March 15, 2018

The difference between lifestyle and studio newborn photography

So, you’re about to have a baby- CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Hopefully, you will find this post answering the number one question I get helpful!
What’s the difference between lifestyle and studio newborn photography? But first, let’s go back to you so you can understand why I created this blog post.
A little baby girl sleeps with her hands above her head

Yayyyyy, you’re having a BABYYYYY!!!! It’s such a wonderful chapter in someone’s life! I remember the excitement clearly! But, I can also remember all the decision making. I can guarantee you that since you have been pregnant you have made what seems like a gazillion decisions.

HUGE ones, like what should we name the baby to smaller ones like, what brand of baby wipes should we use?

While many of these decisions can be fun, they can all add up and be very overwhelming and exhausting.

When it comes time to document the beginning days of your baby’s life I try my hardest to keep it simple.

To help you to understand the difference between lifestyle and posed newborn photography Im going to break the main question down.
1) What exactly is “lifestyle” newborn photography?
2) How is it different to “studio” newborn photography?
3) Lastly, what kind should I do?! What if I cannot choose?!
These are all great questions to answer because lifestyle photography is fairly new
to the photo scene. Sometimes us photographers toss around lingo that we forget our clients might not know.
My own personal and simple definition of “lifestyle photography” is that its pictures of you and your baby that are more candid (not posed). They are often (but not always) taken at your home. Below are 2 examples of lifestyle newborn photographs.A family of 4 sits in their bed laughing with the little puppyA mom holds her newborn son in the window of their home
 The other kind of newborn photography is what I call “studio photography”, generally, these are pictures of your baby and your family that are more posed (set up).These sessions generally take place in a studio. (But not always). Here are a few examples of studio styled photographs.
Little baby sleeping on a white blanketBaby asleep on a blanket

 

Now what?  More decisions to make right?

Yes but allow me to help. Let me share what my own personal experience was when Jax was born.

In 2011 when Jaxson was born I and been a professional photographer for over 5 years.  My style was very candid and I prided myself on bringing photojournalism to a wedding day. As Jax grew inside me I was SO sure that lifestyle photography was the way to go for documenting not only my newborn but all my client’s newborns. Then what happened even surprised me!

When Jax was about 5 days old it dawned on me that I now had my very own newborn baby model! Since I was feeling excited about documenting his little life I decided to try some newborn poses, just to see what it was all about. The result of those images really shocked me!  I loved them! Like really adored them!  What?!?!  Me? A photojournalist liking something that was so posed? Well it’s the truth.
So you might be asking, what did I like so much about them?  There was something really simple about newborn posed portraiture and something very striking in having the baby be the art. Those images of Jax looking like a sleeping little angle can bring me right back to those newborns days. Those incredible first few weeks when I would just stare at his sweetness and be in awe of the miracle that he was and of course still is.
If I had a newborn now, knowing what I know and had to choose just one style I might have a full-on mommy meltdown. (Those are real by the way) So because I now love both styles I started to offer lifestyle and studio styles to my clients.
Huh?  How?! Totaly confusing right? That’s where I got creative.
I started creating tiny little studios in my client’s homes. I would show up for the session and get my studio set up in some random room where the lifestyle images where NOT being taken.  While the pop up studio room was warming up nicely with my portable room heater, I would join the family in the living room and or master bedroom for the lifestyle session. When the lifestyle pictures were done I would transfer the baby to the nicely warmed up “studio” and take some posed images.
The end result?  A little of both styles and ultimately the gift of telling my clients- don’t worry, you don’t need to decide, you can have both.
But you know what many of my clients say? What if my house isn’t nice enough, big enough, clean enough?  Or what if my kids will be too wild or my dog will be barking the whole time?
A toddler watches her baby sister sleep with a big smile!
Yep I get that too, as I write this my black lab puppy is currently whining to go for yet another walk, my kiddo is screaming in the other room about taking a bath and for some reason, the dishes are not cleaning themselves!
My first answer is- don’t worry about your house- lifestyle images are more about the connection between the family members and less about the house. But still, if you’re not feeling like hosting a photo session at home days after you have given birth, I can now proudly say I STILL have you covered!
As of April 1st, I now have a studio space at The Studios on Sutter in downtown Historic Folsom California.  It has amazing light for taking posed newborn pictures and it can also be a great place to take some lifestyle images as well!
I aim to please and I feel with the addition of the studio I can really help my clients have a newborn portrait experience that best fits their needs! Your house or my studio, it’s really that easy!
Please feel free to call, 1-916-936-7363 or email me at susannah@susannahgill.com or use my contact page at www.susannahgill.com so I can answer any questions you might have or to book your session. When I was pregnant I had a serious baby brain going on so no question is a bad question. My husband once found frozen chicken put away in the pantry!  Thank goodness he was reaching high up for those cookies and found it! So please ask away!
I am located in El Dorado Hills California. I am also available to travel from SF/ Bay Area throughout wine country, greater Sacramento and Tahoe region.
Leave a comment below and tell me which style you love best! Which scenario would you choose for photographing your baby?

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Susannah Gill Photography 
El Dorado Hills, CA
1.916.936.7363