Tales from an at-home newborn photoshoot in Hayle, Cornwall

When it comes to having a baby, there are so many decisions to be made before you’ve even arrived at the point of thinking about newborn photos. So when faced with the option of studio or at-home as a location for your session, it could end up being yet another brick in the mental load.

If you’re wondering what the best choice for you would be, read on as I dive deep into at-home newborn sessions and what you can expect.

Baby Izzy & Family

It was a gorgeous, sunny Spring morning when I drove through this beautiful bit of Cornish countryside to find the family farm just outside Hayle. The sky was blue, flowers were bursting out all over the hedges (I love this time of year - bluebells, wild garlic, etc).

I was there to capture some memories for Carolyn & James - they’d just had their second baby girl, and because of lockdown this was not something they were able to do with their firstborn. This was our chance to document life whilst in the newborn bubble, at home where the memories are made.

How we’d prepared for the session

After confirming the session, Carolyn was sent my at-home newborn sessions prep guide, as well as a style guide with advice on what to wear. We’d also made time for a pre-session consultation on WhatsApp video call - this gave us a chance to speak face to face about the details and for Carolyn to give me a video tour of the farmhouse. I like to know in advance what the spaces look like - this helps me decide what I need to bring to the shoot.

On the day

When I arrived Carolyn was feeding baby Izzy, so I let James show me around the house to check on the light, and decide on where we’d shoot the session.

It was a stunning old farmhouse, with many rooms that would have been lovely, and I chose the spare room upstairs because it had lovely light and plenty of room to move, as well as the bed which is a comfy starting place.

I set up with James (moving a few things around, getting my stuff from the car etc) while Carolyn got Mollie (their one year old) and Izzy ready. They came up and we began with Izzy by herself on the bed while she slept.

When there’s a toddler in the mix

When working with little ones, especially toddlers, things are naturally unpredictable and full of life and interruptions. My approach is to not be fixated on any outcome and to give things a go and see what happens. I had planned to get Izzy changed and swaddled for some sweet photos with dad and big sister on the bed, but said big sister could not resist the urge to jump on the bed, which resulted in baby waking up and crying.

I wish I could impress on parents how ok this is, and that it’s not a problem. When there’s a toddler in the mix whether we’re at home or in the studio, this is the type of thing I fully expect and I don’t mind at all.

In this case, I asked Carolyn to wrap Izzy in a blanket and give her a top up feed so that she could settle again, while I got James to read a calming story to Mollie on the bed. Sometimes it takes a little while to warm up and find our groove, and instead of worrying about it, we can simply take a moment and reset, which is what we did.

Once everyone was relaxed, I got Carolyn by the window with Izzy, and invited Mollie to come in for a photo too. She wasn’t that keen, but I only need a brief moment of connection to get a photo, and she gave me that before wriggling down and back to her book.

Izzy was still not very settled so it was more feeding on the bed, and then I asked James to hold Izzy near the window on a yellow velvet stool that caught my eye. Carolyn & Mollie joined in at the end, and I suggested we take a photo of Izzy in her moses basket which I’d spotted downstairs, as well as a beautiful handknitted blanket which turned out to be a bit of a family heirloom so I really wanted to incorporate that.

Mollie wanted to show me her room, so we stopped in there for a bit and then ended up in the main bedroom where I’d spotted some nice light on the ground by the window with the aim to getting some images of Izzy in her Moses basket asleep by herself, and potentially with Mollie too as I hadn’t managed any shots of them together yet. But unfortunately Izzy was still not very settled and cluster feeding, and by then Mollie was really beginning to get restless.

We did try, but it was starting to get tiring for Carolyn and I could feel her waning with the endless feeding and comforting cycle. Sometimes if we have tried many times to get baby to stay asleep it starts to feel a little too forced, and I’d rather end the session with what we’ve got than keep pushing.

Wrapping up the session

Once it was decided that the session was finished I got everything moved back in place in the spare room, and packed up whatever I’d brought (blankets, a diffuser curtain etc), making sure everything was left tidy and in place before saying goodbye.

It was a really gorgeous session, despite an unsettled baby & unwilling toddler, and after seeing a sneak peek on Instagram, Carolyn messaged me to say ‘I’m genuinely amazed how good that family photo is, how you ever got anything of our ‘independent’ toddler is impressive!. Also loved the one of Izzy in James’s hands so natural and beautiful!’.

I LOVE how much magic it’s possible to capture in any session, and how surprised parents always are - when all they have experienced was the busy-ness and chaos, it’s still possible to see and capture beauty.

To book or enquire about an at-home or studio newborn session with me in Cornwall, get in touch - I’d love to learn more.