Yesterday I talked about 5 Tips to Make Your Newborn Sessions Easier, and I talked about an in-home session and a studio session.  So, today, I'm going to break down the differences so you can decide which one best suits your needs.  Because there is a TON of preparation and loading and unloading and loading and unloading AGAIN, a lot of photographers will not do in-home newborn sessions.  While an in-home shoot seems ideal, there are a lot of reasons to consider an in-studio shoot instead. 

One of the big reasons to consider an in-studio shoot is the different prop and set up options.  While the photographer can send you pictures of set ups and color sets, it's different when you see them in person.  We usually have props organized and visual so you can see them when you come into the studio.  As awesome as it would be, we can't transfer our entire studio with all the props to your house; therefore, we have to be selective with what we bring.  This is where preparation comes into play.  When we are preparing for a studio shoot, we will have set ups ready to go, but if you see another bowl or prop you like better for the picture, we can easily switch it out, or even if you see another color wrap and decide to use that one in the place of the one we have prepared.  Basically, everything is at our fingertips, and we can make last minute changes with no problem.  

Sibling pictures are a huge reason to use the studio.  There are a ton of backgrounds and options for a sibling shoot.  While we do have 5'x7' backdrops, we also have larger backdrops that can not be transported to your home.  Most of the Pinterest Inspo pics you see such as this one are usually in studio, and can easily be done because of the lighting capabilities and extra room that we have in-studio.  This is not to say that it can't be done in-home, but it's easier to do in a studio setting.  If you do want sibling pictures with your newborn, there is the option of in-home lifestyle shoots, that are focused on capturing your real life moments with your new baby.  They are typically more candid pictures or naturally posed.  We will talk about this in a later post. 

Lighting is one of the crucial pieces of photography.  An  in-studio session takes the guess work out of lighting for both you and your photographer.  While I always carry lighting with me to in-home sessions, I never know what lighting situation I am walking into.  It may be a darker area with little natural lighting, or there may be an area that is flooded with natural light, it also varies depending on the time of day.  While one area is flooded with natural light earlier in the morning, it may become darker later in the morning.  One of the things, we as photographers strive to do, is to make your pictures consistent, and this makes it a little complicated.  

In-studio shoots tend to take the pressure off of you.  I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out.  You don't have to worry about cleaning your house.  Even though we say it a hundred times, we do not expect a clean house.  You just finished growing a small human, and brought a new addition into your family.  This is going to turn your world upside down for a little while, and we know laundry and dishes are not at the top of your priority list, and they shouldn't be.  But, most moms feel obligated to clean the house up before we arrive, and you don't need to do that.  For in-studio shoots, you get yourself and baby ready and come to our studio where we provide drinks and snacks and a peaceful environment.  It also doesn't hurt to escape the "baby bubble" for a couple of hours either.  The last 10 days or so, you've been consumed by baby, less sleep, and a more hectic schedule, it feels good to get out of that chaos for a couple of hours, and we are more than happy to do this for you.  I've had moms nap while I do the pictures.  I've also had both parents fall asleep during shoots.  It really does give you the opportunity to relax a bit.  

I know it sounds like I'm trying to persuade you to have in-studio sessions, but I promise I'm not.  There are pros and cons to both, and I want to make sure you get both sides. In-home sessions are ideal because baby is in a comfortable environment with which they are already familiar, they tend to be more calm, and you are not having to move baby from A to B back to A, and that's always a plus.  If you already have scoured Pinterest, and found exactly what you are looking for and communicated with your photographer, then there shouldn't be any reason the photographer can't bring set props and color sets, if he or she does in-home shoots. Mom and Dad don't have to dress, get bottles, prepare, or leave the house.  As a mom of three, this sounds heavenly to me. There's also the option for in-home lifestyle shoots which I will cover in the next blog post! 

Let me know what you think? Did you have a Newborn Session, and if so, did you opt for in-home or in-studio?