We don’t get to photograph many lifestyle newborn sessions, but I hope that changes in 2019! Baby Owen arrived two months early and spent quite a bit of time in NICU, so he wasn’t able to travel to the studio. So instead, Leigh and I hopped in the car and paid him a visit!

The day before the session, we had a quick FaceTime chat with parents Emily and Tyler. This gave us a chance to assess the lighting in their home and help further establish that relationship with our clients, which is so important! Handing your baby over to be photographed is an enormous honor and responsibility. I always want to feel like an old friend to my clients!

When we arrived at their home, we were happy to see beautiful window light EVERYWHERE! For lifestyle sessions, it’s SO important to have ample natural light and neutral walls in the areas we’ll be working in. This is what really determines the success of an in-home session! It’s not that we don’t like color. I have a room in my house that’s wall-to-wall turquoise! But colored walls will cast color onto your skin, which is really unflattering and difficult to edit. Light, neutral walls reflect light and help your skin look its best!

We set up shop in the master bedroom, and worked in a few poses to give Emily the studio experience she’d originally envisioned. But honestly, the lifestyle portion of the session just stole my heart! Owen’s crib is decorated with subtle rainbow elements. It’s a tribute to his sister in heaven, Olivia, who was devastatingly lost late in her third trimester. Seeing the three of them together, with those tributes to Olivia in the background, are so powerful and special to me. I’m so glad we ended up having the session at their home!

Thank you so much for allowing me to tell your story, Plahanski family. It’s been an honor, and I hope our paths cross again soon!