I’ve worked with Madeline & Tyson before for their maternity session at the gardens location when they were expecting their son, Parker - and then again for his newborn session and First Birthday session! They are such a fun couple to work with and I’ve enjoyed the time I have spent with them.
Madeleine contacted me to schedule an in-home lifestyle milestone session at their gorgeous home in Brookhaven that also included some professional headshots for a print campaign for her (which I won’t show in the gallery below). I love in-home sessions when babies are older because you can photograph them actually enjoying and interacting with all the aspects of their nurseries. The vast majority of our newborn clients choose to book a studio session over in home and plan an in home session for the sitting or First Birthday milestone.
We scheduled the session around Parker’s nap times and at the best time for the best light in the rooms they wanted to photograph within their home. I do carry lighting equipment with me just in case we need it, but it’s pretty rare. I tend to embrace the light in a client’s home - so if it’s not as well lit, the photos will just have a darker and more moody feel to them that reflects that. If it’s too dark for the images to meet my quality standards, that’s when I will make the decision to augment with my lighting equipment. So, how do you know when the best light of day will be in? You probably have the answer right on your iPhone! Go into the room you want to photograph and open the compass application. North facing windows are pretty great all day long (and what I have in my studio). East facing windows can be too bright and harsh in the morning and it’s better to wait until the sun has risen up a bit closer to noon. South facing windows are often the most difficult to work with as it’s just super harsh light, and West facing windows are great from noon until right before the sun lowers so much that it’s shining directly in the windows. This will also be affected by whether you have trees outside your windows and the time of year. Spring and summer tree foliage block out a lot more light than fall and winter when the leaves have dropped. There are lots of factors at play - and we’re here to assist you in determining the best time of day light wise!
When I arrived at their home, Madeline and I headed down the street to a local park for her headshot portion. Parker was due to be up from his nap at any moment and would be eating afterwards, so that’s why we planned it this way. When we returned from the park, he was ready to be dressed. Madeleine showed me a few outfit options and I pulled out the best combos. We headed to the backyard first before the sun rose too high for some outdoor images with their pups, and then went back indoors for some images in their formal living room. After an outfit change, we headed upstairs to Parker’s gorgeous nursery. I loved the blue and white scheme and the stuffed llama was just the cutest! Madeleine has an affinity for traditional Southern clothing, and never misses an opportunity to dress Parker up. True to form, she put him in a sweet romper and handed him his silver cup and spoon that had been a baby gift from a special person in their lives. He had the best time banging and playing with them, and we wrapped up the session with family and parent images in the nursery.
As of this writing, I’ve photographed Madeleine’s second maternity session and we’re waiting the birth of the newest addition to the family later this spring!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
