Now Offering In Home Lifestyle!

Jul 26

Written By Jen Marie Photography - Winchester, VA Newborn Photographer

This has been something that has been on my mind for a while. Years ago, I used to travel to homes and it became a little tricky. To the point I had to buy a new, larger car because I was hauling so much with me. It looked like I was moving in when I arrived for the session. You see, I have a little bit of a perfectionist brain that causes me to try and perfect things… for example poses. So I was hauling in everything but my kitchen sink to perform full posed newborn sessions in home. Which obviously wasn’t working. Especially when I got my studio and had everything at hand.

But I have definitely been missing having the option of in home and have recently found a way to blend and merge my style of posing along with a casual in home style. I’m so excited to announce that I am now offering in home newborn sessions again! Now, this post is to go over the differences of what to expect between booking an in studio or in home. There are different conveniences that come along with both for clients and we will explore what those are so you can make the best decision for your family.

Winchester, VA Baby Photographer offering studio and in home sessions — When coming in to the studio, all you have to bring would be yourselves (and baby of course! ;) And some milk because, you know, babes love their milk.

I offer a large variety of wraps, props, backdrops, headbands, hats etc. for the session and put together the colors you would like me to use for the session.
These sessions are going to be a little more posed with full guidance and placement.

I do have a backlit light wall that I offer now in my studio as more of a lifestyle look for family portion in studio if you still want the full posed look.

Funny fact… I just had a pup in my studio last week that tried to jump through the wall because he thought it was a window. No dogs were harmed during session ;)

When it comes to in home, lifestyle - it will be more of a natural feel within your surroundings when it comes to the family portion. I can have your babe in regular clothes or still do a swaddle type wrap for these - that would be based on your preference.

*I do also welcome pups in to my studio if you want a studio session but also want to include your fur baby.

Below, I’ll post examples of an in home, lifestyle hybrid session. What this means is I blend lifestyle with a few prop poses. This time around, I don’t bring an entire car load with me but just a few small props, a couple base swaddle wraps and that’s about it. We are keeping the posed simple in home. I won’t be carting in a ton of backdrops but rather use what your surroundings have to offer. So this gives a blend of some posed (not as much as a full posed session in studio) and some natural in home.

Now, both sessions come with “pros and cons.” Not that there are any pros and cons, these are just some things you can consider when trying to decide what type of session you would like.

Pros:

you don’t have to leave your home

you get the lifestyle aesthetic if that’s what you are looking for, photos where you choose in the home

if you have siblings, it may be less stressful for you to be at home in their surroundings (now, you’ll also see the other side of it in cons - that is all how you want to weigh it based on your children)

Cons

while I don’t want you to “clean for me,” you are naturally going to want the areas photographed free of clutter etc. so that will make more work for you prior to the session. Ideally, areas to photograph in your home will have good lighting etc., which I will talk to you about prior to the session
not quite as many “posed” photos in those squishy baby poses that you see in studio if that is the style you are looking for
Siblings may be a little more comfortable in their surroundings and have a harder time focusing on the task of photos and wanting to go play with their toys/watch tv etc. Could be a little more candid depending on your little one. Cute no matter what! :)

*In home sessions are included within 10 miles of Winchester, VA studio. Additional travel fees may apply for homes further from Winchester, VA

Now, on to the studio! The studio is conveniently located off Senseny Road in Winchester. I have just about everything we need for the session - props/swaddles/backdrops/headbands etc. (I actually have a little bit of a prop hoarding problem so there’s a LOT)

I work with parents prior to session to determine the style/colors they are looking for with the newborn session. The prop poses are going to be a little more curated due to the larger selection that I have to use in studio and the parent/sibling photos are going to be a little more posed and stylized with a neutral backdrop.

On to some pros:

You have to leave your house (which some people actually love getting out a little bit)
No preparation of your home. You can leave it in that new baby disaster of burp cloths everywhere, the nightstands full of all the survival essentials, an unmade bed…. you get the picture ;)
Siblings - some do better in the studio as they are not in their comfy home surroundings and, like my children, tend to behave better outside of their home. Now, take that with a grain of salt because the siblings in the 1-3 age range are adjusting to a big (AMAZING!) change in their life and go through some spurts of defiance. With all the years of working with toddlers, it sometimes takes a little work to get the “perfect” shot and that’s ok! Parents should NEVER worry about that with me. Also, some parents will have grandparents come pick sibling(s) up or dad take older kiddo(s) on a small breakfast date while I finish up with just baby. That tends to lead to a little less stress for parents to not have sibling around for entire session.
Hair and makeup offered as an add on if you choose and artist comes to the studio

And some cons:

You have to leave your house ;)
Not quite as many opportunities for “natural” looking poses if you are looking for lifestyle aesthetic
May seem daunting to you if you also want to bring fur baby - I never mind but I know it can be a lot if you are trying to get yourselves ready + possibly a sibling + bringing a pup(s)