
You might be wondering what is unposed lifestyle newborn photography. For me, unposed lifestyle newborn photography is a way to document a newborn in an authentic and natural way. The baby is photographed with their family at homes and documents the baby and family, just the way they are.
During an unposed lifestyle newborn session, I will provide gentle guidance to facilitate real moments of emotional connection. For example, I may ask a mom to stand by a window, cuddle her baby and have dad join her. I may then ask dad to kiss mom on the cheek. I facilitate the moment, however, any emotional response that happens between the family is 100% real. Those real moment are what we document during an unposed lifestyle newborn photography session.
Here are 5 benefits of an unposed lifestyle newborn photography session.
1. There is more flexibility with timing when you schedule the session
One of the main advantages of a lifestyle newborn session is the timing flexibility. Traditional or posed photography has to be scheduled within the first 5-14 days, since this is when your baby is still really sleepy and can be placed into poses more easily because they are more flexible. With a lifestyle newborn session the baby doesn’t have to be asleep during the session and they don’t have to be as flexible to get them into specific poses. Lifestyle newborn sessions can take place as early as a few days old, all the way up to almost 8 months old. Technically speaking, the newborn period only lasts for a few weeks. At that point, your newborn moves up to infant status until about three months, where they graduate to baby status until they are one. However, because of the flexibility of the lifestyle photography, you can still have a session when a baby is older. That being said, I always recommend that a lifestyle newborn session be done before eight weeks, to capture a baby when they are at their smallest. However, if you miss that window, you can still have a newborn-style lifestyle session with your baby.
2. Baby led sessions can be less stressful
With lifestyle newborn photography, the baby determines the flow of the session. Since the baby isn’t placed into specific poses during the session, the baby doesn’t need to be asleep for the session. If the baby is awake during the session, we document life with your awake baby. If the baby is asleep, we document a sleeping baby with the family. If the baby is hungry during the session, its’s a great opportunity for documenting feeding time. If baby needs a diaper change, we can document that too! Lifestyle newborn sessions are an opportunity to document real moments of a day in the life of a newborn baby.
3. A lifestyle newborn session is convenient
If you schedule an in-home lifestyle newborn session, it’s very convenient since the photographer comes to you. You don’t have to pack up anything or take one step out the door. It’s one less thing to worry about while mom is recovering and the whole family is getting used to a new normal. Your family is going to be more relaxed at home. Your new baby is going to be more comfortable in a place with familiar sounds and smells. The images that are captured are going to be more relaxed because everyone is comfortable.
4. You can document your nursery or home during a lifestyle newborn session
You worked hard on that nursery, why not document it? If you don’t have a nursery, or don’t use it, there is somewhere in the house that you hang out out together as a family. A lifestyle newborn session gives you the chance to document the baby’s surroundings as they are, when the baby was brought home.
5. Lifestyle newborn sessions tell your family’s unique story
Your home and family are unique. Lifestyle newborn sessions document different details of your unique family story. It documents the details of the baby, the family dynamic and the emotional connection happening in your home. It tells a short story of what your life is like at that moment in time, when you welcomed your new bundle of joy home.
If you decide that an unposed lifestyle newborn photography session is right for you, I would love to work with you to document your newborn baby and family. If you are interested in booking a session, feel free to contact me!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these:
5 Reasons why a lifestyle newborn session might be right for you
How to prepare for your lifestyle newborn photography session
What is Lifestyle Photography? Why am I a Lifestyle Photographer?