Newborn Lifestyle Photography Near Me | Studio Newborn Session | Pottstown, PA
Newborn Lifestyle Photography is truly the best job in the world. Lawson was the first baby in my Natural Light Studio for 2023. He definitely set the bar high for an amazing year ahead! Welcome to the world, sweet little Lawson! I’m so excited that you and your family will have these memories to treasure forever 🙂
Planning for Lawson’s Newborn Photos
The first rule of parenthood that you learn is that sometimes you have to adjust your plans on the fly. When mom reached out to schedule Lawson’s newborn photos, she requested a cozy lifestyle newborn session in their home. As a natural light photographer, I always check the weather forecast the day before a photoshoot. The forecast looked good, so we were all set for Lawson’s newborn photos.
But the morning of our photoshoot, we discovered that weathermen have a difficult job. It ended up being a dark and rainy day with very little light coming in through the windows of their home. So when I arrived at their home, mom immediately expressed her concerns about how dark it was inside the house. I have so much respect and appreciation for these new parents! They stayed positive and went with the flow, even when the weathermen threw us a curveball. Mom knew that snuggling with her baby boy was the only thing she needed to make her heart happy. Something tells me this new mama will thank her lucky stars every time she looks at her newborn pictures for the weather mishap that led us back to my studio that day. We definitely made the right call!
The Benefit of an In Home Lifestyle Newborn Photography Session
We decided to make the best of both worlds. Some families prefer doing their newborn photos in their home for sentimental reasons. Having beautiful photos with your baby taken right where you snuggle and nurse and play together every day is meaningful. So we weren’t going to let that opportunity pass us by. We took this sweet family photo snuggling on the couch together before heading back to my Natural Light Studio.
The Benefits of a Studio Newborn Lifestyle Photography Session
1. Having The Best Possible Lighting
In the end, all of this family’s favorite photos from Lawson’s lifestyle newborn photography session were taken in my Natural Light Studio. This is the single, most important benefit of choosing to do lifestyle newborn photos in a studio setting. It provides the ideal lighting for natural light photos, even on a rainy day.
Comparing the image above to the images below shows how lighting can impact the depth and dimension of your newborn photos. In both cases, the source of light is a window on the left side of the image. But having a full wall of floor to ceiling windows in my Natural Light Studio that provide an abundance of soft, indirect light brings the highlights and shadows into perfect balance. Some level of noise and grain is also inevitable when you have to increase the camera’s ISO setting for proper exposure in a low-light situation. So having good lighting always yields a sharper, higher quality image.
The ultimate proof that my studio is a perfect setting to create beautiful photos (even on a rainy, dreary day!) came the very morning I delivered Lawson’s final gallery. I was finalizing Lawson’s photos when I received an email from Lensational Magazine. They chose one of Lawson’s sneak peek images that I posted on Instagram for publication in their latest issue (Issue 176 | Newborn – January 2023)! It was already obvious to all of us how cute Lawson is. But this just confirms that he is officially publication level adorable!
This image was published in black & white, but I really can’t decide if I might love it even more in color? Which version should these new parents print and hang on their walls? Feel free to weigh in on this in the comments because because I simply can’t choose my favorite!
2. Snuggling on a Bed is Guaranteed!
One of my favorite ways to capture newborn lifestyle photos is on a bed. It’s the perfect spot for snuggles! While I sometimes use a bed for photos during in home newborn sessions, multiple factors need to align. There needs to be a bedroom with large windows that are placed well in relationship to the bed so there’s plenty of indirect light. It’s not uncommon for us to shift a piece of furniture like a coffee table or a crib to make the best use of light for an in home session. But moving a large piece of furniture like a bed simply isn’t practical.
In this family’s case, we wouldn’t have been able to use a bed for photos if we had stuck with our original plan to do the photos in their home. Their bedroom had a big sliding glass window, but a covered porch combined with the rainy day left us without enough light for photos in the bedroom. In reality, I end up using a bed in less than half of my in home newborn lifestyle photography sessions even though it would be my top choice in good lighting. That’s why I knew a comfy bed was a must-have when I was building my Natural Light Studio. When these new parents snuggled up on the bed with Lawson, every smile…
Every kiss…
Every adorable yawn happened in beautiful light! The most challenging part ended up being trying to choose a favorite.
