What are they you ask? Do you hear murmurs on street corners and are too embarrassed to ask? Okay maybe nothing quite that dramatic, but I’m here to inform you about what they are and why I love them.. and why you might too!
Lifestyle sessions are a way to document a milestone or a moment of your life in a natural setting. Studio or posed portraits are not for everyone. While they can be beautiful and a wonderful way to display your family, they don’t always showcase everyone’s personality. What if your child isn’t a kid who likes to sit still and smile (this may be most kids). What if you don’t like the feeling of being photographed? Maybe you don’t have time to leave the house because you have 5 kids. A lifestyle session can come into play for any and all of these scenarios. While there are several approaches to this style of photography, mine is more of a photo-journalistic style where I’m there to document, not direct.
For a typical newborn lifestyle session, I come to your home, when it’s convenient for you. Generally I recommend when it’s light outside so we can open the shades and let natural light brighten your space, it doesn’t have to be. Once I get there, I will chat with you and slowly just start snapping. Usually I will tell you, just pretend I’m not here. I try to be as minimally invasive or bossy as possible. The beauty of these sessions is you don’t have to be looking at the camera. The interaction, and the details of your life as they are, happening in real time is what I’m after.
None of these moments were directed, I just become part of the background and watch what happens when you interact organically. Often times I will try and get one photo of everyone looking at the camera, however it often still feels more natural because you are in your element, and most likely more at ease.
These sessions can be a really great alternative for some people, and it’s the only way I photograph newborns. The end result can be very natural, unique images of your family that are still great for walls and albums.
