When you’re looking for a baby photographer on the Gold Coast, you’re likely to get asked: what kind of style photos do you want?
Without experience in the photography industry, you’re not likely to know the technical differences between posed and lifestyle. Knowing what type of images you want helps me decide if you’re going to like the lighting and poses I tend to use and give me more of an idea of what you’re looking for. If it helps, you can browse through the photos on my website (which you’ve most likely done already) and either screenshot what you like, or send me examples of photos you like.
What is posed photography?
When we talk about posed photography, this is often referring to the photography sessions that take place inside a studio. I have a beautiful studio in Coomera on the Gold Coast that has the most gorgeous relaxing vibe. This is where we do the cute pictures of your baby in wraps or handmade knitted outfits provided in the studio.
It’s most likely the type of photography that first springs to mind when you think about a newborn baby shoot. Australian photographer Anne Geddes is famous for her posed baby photography. I tend to try and avoid the over-posed photography style with your baby’s safety always at the forefront of my mind. Posed photography may involve mum and dad holding bubs.
here is a tendency for people to think that posed photography can come across as staged, ‘too perfect’ or unnatural, but you can see from the examples below that this isn’t the case. Posed photography can come across as being just as genuine as candid photos. They are simply more structured.
What is lifestyle photography?
Lifestyle photography is more natural. It’s often taken within your home, outside at the beach or in a field at sunset. They are rawer, real and candid. There is less structure to a photography session, but I will still provide a little guidance, for example; if it’s a family shoot with a newborn, I might ask you to stand around the baby, but I generally won’t give directions on looking at the camera or how to stand.
Lifestyle photography focuses on the parent-baby connection, the surroundings and the type of lighting. They are much more natural. Essentially, I will try to fade into the background.
How do I decide which style to go with, or can I have both?
I structure my photo sessions around what you want, so if you can’t decide between posed photography and lifestyle pictures, we can do a mixture of both. Perhaps, I might organise two sessions—one in my Gold Coast studio, and another at your favourite beach or park. This will give you more variety to choose from, but this will be charged out as extra and incorporated in your customised quote.
How to decide what type of photography you would prefer—posed or lifestyle?
Once you’ve looked through my portfolio of photos, it may be enough for you to decide what kind of photography style you prefer. Some other considerations you may want to think about are:
1. What are your plans for the photos you select from your newborn photography session? Do you plan to have them enlarged and featured on the walls of your home, perhaps you want smaller prints to use as Christmas cards or announcing the birth of your new arrival?
2. What background do you want for your photography? Have you envisaged your photoshoot taking place on one of the many Gold Coast beaches, or a lifestyle studio look or more trditional studio with plain backdrounds to really emphasize baby? You may want to have your photos taken in your home environment, but have you considered how this will be reflected in your photographs? Being new parents, it’s not always easy to have your home looking immaculate for photoshoots, so a studio setting is much simpler.
3. How old is your baby? During the first 7 to 15 days of your baby’s life, I like to do these photos in my studio. During the first two to three weeks of your bubs arrival, they do a lot of sleeping and naturally assume the foetal position. It’s much easier to capture the newborn squishiness and those snugly photos within a studio setting.
4. Are you looking to have a cake smash or Christmas photoshoot? Both of these take place at my studio and are posed.
If you have any questions about the style of the photo, please don’t hesitate to ask. Right now, I am taking books for Xmas Mini Shoots, so you’ll have unique wall art, luxury prints or framed storyboards in time for Christmas. Book now.
