Sari, John, and baby A’s loving, connected newborn session at home
Sari and John are such lovely, intentional people who I’ve worked with for several years now, photographing their engagement session at home and their adventurous elopement back in 2020. Last year, they welcomed a new baby into their lives, and I was incredibly honored when they asked me to do an in-home newborn session with them and their son, baby A.
Lifestyle newborn photography planning with Sari + John
Sari and John’s excitement to become parents was palpable during our planning conversations. They both felt thrilled to embark on this new adventure into parenthood. They tried to not place too much expectation on what life would look or feel like with a newborn, instead trusting that however it unfolded it would be a magical, precious time.
Sari and John wanted their newborn pictures to feel storytelling and candid– capturing an authentic window into their everyday lives with a new baby. They loved the idea of documenting tender baby details unique to this time (like baby A’s tiny toes and hands), and they also wanted the portraits to honor the layers of relationship in their family – each of their individual relationships with their new son, their relationship as a couple navigating the transition into parenthood together, and their relationship as a loving, connected family of three.
As a Minneapolis newborn photographer, most of the couples I work with opt for one of two timelines for their newborn portraits: taking pictures when their newborn is 5-15 days old when they are extra sleepy and tiny, or having a session when their baby is closer to 1-2 months old and can open their eyes and start to be more expressive. Sari and John opted for the latter, wanting to feel a bit more settled into a routine with their baby before their session. While Sari and John only consented to share pictures without their baby’s face showing (my lifestyle & newborn photography clients can always choose which portraits they do/do not consent for me to share publicly!), you'll have to trust me that it was so precious to see baby A’s big, expressive eyes, which were open for most of the session and lovingly fixed on his parents.
Sari, John, and baby A’s in-home newborn portraits
Newborn sessions move on baby time - which means I always carve out extra time for babies needing to be fed, changed, or soothed. Baby A started crying at one point during Sari and John’s session, so I stepped out of the nursery to let them tend to him. Before stepping out, I paused at the doorway and captured a candid portrait of Sari and John soothing baby A. This portrait documents how much attunement and care Sari and John have poured into learning baby A’s cues, figuring out what he needs, and lovingly providing for him.
Such a calm, cozy scene of Sari and John standing in baby A’s nursery, rocking him to sleep.
This portrait was one of two pictures that Sari and John ended up ordering in a pair of walnut frames made here in Minnesota. One of the pictures featured baby A lying on Sari’s lap with John holding baby A’s hand. Baby A’s eyes are wide open and he has this sweet, attentive expression on his face as he gazes up at Sari and John. They paired that portrait with this one – which tells such a powerful story of Sari and John’s authentic joy and admiration for one another and for their baby. I love how cozy, tender, and connected they look as a family.
The sincere joy pouring out of this picture beautifully captures Sari and John’s gratitude to be new parents together.
