Traditional Newborn Photography vs. Lifestyle Photography

Justin was a delightful newborn to work with and his parents were equally wonderful. It turns out Justin was their ‘rainbow baby’, so he already has a special place in this world waiting for him and mom and dad couldn’t be more excited. Justin’s father is a musician who plays the piano, sings, and writes poetry, so I think it’s safe to say Justin will have a good role model and be fighting the girls off by seventh grade!

For this photo session I used some of my more ‘traditional’ newborn props that I haven’t used in a while. Many newborn photographers lately are focusing on ‘lifestyle’ photography where they go into families homes and take more candid shots of the baby and his parents. They don’t focus as much on props or the newborn’s clothes and outfits. Instead, they take a more voyeuristic approach and shoot the family in what they consider a natural setting. Some of those photographs are beautiful but with so many high-end digital cameras in the hands of parents these days, I really try and give the baby’s parents something different they couldn’t create on their own.

I have been working some shots without the more traditional props into my photo sessions lately, but frankly I still have a lot of clients who are looking for the more traditional ‘newborn photography’ look. Plus, I’ve even seen an uptick in business due to some other photographers moving away from it. All that to say, I think Justin will have some beautiful photos to look back on someday, and when he’s a famous musician and looking to impress the girls, he can reach into his wallet and pull out his newborn shots and really wow the crowd!