LIFESTYLE NEWBORN SESSION in FAYETTEVILLE, AR

At-home newborn sessions are my jam

January 2021 |Starting the new year with this gorgeous family and this sweet newborn baby girl at home in Fayetteville, AR is encouraging.

I really love shooting newborns in my client’s homes. The cool thing to me about taking photos in people’s homes is that I never know what to expect with the light and I always have to think on my toes. There’s no sure-fit answer on how to set up each session and no way to have control like you do in a studio. I realize for some that might sound chaotic or stressful but I happen to do my best work when I have to think fast. Which sounding counter-productive, for me, having to create somewhat blindly forces me into the present. Presence is where all my thoughts get stripped away and I sit back, observe and capture what I see in the here and now. Each session then becomes totally catered to each family, their home, their style, their personalities, how they embrace one another and ideally, who they are. How I photograph a particular family is all inspired by this and and I think is what helps make sessions feel like my client and not just a pre-determined shot list. I truly want every session to feel like YOU and where you are in that present moment.

I’m all for baby led posing for newborn sessions. And that basically means what it sounds like. Instead of wrapping them and putting them in props (and sometimes a lot of photoshop work after), I simply lay the baby down in a safe spot like their crib, your bed, a changing table or dockatot and let them be. Let them stretch, wiggle or sleep and their natural movements and expressions are captured. I think this makes images that truly show who your baby is in that moment because most of us aren’t going to put our baby in a basket or on tray when we’re just hanging out at the house.

I always tell parents lifestyle newborn sessions are one of my favorite kinds of sessions because it’s also so easy to capture natural poses and pleasant expressions on their faces. All they have to do is look at their baby and there’s a beautiful photograph.

I want the siblings to be able to play and enjoy themselves without being pushed into a pose with their new sibling. New siblings for toddlers can often bring about new behaviors or feelings and that’s ok. If we can let them play and hangout, give them breaks when they’re not feeling it or upset, you’ll have a much better chance of getting that shot of the toddler actually loving on their sibling. The best images come about when kids are KIDS.

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