How do you want to remember you baby in years to come? What is it about this phase you want to hold onto and be able to revisit forever? I feel there is a bit of a shift happening in the world of baby photography and more focus is being moved back to pictures that are 100% pure baby, pictures about mum’s with babies, and less focus on hats and hairbands.

I have never been into the really awkward and unnatural newborn posing, and my style has always been quite natural, but recently I have had the opportunity to do some even less “styled” baby shoots, and it occurred to me that they feel very genuine and very real to me. They feel 100% pure baby, and incorporate much more emotion and memories than just the baby in a basket.

Lifestyle baby photography shoot at home

This gorgeous little prince had a studio session at two weeks old, but wouldn’t sleep. We did another session at his home, to incorporate the grandparents visiting from abroad, and I simply fell in love with his home shoot. So many personal memories are captured in the images, his nursery, his first clothes, teddies, grandparents and just him with his beautiful mum at this magical stage in life! I look at these images and I wish I had images like this of me and my boys (but of course like most women I refused to get in the picture)!!!

Older babies are perfect for lifestyle images

There is a lot of pressure on bringing in newborn babies for pictures in the first 10 days of being born, but the first couple of weeks fly by in a blur and many new parents simply miss this tiny window of opportunity. The great news is that lifestyle baby images along these lines are great for older babies as well. This gorgeous boy is 4 months old and full of smiles!

Styling a lifestyle baby shoot

Gorgeous pictures never just happen by luck! Even natural lifestyle image like these are not left to chance, I will help you choose what to wear, choose what the baby wears, what colour bedding works, what room has good lighting – I can do lifestyle images in the studio or at my house as well, if you house isn’t suitable. And actually it can be quite a big deal to have a photographer come to your house right after having a baby, I don’t want you to feel pressured to tidy up and be the “perfect hostess”, so most people prefer to come to the studio, and that is absolutely fine.

I still love my newborn studio pictures, which are also quite natural, and I do always include the parents as well, but I do feel there is something special about these 100% pure baby shoots, and if I could turn back time this is what I would do with my boys!