In Minneapolis and the surrounding areas, it’s not uncommon for indoor newborn family photos to take place at home in favor of a studio. Families are often looking for a stress-free experience in a familiar environment where they can share moments that result in stunning photos to print and hang on the walls of their home.
It’s also not uncommon for families to have concerns about the state of their home when considering enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience. What if it’s messy and unprepared, or what if you don’t have a nursery where your baby can be beautifully photographed?
Honestly, as a local newborn and family photographer, you might be surprised to know that the nursery is probably one of the rooms I photograph the least. If you’re considering an in-home lifestyle newborn photography experience, but you don’t have a nursery, or a ‘photo-worthy’ home, below are my top tips for why you should still schedule a newborn photoshoot, and how to create an enjoyable experience, no matter the circumstances.
Our Home is Small, the Crib’s Not Assembled, We Didn’t Get to Paint…
It may be that your home simply does not have space for a nursery. Or that you didn’t get to assemble the crib, paint the room, or organize gifts and put away daily necessities before baby made their arrival. I’ve worked with dozens of local families in Edina, St. Paul, and Minneapolis for indoor newborn family photos. Every family has their own unique set of circumstances when their sweet baby finally makes their way into the world. Regardless of what social media would lead us to believe, it doesn’t always end in a highly curated, “Pinterest-worthy” nursery, and that’s more than ok.
Your home is the place where you’ll welcome your tender newborn, create memories, enjoy holiday traditions, dance in the kitchen, and above all, love one another devotedly. Those are the elements that make a house a home, not the well-laid wallpaper, light fixtures, and matching furniture. If you’re doubting whether or not to schedule your newborn photoshoot because of the lack of a nursery, rest assured that you are not the first family without one, and you won’t be the last. A nursery is not a requirement for creating lifestyle photos centered on your newborn.
Chase the Light, Not the Space
You may be surprised to know that, as an in-home lifestyle newborn photographer, many times, even for families with a nursery, I don’t always photograph in that space. My approach to newborn photography is to offer my families images that reflect their current season of life. Tiny fingers that wrap around yours, baby toes, fuzzy hair, soft skin, tender swaddles, and warm embraces. Those details should come through each of your images, allowing you to recall what it felt like to hold your baby when they first joined your family.
Adding that depth of feeling to each of your photos requires a flood of natural light. In a home, natural light can fill any space, and oftentimes, it’s not in the nursery. Some of the families I work with have enjoyed a newborn photo shoot at home in their unfurnished living room, spare bedroom, kitchen, entryway, and even the mudroom. The spaces in your home that allow golden rays to fill the space are the rooms that create the most stunning photos.
Let Go Of Perfection
Heaps of laundry baskets, dishes in the sink, trash that needs to go out, and bottles in the drying rack and sterilizer. All things that are completely irrelevant to enjoying beautiful indoor newborn family photos. As parents, we should all have a welcome mat that proudly states ‘sorry about the mess, we live here’ in front of our door. I’m a mom; I know all too well that clutter and messes happen, especially during the whirlwind of welcoming a new baby into the family.
Your home doesn’t need to be deep cleaned ahead of your in-home photoshoot. If you want to do some minor de-cluttering, that’s perfectly fine. But there are plenty of things you should not stress over during your newborn family photoshoot, and mess is at the top of that list. Gifts and boxes of diapers can easily be tucked away in a corner or stuffed in a closet (for now), and your trash, dishes, toys, and pet hair are not the focus of our time together. Let go of perfection and embrace the moment. Together we’ll focus on capturing your loving family, in any room of your home, gathered at this pivotal moment in your lives.
Focus on Connection
As a local family photographer who works in Edina, St. Paul, and Minneapolis, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s less about the room we photograph in, and more about the connection you share. Stunning family photos that portray feeling and emotion are centered on how a family connects with and loves one another. It’s not about the space we’re inhabiting at that moment. Newborn photography with family is a gathering; it’s a coming together in love to mark the occasion. It’s a moment in time that hindsight will tell us is short-lived and fleeting. Allow the moment to wash over you, embrace each other freely, snuggle your baby affectionately, and be present for every second of this beautiful celebration you are experiencing.
Indoor Newborn Family Photos in Edina, St. Paul, and Minneapolis
I’m Kristen, a newborn photographer who captures in-home lifestyle newborn photography through Edina, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. As a mom and a family photographer, my approach to heirloom-quality photos is centered on the connection your family shares. Those tender moments of welcoming a newborn into your family are worthy of photos to look back on for a lifetime, even without the presence of a nursery. Your in-home newborn photoshoot should be a time to gather and enjoy each other’s company. All through a stress-free experience in a calm and relaxed environment. You can find more information on working with me for indoor newborn family photos when you visit this link. Or, for more information on how to prepare for your newborn photoshoot, navigate the links below for my top tips.
