How to Prepare for Your Lifestyle Newborn Session :: Indiana Newborn Photographer

When we had our first baby, we had a lifestyle newborn session. I love the photos from that session. I loved that we didn’t have to pack up to go to a studio for our session. I also loved that we now have photographs of our first home and his nursery.

When I started photographing newborns, I was doing the studio, posed newborn sessions. However, I felt like I was not sharing the full story of those newborns. Now, I only do lifestyle newborn sessions. In this blog post, I am going to share some tips on how to prepare your family for a lifestyle newborn session.

1. Declutter Spaces

I am NOT telling new parents to deep clean their homes. Trust me, you will not notice if there is dust on the baseboards. However, cleaning up items around your house that might be distracting in photos is very important. For example, if you have phone chargers, a glass of water, books, etc. on your nightstand, put them away.

2. Timing

Lifestyle newborn sessions are scheduled for late morning. This time allows everyone to get up and get ready without feeling rushed. I recommend keeping little baby awake and active for the hour before I plan to arrive. One way to keep baby from sleeping would be to remove clothes and just have a diaper on. Then, when I arrive, change the diaper and feed baby so that he or she sleeps during the session.

Late morning is also a good time if you have siblings who still take afternoon naps.

3. Rest & Eat

Make sure everyone in the family gets plenty of good quality sleeps the night before. I know this can be hard for young parents. But, it’s especially a good idea for older siblings.

Making sure everyone has had a snack before the lifestyle newborn session is a great idea as well. There is nothing worse than a grumpy, hungry toddler!

4. Don’t Stress

I know….easier said than done. Just enjoy your new baby and your growing family. Allow me to guide you through your lifestyle newborn session. I will give you cues and prompts to get some awesome photos for your family. Being playful with older siblings and loving on each other makes those connections stand out.

5. Plan Outfits

I highly recommend planning the outfits for the family before baby’s arrival. Wearing light colors for a lifestyle newborn sessions is a good idea to reflect light onto the new baby. I bring wraps and nightgowns for your new baby to wear, but you can also put them into something simple for the session.

Here is a link to my FREE guide of 5 Steps for What to Wear for your session. By singing up for my email list, you can get this free guide.

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If you are interested in booking a lifestyle newborn session, please reach out to hello@jenndavisphoto.com or by clicking here. I look forward to meeting a new babies and their families!

With love, Jennifer

Harrison James - 48 Hour Fresh Session - Greensburg, Indiana Photographer

Sweet Baby Harrison came into this crazy world on March 3. He was welcomed by his wonderful parents and two older brothers. Since the flu restriction was still in place, big brothers didn’t get to be at his hospital session. But, I was so happy to be able to get to see him before the craziness of the Corona Virus ramped up in the United States.

I love hospital 48 hour fresh sessions! Harrison was just perfect for his session. He didn’t sleep the whole time, but that’s ok. He seems to be a curious little guy! I look forward to watching him grow and change and see if that curiosity persists!

Cuddle your babies tonight! We all need a little love in this world right now!

If you are interested in booking a session click here or email me at hello@jenndavisphoto.com.

I would love to connect with you and your family.

With love, Jennifer

Emmersyn Lynn - 48 Fresh Session - Greensburg, Indiana Newborn Photographer

Sweet baby Emmersyn is here! Lindsey and Brandon welcomed their beautiful baby girl last Thursday. I was so blessed to be able to be one of the first to officially meet Emmersyn. She has a full head of hair (maybe a hint of red) and sweet cheeks. Lindsey is such a wonderful woman and always has a smile on her face. She is just ecstatic to finally have her baby here. They were surprised with the gender at the birth. Brandon got to be the one to announce that baby EMMERSYN was here. Brandon is going to be such a good dad. I could tell just from the little amount of time I saw of him with Emmersyn that he is going to be a very involved father. He is hooked! And…his shirt says it all! “Dad Life Is The Best Life!”

I can’t wait to spend more time with this new family of three for their lifestyle newborn session later this week!

Also, if you are interested in a great chiropractor, Brandon does a wonderful job! He helped me recover from a serious back injury in January. Here’s a link to Wallpe Chiropractic.

I love hospital sessions! Whether a birth or a 48 fresh session, give me all the babies! If you would like to book a session, please contact me here or email me at hello@jenndavisphoto.com.

With love, Jennifer

Baby Luke - Lifestyle Newborn Session - Greensburg, Indiana Family Photographer

When I photograph couples during maternity sessions I usually ask questions along the way. One, to get couples to relax and be comfortable. And two, I want to know about the tiny human they created so that I can “get to know him/her” before the birth day. During Adrienne and Mark’s maternity session, I asked some of those questions. Here were a few things I was very excited to learn about.

• Mark is a huge Star Wars fan.

• Their baby boy is named LUKE after Luke Skywalker!

• His whole nursery is Star Wars themed.

I am also a fan of Star Wars. I grew up watching all the original movies with my brothers and even stood in line to go to the midnight showing of Episode I(on a school night and I was 13!).

I was super pumped to get to go to their house for a lifestyle newborn session and see the adorable themed nursery. But, more importantly, I got to meet sweet Luke. He has an amazing head of hair and awesome parents. During his session, he decided to stay awake almost the whole time. Which is perfectly fine since it was a lifestyle session…and that’s life! I think he almost looked at the camera more than some 1 year olds! :)

Mom had a cute YODA hat she wanted to use in the pictures. And since dad is a fire fighter, we took just a few with him in his jacket holding little Luke.

Baby Gweneth - Lifestyle Newborn Session - Greensburg, Indiana Newborn Photographer

Cate and Chris welcomed their baby girl into this world after 37 hours of labor. But, sweet baby Gweneth "Winnie" was totally worth the wait. I had a lovely time capturing their beautiful home, nursery, and brand new baby girl. 

Winnie was wonderful for her session. She had a few moments of bright eyes and looking directly at me, but then after getting her nice and cozy she fell asleep for the rest of the session. She has lots of hair and is just perfect in every way! I'm excited to see if she will end up with curly hair just like her momma. 

I love lifestyle sessions because I have the opportunity to photograph the family in their own environment. It is a perfect time to get a photo of the outside of their home as well as their nursery and other rooms. Cate has done a wonderful job of decorating their quaint, beautiful home. I also loved capturing their puppy, Murray, in some of the pictures. He was so good for the session, too! 

One last thing I wanted to point out was the adorable book they had on Winnie's shelf. It is called 'Finding Winnie'. Cate and Chris went through IVF to have their baby and after having baby Winnie, that book they had seemed appropriate to be sitting on the shelf. They finally had found their sweet Winnie girl! 

If you are interested in scheduling a newborn session, please head contact me here or email me at hello@jenndavisphoto.com. I would love to snuggle your new baby!

With love, Jennifer

Baby Ari - Greensburg, Indiana Newborn Photographer

Welcome to the family of five club, Kanner Family! I am so happy I got to come and snuggle on your newest little one. I had such a great time getting to know your family during your session. 

Ari Hayes is seriously the cutest little newborn ever! And even if he was awake pretty much the whole session, I loved it!  I loved big brother and his cautious, protective, big brother vibe. I loved big sister's spunky, vibrant, "steal the show" attitude. I loved the bond mom and dad had with each other and to their new little one. 

Before you know it, Little Ari will be running around, climbing up on everything, trying to keep up with his older siblings, and causing his mother much anxiety(as I know from experience)! :) But, until that day... enjoy those baby snuggles, sleepless nights, dreaming smiles, and all the firsts as they come along. 

If you are interested in booking a newborn session please contact me here or at hello@jenndavisphoto.com. 

With love, Jennifer