Spring, TX in-home newborn photography | Life begins with Wade

Celebrating a beautiful baby boy (and his gorgeous nursery!) with an in-home newborn photo session

Proud first-time parents (and Aggie grads!) Lindsay and Blake are so in love with their brand new little man! From their expertly coorindated outfits and beautifully decorated home, this gorgeous newborn photo session was the perfect way to welcome Wade James!

Family photos in the master bedroom

Lindsay and Blake have a stunning master bedroom with such beautiful natural light, making it a great place to start their newborn photo session. They even invited fur babies Brody and Abby on the bed so that the entire family would be included.

Some families don’t want photos in the master, which is always perfectly fine, but I do think using this space adds so much variety to a photo gallery. Using the master means typically you and your family are snuggled on the bed together, as opposed to standing or sitting in the nursery. Changing rooms and poses gives you more options when selecting your favorite images.

A classy, peaceful nursery for Wade

I set up a call with Lindsay and Blake while she was still pregnant to go over their upcoming newborn photo session and address any questions they had about the photos. During our FaceTime chat, she introduced me to their puppies, Abby and Brody, and shared some of her preferences for the session.

One thing she didn’t mention on our call was the absolutely amazing nursery she created for her son! I’ve seen so many baby’s rooms in my years of photographing newborns – and I know I’ll always remember Wade’s nursery!

Neutral shades with pops of color are super common right now, and I see a lot of gray in rooms for both boys and girls. A new twist on the gray and white theme is the buffalo-checked ceiling!

You don’t often see any kind of decor on the ceiling, and I loved how this one touch made the room so memorable!

On top of that, Lindsay added a chandelier to Wade’s room; before you assume that these fancy light fixtures are only for girls, check out how the ivory beads and metal accents keep the chandelier from being feminine at all. 

A challenging aspect of decorating a nursery is finding a cohesive theme or color scheme that is classy and not over-done. So many moms I’ve worked with have opted for grays, whites, creams, ivories and light tans as the dominant colors, with more dramatic pops around the room. Lindsay has just the right amount of wall decor and personal touches in Wade’s room; some nurseries are either mostly bare with too little decor on the walls, or claustrophobic with too much going on in a small space.

Here’s Wade’s sneak peek video, ready the day after his newborn photo session!

How to photograph your baby’s nursery

All of my clients receive complimentary photos of their baby’s nursery inside their photo galleries. After all, most parents have put hours of love and effort into making baby’s room a beautiful, cozy place. You absolutely should have professional photos of this space to remember it for years to come. After all, it’s probably going to change at some point, whether you’re welcoming another child or changing it up as baby grows.

When I photograph a newborn nursery, I always take a couple of wide shots, fitting in as much of the rooma as possible. Ususally this means I’m standing in the doorway, or even out in the hallway just outside baby’s room. After I get the wide shots, I photograph each element on its own: the crib, the nursing chair and the dresser, along with decor on the walls. If there are personalized elements with baby’s name, or heirloom items from family members, I always include them as well. Typically, I include anywhere from 5-10 photos of the  nursery inside the photo gallery for my clients.

Suprise – he’s awake!

Lindsay definitely wanted to schedule her newborn session within the first two week sof Wade’s arrival since that’s usually when it’s easiest to get baby to sleep through the session. Anyone who’s been a mama for more than a minute knows that sometimes babies have their own ideas of how the session will go, and that was certainly true for Wade! He was bright-eyed and alert for our time together.

I think sleeping and awake sessions are equally precious. Wade made eye contact with his parents and the camera during his in-home newborn photo session, and that makes for extra sweet moments!

Editing at-home newborn sessions

I keep edits pretty minimal to photos after a photo session. I try to get everything as perfect as a I can while I’m shooting in your home so that I don’t have to adjust or fix much later. That’s one reason why I prefer to photograph with the blinds open, overhead lights off and use my own lighting instead. Using open blinds and my own lighting means your skin tones will look natural.

Sometimes baby skin requires a little more attention, particularly if it’s dry/flaky, blotchy or when your little love has baby acne. All of these issues are totally normal and are usually pretty simple to fix. Some mamas don’t want any alternations made to baby’s photos to capture them in all of their brand new glory, and that’s fine too!

And, just in case you’re wondering, I don’t do any kind of slimming when I edit, but I’m always happy to brighten under-eye circles and whiten teeth!

How to get magazine-worthy newborn photos in your home!

I send clients my Celebrate Motherhood magazine to help them plan every aspect of their photo sessions: what to wear, accessories, hair/makeup, props, posing – and how to prep your house for at-home newborn photos! There’s a simple checklist inside so that you’ll know exactly what to do before your session begins!

It’s probably easier than you think to get your home ready for portraits. In fact, the nursery is almost always my go-to backdrop for these photos because it typically doesn’t get a lot of traffic when baby is brand new and therefore is pretty much photo-ready!

Clearing off counters and tables helps a lot, on top of fluffing pillows on your couch and ensuring anything you don’t want photographed is tucked away. I’m pretty good at spotting little things you don’t want in your photos and setting them aside, like your cell phone on your nightstand, along with charging stations.

Some families worry about their walls looking too bare, but that actually might work in your favor! Blank walls behind your bed or couch allow you and your new baby to be the star of the image! So don’t feel like you have to decorate your home on top of having a newborn. I can make excellent use of blank walls, I promise!

When to schedule newborn photos

You definitely want to have a photographer secured by your 30th week of pregnancy, if not earlier. Many of us book up months in advance, so the longer you wait, the harder it might be to find a photographer you love.

It’s also so much easier to prepare for these super special photos before baby is born. You’ll want to wrap up your nursery decor and have outfits for your family, as well as any swaddles, baby accessories and props you want to include in the photos.

If possible, don’t wait until after your baby is born to book your photo session! I love to help mamas plan their newborn sessions, and it’s more challenging when baby is already here. You’re pretty tired and adjusting to swaddling, soothing, nursing, changing and more!

I’d love to chat with you about your in-home newborn photo session! Share your due date and contact details with me on the Contact page and I’ll be in touch!