3. Full Access to My Client Closet
Another benefit of doing our newborn lifestyle photography session in my Natural Light Studio is having my entire Client Closet available. Mom already had a beautiful dress for herself. So we didn’t need use any of dresses I have available for moms in my Client Closet on this particular morning. But we ended up putting the Client Closet to great use for baby Lawson. Mom picked out this sweet little striped newborn romper from my closet for Lawson’s second outfit. He was awake for the beginning of our session, so of course I had to capture that sparkle in his eyes when he looked right at the camera!
Part way through our newborn photos, it was obvious Lawson was starting to get tired. So we decided to swaddle him so he could get nice and cozy and take a much-needed nap. Being that cute is exhausting, after all! I pulled out a few swaddles from my Client Closet and mom immediately fell in love with a swaddle I made from a piece of fabric I bought at JoAnn Fabric. Here’s a quote from mom when she first saw her photos:
“Oh my gosh Kristin!!! These are amazing! I can’t wait to see the rest!!! I still can’t get over that swaddle. It is so stinking cute!!!”
4. Bean Bag Newborn Photos
In the studio I have a bean bag for individual newborn photos that I don’t bring to in home sessions. Hands down, my bean bag placed next to my full wall of floor to ceiling windows in my studio provides the BEST lighting for individual newborn portraits. Could Lawson possibly be any cuter? Of course that’s a rhetorical question since I think we all already know the answer!
I also love how easy it is for parents to join in on the bean bag photos without even having to move the baby. Black & white backlit shots on the bean bag are a must! The depth of emotion and connection is emphasized by the bright highlights of the window in the background combined with the deep shadows. It draws your eye to their expressions. Every time they look back at this image, these new parents will be overcome with all the love they felt for their baby boy in this moment. Images have such power, and that power only seems to grow over time.
And of course we had to take a few photos of Lawson cozied up on the bean bag with the blanket Grandma made and the sleep sack Aunt Jen made for him. With so much love from his whole family, Lawson is a lucky little guy for sure!
Printing and Displaying Your Newborn Photos
I don’t even know how these new parents will choose which photos to print and display throughout their home. And this is the best problem to have, in my opinion! Truly, the newborn photo experience doesn’t end when you receive your final gallery. The best part comes in the years ahead. When you glance up at the frames on your dining room wall during dinner and can’t help but smile. When you pull out your newborn photo album and snuggle up on the couch to look through the pictures with your little one as he grows. It’s having these memories to pass along when little Lawson grows up and becomes a father himself. Whether you want to frame one an individual newborn photo to hang on the wall over the crib or changing table…
Or create a wall collage with all the different combinations to include the whole family…
Or maybe you simply can’t choose and want to make a newborn photo album with ALL your favorites. Personally, I’d opt for all of the above 🙂 Photos are meant to be printed and adored. I can’t wait to see how these new parents display their photos of sweet little Lawson in their home!
Looking for Newborn Lifestyle Photography Near Me?
I’d love to help you capture some of your family’s early memories with your new baby! Kristin Brockman offers newborn lifestyle photos in her Natural Light Studio or in your home. For more information, you can check out my Newborn Portfolio and Newborn Session Details. You can also check out my Featured Photo Sessions, to see the full gallery of images from a few of my newborn photoshoots and reach out if you’re looking for a newborn lifestyle photography.
If you have any questions or want to inquire about my availability for lifestyle newborn photography, please email me at kristinbrockmanphotography@gmail.com.
Kristin Brockman Photography is a natural light newborn photographer based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania who serves clients in the Greater Philadelphia area. She specializes in natural, family-centered newborn photos focused on capturing genuine and authentic moments.
kristinbrockmanphotography@gmail.com
