Hershey PA Photographer

Answering Your Hershey Newborn Photography Questions About Lifestyle Newborn Photos

If you have a baby on the way, you’ve probably noticed that every newborn portrait session has a look of its own. Photography is an art form, so naturally, each photographer has their own aesthetic style, but one of the largest differences you might notice is between posed in-studio portraits and lifestyle portraits that seem to just show the new family sharing their lives together. In my Hershey newborn photography studio, I’m happy to offer both!

Curious about lifestyle newborn photos? I’m answering your top questions about this popular option.

In Hershey Newborn Photography, What are Lifestyle Newborn Photos?

Lifestyle newborn photos are photos that are usually taken in your home and they create a lovely picture of your baby’s first days of life. Instead of posed or themed portraits, these photos focus on authenticity, reflecting your daily life with your baby and your newly expanded family.

How Do Lifestyle Newborn Photos Fit into Hershey Newborn Photography?

Your baby’s first professional portraits are incredibly special for your family, so I want to create the look and feel that you want for the portraits that will adorn your walls for decades. Some families choose to exclusively have lifestyle newborn portraits or exclusively have in-studio portraits, while other families choose a combination of both. Many of my clients prefer to take their baby’s solo portraits in the studio and then do an add-on lifestyle session at home so they can include their baby’s siblings too.

How Should You Prepare for Lifestyle Newborn Portraits?

When parents ask this question, they’re really asking, “Does my home need to be spotless for this photo session?” Absolutely not! I typically limit lifestyle portraits to your baby’s nursery and potentially a couple of other spots in your home if they have particularly great lighting or aesthetics. As far as the rest of your home, I’m a mom too – this is a judgment-free zone!

Learn More About Hershey Newborn Photography

Want to chat about a lifestyle photo session for your baby? Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography today!

Harrisburg Family Photo Locations: Some of My Favorites

When I’m working with a family to plan their family portraits, one of the first details we decide on is the location. The location for your Harrisburg family photo session sets the tone for the entire aesthetic, whether you’re looking for a backdrop that is natural and earthy, historic and charming, or anything in between.

Trying to find a location for your next photo session? Here are some of my top spots (note: the images pictured are not necessarily taken at the locations listed).

Shipoke, PA for a Harrisburg Family Photo Session

Shipoke is one of Harrisburg’s most picturesque neighborhoods. It’s lined with gorgeous rowhouses that would remind you of old-world San Francisco or Charleston’s Rainbow Row. It’s perfect for families who love that style of charm and want a richly colorful background for their portraits.

Fort Hunter Mansion and Park

The Fort Hunter Mansion and Park overlooks the gorgeous Susquehanna River. The mansion’s exterior has a bold historical look and the grounds of its surrounding park have amazing natural beauty. It’s fantastic for family portraits surrounded by bright and lively greenery.

Lower Allen Community Park

Located in Mechanicsburg, Lower Allen Community Park is one of my favorite spots for Harrisburg family photos. It features a variety of different landscapes, like woodsy areas as well as open green spaces, so I can capture a few different looks in the same place.

Downtown Harrisburg and the Harrisburg PA State Capitol

For families who want a stylish and urban aesthetic in their family portraits, downtown Harrisburg is a go-to choice. There are so many spots in downtown Harrisburg that make it easy to create the specific look your family wants.

Milton Hershey School Founder’s Hall in Hershey, PA

For families who live in the Hershey area or who are up for a short drive, I love taking portraits at the Milton Hershey School’s Founders Hall in Hershey. The building and its surrounding area has a lovely, unique look that can create a fantastic family portrait backdrop.

Choosing Your Perfect Location for Harrisburg Family Photos

If you’re due for some new Harrisburg family photos, hiring an experienced photographer will make the rest of the process simple and smooth. As a full-service photographer, I’m happy to help families choose a location, plan their wardrobe, and even design your custom portrait prints and other products. Get started today by contacting Karissa Zimmer Photography. I can’t wait to help you create new memories for this chapter of your family’s life!

Hershey Newborn Portraits Tips: How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep

If you’ve browsed Hershey newborn portraits online for inspiration for your baby’s photo session, or if you’ve just seen your friends’ newborn photos, you’re probably already in love with those portraits of cozy, sleepy newborns. Sleeping newborn photos have such a precious look of sweet innocence, and when you look back on them years later, they can bring back memories of watching your little one slumber.

As every parent knows, though, getting a newborn to sleep isn’t always easy. So what is the best way to get your baby to sleep for their newborn photo session?

How to Get a Newborn to Sleep for Hershey Newborn Portraits

Newborn portraiture is one of my specialties as a photographer, so rest assured that I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve for lulling newborns to sleep. As a parent, though, there are some things you can do to make those adorable sleepy portraits possible.

Try to Time Your Baby’s Sleep Purposefully

On the day of your newborn photo session, try to keep your baby awake for a few hours before the session. You might bathe them and play with them for a while, for example. You don’t want them to be uncomfortable – you just want them to be awake and in a good mood if possible. That way, when you arrive for your session, they’ll be ready for a deep nap.

Fill That Baby Belly

Once your baby has been awake for a few hours and is getting tired, you can seal the deal by feeding them right before their session or when you arrive for your session. When your baby has had their fill, they’re likely to fall right into that amazing, deep “full belly” type of sleep.

Some babies start to fall asleep while you’re feeding them. It’s tempting to let them fall asleep right then, but it’s important to burp them before we start the portrait session. If your baby has air in their belly, posing them for photos can make them uncomfortable and wake them up.

Prepare Your Baby for Sleep Before Feeding Them

While we do want a moment to burp your baby after you feed them, we want them to then be able to transition into sleep easily and stay asleep as we start taking photos. If your baby falls asleep clothed, they may wake up when we try to undress them for their portraits.

