What is Lifestyle Newborn Photography? | Colorado Newborn Photographer

If you’ve ever read my website info, you’ll know that I consider myself a lifestyle photographer, and you may find yourself wondering “what the heck is a lifestyle photography?”. And more specifically, what is newborn lifestyle photography? Well, I’m here to tell you!

Wikipedia (which I know, as a former English teacher, is not a credible source, but whatevs) defines lifestyle photography as “a kind of photography that mainly aims to capture portrait/people in situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday. The primary goal is to tell stories about people's lives or to inspire people in different times.”

That means I’m going to capture you in your home, acting naturally, letting the love of your family show on your face and how you interact with each other in your images. We won’t be wrapping the baby in animal outfits or hanging them from moons and clouds. You can and should dress a way that makes you feel your best, but we’re not going for model shots here. Worried your house is a mess? No sweat! I am quick to shove piles of crap this way or that so we can pretend your house is a calm, clean, and organized space for the day. I may not be a magician, but I'm pretty good at making the ordinary look good.

I get it. We like to have nice pictures of ourselves looking into a camera and giving a nice smile. But when you think about to the pictures that mean the most to you, what do you see in your head?

I see me putting a piece of corn on a fish hook with my grandfather sitting beside me at the lake.

I see my head leaning on my cousin’s shoulder as we sit on the front porch of their Newport, Rhode Island, Victorian and gaze at the ocean.

I see my grandmother proudly displaying her famous crab cakes on a tray.

I see my friend jumping into a pile of leaves with her son.

These images all have three things in common- A. everyone in the images is someone I love and is now deceased, B. no one is awkwardly smiling straight at the camera and saying cheese. That’s just not real life! and C. these are the images I recall when I think of these loved ones. These are the images that matter to me.

These doesn’t mean we will only capture candids though (candids are shots where you’re not paying attention to the camera and I capture “real life”). Actually, despite stating that I take “unposed” images, they’re more like posed unposed. I pose you, or have you sit/stand in a setting situation that’s very intentional, and then I click my shutter as we chat so I can capture you engaging with your baby or significant other comfortably and naturally.

Lifestyle photography is certainly not about perfection- it’s actually the imperfect elements of the photos that make them so beautiful and worth framing. They should make you FEEL something. I strive to capture soulful, heartfelt images that celebrate you and your little family in your cozy home that sustains you all and provides you with safe harbor. Your home is your sanctuary, no matter how messy with laundry or half-completed projects. It’s the everyday moments that can become the extraordinary.

Want to learn more about the swaddles, African Moses basic, and plants I love to incorporate in my lifestyle newborn shoots? Or simply ready to book your date? Get in touch by filling out this form or emailing me at hello@sunshineladyphoto.com!

And I’d love to hear more about what you think about the images above. Do any of them in particular resonate with you? Is there anything you see here that you’d like to see in your own sessions? Drop a comment below!