As you prep for your newborn session, you have the option to either have your session at a studio or in your home. Both have their benefits. I love capturing newborn sessions in-home for a variety of reasons – it’s more personal, more convenient for the family, and clients tend to be more relaxed at home. However, there are a few things to do in order to prep for a session in your home.

First, assess where the best natural light is in your home. Open all the blinds/shutters/curtains. Turn all the lights off and see which rooms are still pretty well-lit. These are the rooms that have the best chance of success with an in-home session. Typically, these rooms are a bedroom and living space. For a newborn session, it’s nice if the nursery also gets good natural light, but it’s not a requirement.

Next, declutter the rooms that have been determined to be contenders. Decorate these rooms minimally, and in colors you’d like to see in your images. I know that after having a baby, cleaning and decorating is the last thing on a new parent’s mind, but it makes a huge difference in how the session looks. That’s not to say each of these rooms needs new decor – less is more when it comes to in-home sessions. Decluttering makes a huge difference.

If decluttering an entire room (or rooms) sounds overwhelming, focus on one bed and one window area. We can do an entire in-home session in just those two locations. If you are also wanting some posed newborn images of the new bundle of joy, I will set up my posing beanbag right next to a window.

In conclusion, here are the top two things to prep for your in-home newborn session:

1. Determine which room (or rooms) have the best natural light.
2. Declutter those rooms so they are minimally decorated.

That’s it! On the day of your session, open all blinds/curtains/shutters and you’ll be ready to rock your in-home session!

Catie Ann is a Mckinney newborn photographer. If you are looking for a Mckinney or Dallas newborn photographer, please visit this page, or contact her here.