Newborn

Newborn Lifestyle Photography

If you’re here, you’re likely searching for the right photographer for a newborn session in Toronto.  Some photographers offer studio/posed newborn photography and others offer on-location “lifestyle” sessions in your home.

What is the right choice for your newborn session? Only you can answer this question as the right fit is different for every family! What I can do is tell you about my newborn lifestyle sessions as a Toronto based photographer and see if it might sound like a good fit for you. Your baby’s newborn stage goes by so fast and I want you to be thrilled with your newborn portraits whether taken by myself or someone else.

What I try to capture in my newborn photographs are the ordinary moments that become extraordinary once you look back at them. Those first few weeks after a new baby arrives are such a blur for new sleep-deprived parents, I want to capture the beauty of your everyday events with your new little one so that you can save it forever.

So what’s a newborn lifestyle session like?

My newborn sessions are often a bit longer than a typical 1 hour session (sometimes up to two and a half hours long), and we follow the baby’s lead with lots of time for diaper changes, feeding, etc.
The photoshoot takes place at your home which enables us to capture your little one in his/her very first home and incorporate your family’s surroundings in a meaningful way.

During your photoshoot, I’ll capture special moments with mom and dad with the baby, as well as the family all together. If siblings are involved we usually take care of those adorable newborn with sibling images first before anyone runs out of patience 😉

There will also be time for loosely posed photos of the baby alone, these are usually done when the baby is sleepiest.

In-home Newborn Photography

The session takes place in your home, mostly in the nursery and master bedroom, as well as any areas of your home that get the most natural light. Don’t worry about your house being a mess- you just had a baby! I’ll hardly notice that pile of laundry (just long enough to move it out of the frame if it’s in my shot and go back to pretending it’s not there).

All we need to do to prepare is open the blinds and curtains to let in as much light as possible. A white or light neutral bed cover/quilt is perfect for closeups of your newborn as it serves as a giant natural light reflector.

Maternity and Newborn photographer GTA

Why Natural Light Photography?

I have shot with studio strobes and all the latest flash equipment but I feel like nothing compares to the soft, airy, beautiful look that natural light provides.

I rarely have to reschedule because of the way I shoot (making the most of natural light) but it does occasionally happen.  I will always leave some slots available in my calendar in case we need to postpone due to a dark/overcast day.

covering Toronto and the GTA

What should we wear?

You want your baby to be the central focus of the images so keeping everything else simple and neutral is key.  Neutrals/light colours (creams, whites, greys, earth tones or pastel tones) and soft textures work best for newborn family pictures. Blue jeans photograph really well too. You don’t want to exactly match with your spouse, rather coordinate within the same color scheme.

For the baby, a simple well-fitted onesie would be perfect as anything else usually looks overwhelming on a newborn. If you have some nice swaddling blankets/wraps for the baby we can incorporate those too.

You can find more ideas and inspiration on my “what to wear to a newborn lifestyle photoshoot” board on Pinterest.

Do you bring props or swaddling blankets?

I don’t bring anything to your home besides myself and my camera bag! I like to use your baby’s very first home as a backdrop. I find that those images that include your own “props” (favourite blankee, stuffed animal, family heirloom hand-me-down from Grandma, etc) will ultimately be the most meaningful and timeless.

What can I do to prepare for the session?

 If you can manage it, it would be great if you could keep your baby awake for an hour or two before the session and give him/her a full feeding around the time/just before I arrive, so that she/he’s more likely to be sleepy for the pictures.
It would be helpful as well to have him/her in just a short-sleeved well-fitted onesie so that we don’t wake him/her by changing clothes. (I do realize this may be asking a lot as newborns aren’t on schedules yet!) I have kids myself and know that some of this may not be feasible so please don’t stress….these are merely suggestions!

twin newborn photography

When will we receive our photos?

 A private online gallery will be emailed to you 2-3 weeks following your session, presenting 40-60 edited images from your shoot. The gallery will remain active for 8 days so that you can select the images you would like to purchase. Your ordered images will be delivered to you in both colour and black and white versions in a high-resolution flash-drive so you may reprint and enlarge to your heart’s content.

When should I book my session?

 Newborns are best photographed within the first twenty days (or a little later if under 6 lbs)….if you would like to book, just let me know and I will be happy to keep a morning open in my calendar approximately 10-20 days after  your due date.

Oakville newborn photographer

My newborn is already 4 weeks old – is it too late for a newborn photoshoot?

Most of the newborn photographs that you see on my website are approximately twenty days or under. At this time the baby is still young enough to be sleepy and “curled up”, is more likely to stay asleep so that poses may be varied etc. As babies get a little older (although it is strange to consider a 4  week old “older”, I know) we can still capture darling images of them with mom and dad, swaddled, or gazing intently, but it can be harder to obtain sleeping images. I always try, however, and the sessions are lovely regardless.  One of my sessions featured on the blog, which you can see here,  was of a 7 week old and she was completely asleep for half of the session. You never know!

Please feel free to have a look at some of my newborn session previews and if my style seems like a good fit for you, I would be really honoured to capture this special time for you. Contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to book.

Nechama Laitman is a Toronto newborn photographer, family photographer, maternity photographer and baby photographer. She offers on location and in-home natural lifestyle photography in all areas of the GTA, including North York, Riverdale, Rosedale, Forest Hill, Roncesvalles, Leslieville, the Annex, Sunnybrook, Lawrence Park, Ossington, Leaside, Willowdale, Yonge-Eglinton, Bedford Park and parts of Oakville