Glamorous in-home newborn session in Tomball, Texas with baby Kasen
Have you ever wondered what it would look like to step into the magazine version of motherhood?
That’s exactly what Kasen’s sweet at-home newborn photography session in Tomball, Texas made me think of!
Matt and Rachel’s stunning apartment was a beautiful backdrop for their newborn photos celebrating three-week-old Kasen. With their perfectly coordinated outfits and sweet Kasen in complementary swaddles, Rachel and Matt will have gorgeous newborn photos just in time for the holidays!
Texture & shades of white
With a mix of neutral shades, the texture of Rachel’s beautiful white sweater really stands out in this session. It was the perfect contrast to her husband’s gray henley and worked so well with Kasen’s swaddles. I love the thickness of the turtleneck, too.
Rachel’s natural makeup and hairstyle added to the simplicity and beauty of these photos. Everything about Rachel says lovely, Christmas-y, winter newborn photos!
Solid-colored swaddles & a Santa hat!
I’m a huge fan of solid colors and neutral shades for at-home newborn photography sessions because they don’t distract from baby or the connection between family members. Rachel, Matt and Kasen’s session looks sophisticated and timeless because their colors work so well together and the shades inside their home are also fairly neutral, too.
Rachel had pre-selected a few dark-colored swaddles for her son before I arrived and we wound up using the dark gray and navy blue blankets. You can see how these swaddles contrast with Matt’s henley and Rachel’s sweater. We also added my ivory baby bear bonnet (a mama favorite!) and a Santa hat for this sweet December session.
Natural light & off-camera lighting
For most of this session, we took advantage of the gorgeous sunlight streaming in through the windows. You’ll notice how natural the skin tones are in each of these images, all thanks to natural light and ensuring all other lights were turned off.
There was a wall of windows in both the living room and the master bedroom to illuminate mom, dad and baby. The white walls, couches and comforter also acted as a natural reflector, which adds a little brightness to everyone’s faces.
Kasen’s nursery was a bit dark, so I used simple off-camera lighting for an added pop. It mimics sunlight and ensures that the lighting looks very similar throughout the entire gallery, even though we didn’t have access to natural light in Kasen’s room.
Sweet moments with mama & Kasen
My recent favorite images of new mamas are ones that feature window side lighting and backlighting. Rachel and Kasen are so beautiful in this series of photos that it takes my breath away.
To create a side-lit image, I ask mamas hold baby while standing next to a window, letting the window light gently illuminate her profile. It’s crazy flattering for both mama and baby, creating images with brightness and shadows.
Backlit photos involve mama standing with light flowing behind and around her. I especially love working in some naked baby + mama shots with this lighting set up.
These lighting setups work so well because mamas don’t have to do much! They may slightly vary how they hold or interact with baby, but I move around the room capturing the light hitting them in different ways. That’s part of what makes these newborn photography sessions such a fun experience for mamas! I do all the work of getting lovely photos while they do what they’d do anyway – cuddle, snuggle and kiss baby!
