I’ve previously talked about how confusing it can be when you are looking for a photographer to capture those precious early days of your baby’s life. Now you know the differences but what if you still can’t decide which is right for you. I hope this blog can help you decide whether lifestyle is right for you.
1. Capture the interactions with the new arrival.
Those early days can be such a blur that you barely remember your name, let alone some of the fleeting moments as you and your baby get to know each other - the feeds, the changes, the cuddles, the kisses. A lifestyle photographer will stay in the background and capture some of those tiny moments as they happen. The delicate kiss, the screaming fit on the change mat; these are moments that should be treasured but that can easily vanish in the haze.
2. You don’t even need to leave the house.
Remember the days when popping out to the shop or out for the day was so easy? Do you wonder now how you will ever get out again? If the thought of galvanising yourselves and the baby to get to a studio for a photoshoot in the first 10 days just seems incomprehensible then stay at home and let the photographer come to you. As a natural light photographer doesn’t need all the kit of a studio, we can travel light (well, relatively!).
3. Keeping it short
Sometimes the baby co-operates and sleeps blissfully through an entire shoot, but lets be honest, that’s rare isn’t it? She may well decide that she’s hungry even though she’s just had a long feed or that he needs a new nappy, even though you’ve changed him 3 times in the last hour. Babies are unpredictable and there’s no getting round that fact. With a lifestyle shoot, all that can be included in the shoot so we don’t need to wait around and hope that there’s some signs of sleep at some point.
4. You haven’t even given a shoot a thought in the first 10 days.
That’s hardly surprising. If you hadn’t planned before the baby came along then it’s not going to be high on your priority list in those earliest days. Unlike posed newborn photography where the baby has to be incredibly small, there’s way more flexibility with lifestyle shoots, so if you want to wait until she is more interactive, or you are only just thinking about it after a few weeks, all’s not lost. The timescale is totally up to you.
5. Capture the Environment
Chances are that, in those easy, carefree days before the baby arrived, you created a beautiful, cosy nursery to welcome them into. As a lifestyle photographer, I can capture some of the wider environment of your home as well as the baby. Maybe you’ve been inundated with beautiful gifts that you’d like to include. These can all be included to create a bigger picture that will remind you in the years to come and that you can show the children as they grow.
6. You hate the idea of your precious newborn being handled by a stranger
It’s only natural to be protective of your precious little bundle. Posed photography can take one or two people to swaddle and pose the baby and some people are fine with that but others can find it a disconcerting feeling. As a lifestyle photographer, I wouldn’t need to handle your baby at all so there’s no need to worry about how you’d feel. You do all the handling and I keep out of the way. (Of course, if you need me to hold the baby whilst you go to the loo, drink that hot cup of coffee or whatever, I’m always happy to have a cuddle….)
7. You want to include the rest of the family
There’s nothing cuter that a tender kiss from a big brother or sister, (or maybe funnier than a surreptitious dirty look at the little upstart?). Lifestyle photography can capture those moments too. Lets face it, babies aren’t that interesting for an older sibling, so hanging around a studio wouldn’t seem like the best day out, but a quick interlude from playing with far more interesting toys means its far more easy to include the entire family without great upheaval. If you have pets, they can also join in.
I hope this has helped clarify a few things in your mind. Posed newborn photography is very popular at the moment and there are people in Exeter who are expert in it, but if you feel that a lifestyle shoot is more your thing then get in touch, I’d love to hear from you. Alternatively, if you have anything to add, leave a comment or join the discussion over on Facebook.