What to Expect From Your In-Home Newborn Photography Session

When you’re considering an in-home newborn photography session, it helps to know what to expect, especially when it takes place in your home. It can be nerve wracking to have someone in your home to take newborn photos shortly after baby’s arrival.

Hi, I’m a Laura, and I’m an in-home newborn photographer here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m based in the south bay, but travel through the Bay Area for newborn photography. Here’s what you can expect from your session with me.

First and foremost, know that I’ve had newborn photography safety training, so I will take very good care of your baby during your session. It’s extremely important that any photographer you are considering has the proper training to keep your baby safe.

In Home Newborn Photography Session

When I first enter your home, the very first thing I’ll do is wash my hands – I want to do my part to keep your baby healthy. After that, I’ll take a tour of your home to determine which rooms have the best light for your photos. Common places are the master bedroom, living room and nursery.

If there is an older sibling, I’ll typically start with family and sibling photos first before moving on to photos of baby on their own. Most often, older siblings have a short attention span, so it works best to keep their involvement with the session short. Their part of the session playful and silly to keep their interest for a bit. Once they’re done, they can move on to things they enjoy more, like eating a snack and screen time!

After family and sibling photos, I’ll move on to newborn photos with just the parents. I’ll photograph both parents with the baby and each parent individually with baby. I love to photograph these near a window. I might have you hold your baby in a way that feels unfamiliar. These poses will showcase your baby best for the camera, so I will guide you to feel more comfortable.

If the family has decided to also have posed newborn photography, I’ll move onto those next. For the posed photos, I’ll set up my travel studio in whichever room has the best light. During this time, I encourage the parents to relax and know that I’m taking good care of their baby. I know many tricks for comforting babies and putting them back to sleep. A pacifier can be a helpful soothing tool if the family has introduced one.

On occasion, I’ll need to pause photographing for a diaper change or a feeding. This is why I let parents know that a Bay Area newborn photography session that includes both family and posed photos can take anywhere from 2.5-4 hours. It seems like a like time, but it actually goes by very quickly!

Having someone in your home right after you have a new baby can be nerve wracking, but I find that once we get started, most families become relaxed in front of my camera and feel comfortable. Next, read about how you can prepare for your in-home newborn session.