Question: Is in-studio newborn photography, or in-home newborn photography a better choice?
Answer: It’s up to your specific situation, but you’ll want to think about photo style, posing, home-prep, and your capacity, to help you decide!

So it’s time to review your Newborn Photo Options

If you’re here, that probably means you’re looking to schedule newborn photos here in Minneapolis, and if that’s the case, a congratulations are in order!! I know I start off most posts about newborn photography like this, but that’s because it’s important. Not enough people congratulate new parents BEFORE the little one has joined your family – and your family growing? It’s worth celebrating now, and then, and later, and three weeks ago! It’s ALWAYS celebration-worthy.

But now that we’ve got the congratulations out of the way, you’ve probably got some questions. And I have a ton of answers – whether it’s the tools you can find in my ultimate guide to newborn photography prep, or my guides on choosing the right photographer for you, it’s important to me that you can get the right information ahead of your Minneapolis newborn photography session. And part of that, is being able to choose where you’re going to have your newborn session in the first place!

Choosing your location is half the battle!

And being honest, it’s not always a straightforward choice!

You’ve got a ton of things to pick, from what your little one is going to wear, to whether you’re going to be involved in the session. But before you can choose those things, you’ve got to pick the more overarching elements of your upcoming newborn session. Namely, who you’re going to work with, and where you’re going to have the session. Sometimes, who you’re going to work with will solve this problem for you!

If the photographer you’re invested in working with, whose portfolio you love, is only in-home images? Well… that’s probably a good indicator that working with them will mean a lifestyle, or in-home session. Or, there are some photographers who will only work in their studio, for various reasons, and in that case, the opposite is the case! To work with that photographer, you’ll have to have your session in the studio, end of conversation.

But when you choose to work with Jessica Strobel Photographer, you get options! I offer both in-home, lifestyle newborn photography here in and around Minneapolis, as well as posed newborn sessions here in my studio! So, if you have both options… how do you choose which is best?

Do you want posed, or unposed images?

This might rule in (or out!) a specific session type automatically!

The first question to ask yourself if you’re hoping to weed down whether you’d like an in-home session, or an in-studio session for your newborn photos, is what kind of images you’d like to have at the end of the session!

Normally, there’s a pretty big difference between a lifestyle newborn photo session, and an in-studio newborn photo session. Not just because one is in your home, but because of the types of images taken in each situation! Lifestyle sessions are usually designed to be what they sound like – a representation of your lifestyle. So the images are taken in your natural habitat, you’re asked to do everyday things that you’d normally do – like cradle your little one in your arms in front of a window, or sit with your loved ones on your sofa, holding your new baby.

In studio, the vibes are more posed! Sometimes, this means images of your baby posed in props like baskets, basinets, or swaddled in blankets, all of which are kept in the studio and used exclusively for newborn sessions. Definitely a different tone than having images of your little one in THEIR swaddles, THEIR blankets, or THEIR cradle.

So – are you feeling more drawn to posed images? Or unposed images, in your home? If you’re drawn one way or the other most, then that’ll help answer the question for you.

Realistically… how much home prep can you do?

Every pregnancy looks different, and every family has different needs once your kiddo has arrived!

Another big deciding factor between lifestyle newborn photo sessions, and in-studio newborn sessions, is whether or not you have to prep your home ahead of time. Now, this also depends on how prepped you WANT the house to be before your session, which is entirely up to you! Some families actually WANT me to capture the pure, raw, chaos of the way your home looks and feels to live in while you’re in that newborn phase, and everything is a little… out of hand. And that is 100% up to you!!

Whether you want things to look and feel curated, or you want things to look and feel like they do on a daily basis, we will make sure that your session matches your vision. But… if you WANT the curated look, and know that there’s no way for you to handle cleaning your home to the level that would be needed for that perfect, curated vibe? Firstly I’d like to say there’s no shame in that. Every pregnancy is different, every family is different, and everyone’s resources are different in the newborn time period. Not being able to clean your home to a spotless shine while you have a newborn to care for is COMPLETELY understandable!! But also, if that’s true, and you want the curated vision for your session, it pulls us to the studio option so that we can make it happen!

If it’s time to book your newborn photos, let’s talk!

Whether that’s in the studio, or you’re looking for a lifestyle newborn photo session.

It doesn’t matter whether you want a session in my Minneapolis studio, or you want me to come to your home and capture your newborn in a lifestyle session, I would love to talk to you about making the vision for documenting your new family member a reality! There are so many options for documenting your baby’s first few weeks, and every time I’m chosen to document a family’s journey, I’m honored. Documenting growth (of any kind!) is one of my favorite parts of my job – so let’s talk about making your vision real, in a package of images that you’ll be able to look back on for years and years to come!