5 Important Considerations When Choosing Between an In-home and Outdoor Newborn Photo Session
I want to start by saying that you don’t actually have to choose between an in-home newborn session and an outdoor newborn session, if you are truly in love with both. They happen at different stages of development during the newborn stage and doing both can provide a great variety of images from those first two months. With that said, I think that most people will probably only do one newborn session. So how do you choose?
It’s a really personal decision. It’s also an important one, because these are the first family photos you’ll make. On the other hand, I really don’t think that you’ll regret your decision either way. You’re capturing this special time regardless of the location and that is the most important thing. So, long story short, go with your gut. Consider the following five things and then go with the type of session you’re leaning towards. I promise you. You won’t regret it.
#1 Consideration: Which Newborn Stage Do You Want to Capture?
In-home newborn sessions can capture a different stage than outdoor newborn sessions. Although I do say “can” and not “do” here. And that is because in-home newborn sessions typically happen in the first month of your newborn’s life. But they can happen at any point in the first two months of your newborn’s life. So, really, if you want to capture the second month, but want an in-home session, that can definitely be done.
With that said, an outdoor newborn session really shouldn’t occur any earlier than one month old. You’re outside for a lengthy period of time, more than one hour. You want to make sure that you’re not stressing your child at all by being outside for so long. In the summer, it can be hot. In the winter, it can be cold. So, if you really want to capture that first month, you’re going to want to stick with an in-home session.
#2 Consideration: What Location Do You Think Will Look Good with Your Home and Your Ultimate Photo Plans?
First, in-home sessions do have a different look than outdoor sessions. There is more of a documentary feel to them. Whereas outdoor sessions tend to be a little more polished in their posing. Their lighting is also different. You’re going to have more striking lighting in an indoor session than an outdoor one. In fact, I personally find in-home sessions lend themselves to black and white quite nicely.
Second, when you see your images being hung on the walls of your home, what do you see? Do you see an intimate image of you all laying in your bed cuddling your baby? Or you all in front of a mountain vista? Your images will eventually end up on your walls, at least I hope, so you’ll want to think about what types of images you’d like to appear there.
#3 Consideration: What Speaks to the Personality of Your Family More?
Are you outdoorsy people? Or are you homebodies? If you’re both, then look at the other considerations. But if you are squarely within one of the top areas, then I’d go with the location that reflects your family personality more. This is actually one of the reasons why I, as a photographer, started specializing in outdoor newborn sessions. I found that many people in Colorado are more outdoorsy. As a result, it just made sense to do an outdoor newborn session for many Colorado families. It reflects their personalities better. It conveys the values and ideas they want to pass down to their children more. And it just in general fits the aesthetic that Colorado families are looking for. But each family is different and not all families in Colorado are the same. So if you’re a Colorado homebody family, stay true to yourselves. Do an in-home session.
#4 Consideration: What Do You Want as a Family and Mom?
Be true to your needs and your wants. Do you as a mom want to do an in-home session purely because you feel better keeping your kiddo indoors? Then honor it! Do you as a mom want to do an outdoor session because you’d rather wait until month two anyway, so might as well do something with pretty views? That’s great. Honor it.
As I said at the beginning of this blog post, the decision is a personal one. So make it personal. Choose something because you want to choose something, not because you think you should choose something.
#5 Consideration: Does Your Baby Have Witching Hour? If So, When?
I don’t think I need to tell you that there are times when babies are happy and there are times when they are not. And when they are not, there is hell to pay. Unhappy babies can affect a session. But I should be clear. It won’t ruin a session. Unhappy babies are a fact of life. Babies that are happy for an entire session are a dime a dozen. So, odds are your baby will get upset and that is completely normal. A good photographer will know to plan for that.
I’m going to be straight though. The witching hour for most kids is late afternoon/early evening. This is also when the lighting is best outdoors during the day. So that does mean that we might be photographing during their witching hour for an outdoor session. It can work. I got all the outdoor images on this blog post during the witching hour. And to be completely transparent, the witching hour was alive and well during these sessions. I personally think we still ended up with great photos. So believe me when I say it can be done. But if you want to have a happy baby for the entire session, an early morning in-home session might be the way to go. Another way to go, if you want an outdoor session but you’re worried about witching hour is to photograph at sunrise instead.
Sara Herkes is a maternity, newborn, family, and senior photographer based in Longmont, CO. She serves the the Denver Metro Area, the Colorado Rockies, and the Northern Front Range and captures your pregnancy amidst the Colorado wilderness. Learn more about her services here.
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