Consider undressing your baby and wrapping them loosely in a blanket while you feed them. This way, it’s much easier to wrap them or pose them nude without having to take off a onesie or anything else that could be complicated. As an added bonus, a loose blanket won’t leave lines on their skin, so they’ll look especially smooth and soft for their portraits.

Bring Your Trusted Favorites

Many babies will fall right asleep after you feed them, but others need a bit more effort to be lulled to sleep. I have a variety of tricks and tools at my Hershey newborn photography studio to soothe babies to sleep. You know your baby better than anyone, though, so when it’s time for your baby’s newborn session, you will probably have found the newborn sleep techniques that your baby loves most.

I encourage you to bring anything that helps your baby sleep at home. Maybe it’s a book you read to them, a lullaby you sing or play on your phone, a scent you use in their nursery, or whatever it may be. We may need to soothe them back to sleep a few times throughout the session, so anything can help.

What If Your Baby Doesn’t Sleep for Their Newborn Portraits?

With all the tips above chances are that your baby will be asleep for at least part of their session. Regardless, though, don’t worry! I have plenty of experience photographing both awake and asleep newborns, and we can still create absolutely beautiful newborn portraits while your baby is awake.

Keep in mind as well that if you’re stressed about trying to get your baby to sleep, your baby may pick up on that stress, making it more difficult for them to sleep. Just relax, follow the tips above, and know that you’re in the hands of a professional and it will all turn out wonderfully.

If you have a baby on the way, I would love to help you get the heirloom Hershey newborn portraits of your dreams. Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography today and let’s book your session.

Should You Include Siblings in a Hershey Maternity Photo Shoot?

Maternity portraits celebrate one of the most unique and treasured times in your life. I’m honored to help families throughout the Hershey, PA area to preserve lifelong memories of this meaningful time. If you’re planning a Hershey maternity portrait session, you may have the same question that countless other families ask: should you include your children in your maternity photos?

The Beauty of Family Maternity Portraits

When you’re preparing to welcome a new baby into your family, the entire family is involved. Your older child may be excited to meet their baby sibling and eager to become a big brother or big sister. In many families, there’s already a unique bond before the new baby has even arrived.

This is why including your kids in your Hershey maternity portraits can be so meaningful. You’re paying homage to the fact that the entire family is ready to embrace the new baby with love and warmth. If your older child is somewhat distant from their soon-to-be sibling, this photo session can also be a fantastic way to help them feel more involved in the pregnancy. You can even use the photo shoot as an opportunity to take some solo portraits of your child or children before the new baby arrives.

Celebrating Your Special Time

While some moms-to-be enjoy bringing the entire family for their maternity portraits, it’s also important to remember that this photo session is in honor of you! Amid the discomforts, physical changes, and stresses of pregnancy, maternity portraits can help you remember that you are an absolute bombshell who deserves to feel strong and confident. For some moms-to-be, maternity portraits are incredibly personal in this way, and you may not want to incorporate the entire family.

Your Hershey Maternity Portraits, Your Call!

Ultimately, the question of whether you should include your kids in your maternity portraits comes down to you. This is your photo session, and I’m happy to work with whatever makes you feel comfortable and will help you enjoy your session most. There’s no wrong answer!

To start planning your maternity photos, contact my Hershey area portrait studio today.

Hershey PA Family Photographer | The Stirpe Family

I love being a Hershey PA Family Photographer! I hold this family so close to my heart! The Stirpe Family has continued to trust me to capture their family portraits for the last 4 years! I’ve even been lucky enough to document and watch their littlest, Ava, grow up since birth! That is truly the greatest compliment and honor any Hershey PA Family Photographer can possibly receive! Not only are my clients trusting me to capture and create the best images for them, but they are trusting me with a piece of their family’s lives and I do not take that lightly!

Choosing a location for your Hershey PA Family Photos

I must say, this family is a true creature of habit! They have one location they have loved over and over for the past few years! But this time, we all agreed it was time for a nice change-up! We decided on Founder’s Hall at The Milton Hershey School for the Stirpe’s family photos. The grounds here are absolutely beautiful during any time of year. It truly makes for the perfect setting for a Hershey family photo session!

Summer Family Photography sessions

Now, when I say the Stirpes’ are creatures of habit I am not kidding! Just like they’ve got their favorite location, they also had a serious tendency to LOVE fall family photography. I’m pretty certain I’ve spent approximately 3 of the 4 years we worked together trying to convert them to summer family photography session clients! This past year WE DID IT! We did a Hershey PA summer family photo shoot and it was pure magic. Hands down, my favorite session we ever captured together! I think we could agree that the summer “magic hour” is truly the most magical!

Build a relationship with your Family photographer!

I truly adore these 4 people. My clients that I get to see each year become my people! Almost like an extension of my family and friend circle! I love that we can laugh together, have our yearly “inside jokes” and most of all watch their babies grow up together. I believe family photography is such a personal service. It’s not a service where you should pick “just anyone” to perform. I believe you should always have the opportunity to meet your photographer for an in-person consultation prior to working together. Kind of like a preliminary “meet and greet” to see if they’re a good fit for your family. You should feel that your personalities mesh well and that you trust them to work with your children and capture them authentically. When choosing the right Hershey PA Family Photographer, you should know it’s someone you’ll enjoy working with and trust to capture your family for years to come, not just one and done!

Choose me to capture your Hershey PA Family Photography Session!

I’d love to learn more about you and your family and how we can capture some amazing images together! Images that you will want to display on the walls of your home for years and years to come! I am a custom, full-service portrait photographer serving Hershey PA and all of the surrounding Central PA towns including Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, York, and Carlisle PA. I will walk you through my portrait photography process from start to finish! Shoot me a quick message today to start planning your family’s photo session!