I’m going to let you in on a little secret - those natural, unposed lifestyle photos you see? Well, they’re still a little bit posed.

Don’t get me wrong, they haven’t been intricately positioned but they’ve been told to stand in a certain place, look a certain way, hold the baby a little like this, move your face a little like that.
Make up has been done, hair has been brushed and houses have been tidied especially for these photos.

Don’t get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with completely unposed, unplanned photos. Some of my favourite images of my family were taken in the spare of the moment. What we’re going to look at today though are lifestyle images that have had a little thought put into them. Whether that’s positioning, lighting or even just a little tidying.

1. Choose your locations
Walk around your house and choose a few locations for your photos. You want places like a cot, a big bed, a clear floor area and somewhere for family photos like the sofa. Remove any clutter and mess.

2. Look at the light
Depending on the time of day you may get strong sunlight coming through the window. You want to avoid when sun is streaming directly in because you’ll get a lot of harsh highlights and shadows. Ideally you want the light coming from the side of your newborn rather than shining up their nose so lay them side on to the light source.

3. Choose an outfit or two for your newborn
I love being able to see their little arms and legs in some photos and I generally avoid dresses otherwise they bunch up and you’ll be forever pulling them down.

4. Timing is everything
Plan the shoot for a time of day that they tend to be a little more settled. If you don’t mind them being asleep in the photos, straight after a big feed is perfect.

5. Siblings first
If you’re taking sibling photos, do them first before they get bored. Lay them next to each other on a bed and encourage them to give kisses or cuddles. Let them hold their favourite teddy or blanket if it makes them feel better and if all else fails, don’t forget the power of bribes.

6. Take you time
Don’t feel like you have to take all the photos all at once. A photographer is only with you for a couple of hours but you have lots of time.

7. Take lots of pictures
The joy of technology means you can take tons of images and just delete the ones you don’t want afterwards. The imperfect images and the ones you didn’t plan sometimes turn into your favourite.

8. The details
Remember to photograph all the tiny details like hands, feet and hair.

9. Exist in photos!
The photos with you in them will be your baby’s favourites in the future. Either set a timer or take it in turns with your partner to take photos of each other.

10. Hate having your photo taken?
Lifestyle photos are perfect for those who don’t like looking at the camera. Smile down at your new baby or look at each other. Read them a story or kiss that little button nose.

11. A little bonus tip
If you want to, download an app light Lightroom and edit your images a little. You don’t have to do anything major but you might like to brighten them up or change some to black and white.