Documentary or Posed? What That Choice Actually Means
When people enquire about a newborn session, they often arrive with one of two words in mind: "posed" or "documentary." They've usually seen examples of each online and assume they need to pick a side. In practice, the distinction is less black-and-white than it looks — and most of what I deliver in a typical session is a deliberate mix of both.
What "posed" actually means
Posed newborn photography is the classical style most people picture first: a sleeping baby arranged in a bucket, wrapped in a particular way, lit with studio lighting against a clean backdrop. It takes skill, patience, and a calm baby — and it produces the kind of timeless, polished image that looks beautiful printed and framed for years to come.
This is the bulk of what I do. Around 70% of a typical newborn session with me is built around this classical, composed style.
What "documentary" actually means
Documentary newborn photography is the opposite instinct: no arranging, no studio setup, no asking anyone to hold still. It's photographing what's actually happening — a sibling peering into the moses basket, a parent mid-yawn at 3am, the baby's hand wrapped around a finger during a feed. Nothing is directed. It's reportage, not composition.
This makes up roughly the remaining 30% of most sessions — the quieter, in-between moments that happen naturally around the posed portraits.
Why I blend the two, rather than choosing one
Most families don't actually want a session that's entirely one or the other. They want the beautiful, classical portraits that make a stunning print for the wall — and they also want the real, unposed moments that show what early life with this particular baby was actually like. A purely posed session can feel a little stiff if it's all you get. A purely documentary session, while honest, often misses the timeless portrait families want to print and frame.
Blending both in the same session gives you the best of each: the polished portraits you'll treasure formally, and the candid ones that bring you straight back to how those first days actually felt.
When a fully documentary session makes more sense
For some families, a fully documentary approach is the better fit — particularly if posing isn't something the baby or parents want at all, or if the goal is purely to capture the atmosphere of those very first days rather than create formal portraits. That's why I also offer a dedicated Newborn Documentary session: three to four hours, entirely reportage-style, with no posed setups at all. It suits families who want their newborn days told as a story rather than composed as a portrait.
So which should you choose?
If you're not sure, that's completely normal — most people aren't. In our pre-session conversation, I'll ask about what matters most to you: the wall-worthy portrait, the honest in-between moments, or both. There's no wrong answer, and the blend can always shift based on what feels right for your family.
If you'd like to talk through which approach suits you, I'd love to hear from you.
If a fully documentary birth is more what you're after, you might also enjoy reading about [a home birth I photographed that lasted hours →] or [what "natural" really means to me as a photographer →].
