Brenna Heater – Lifestyle + Newborn Course

Brenna Heater’s Lifestyle + Newborn Course is a self-paced photography training for portrait photographers who want to bring lifestyle and posed approaches together in newborn sessions. Its eight modules follow the process from planning and session preparation through a Lightroom editing demonstration.

Skills you’ll build in newborn photography

• Combine lifestyle and posed newborn photography in a single in-home session
• Handle, soothe, and wrap newborns safely using Brenna’s Module 2 workflow
• Find usable natural light in nurseries, bedrooms, and tricky indoor rooms
• Direct moms, dads, siblings, and pets so every family member cooperates
• Apply Brenna’s signature posing system to full-family and baby-only setups
• Edit newborn skin tones quickly and consistently in Adobe Lightroom only

Inside the Lifestyle + Newborn Course

The training is designed for photographers who already work comfortably in manual mode and want a repeatable approach to newborn sessions in clients’ homes. It addresses the practical challenges of working in different rooms, keeping sessions moving and combining lifestyle imagery with posed photographs.

The downloadable materials include eight self-paced video modules, each accompanied by a workbook. Module 7 contains three full behind-the-scenes session walkthroughs, while Module 8 demonstrates an editing workflow in Adobe Lightroom.

Guides, templates and mini-courses

Additional materials include newborn email templates, a Photographer Prep Guide and a Client Experience Guide. The package also includes a Lifestyle Flash Mini-Course and an Email Marketing Mini-Course.

The main newborn curriculum uses natural light; the separate flash mini-course covers speedlite work. Adobe Lightroom and The Archetype Process profiles are referenced in the editing demonstration but are not bundled.

The eight course modules

• 1. Course Intro: Compare lifestyle and posed photography, consider studio versus in-home sessions, and plan scheduling around a baby’s birth.
• 2. All About the Baby: Learn about newborn safety, sleepy cues, soothing and wrapping.
• 3. All About the Family: Explore ways to direct mothers, fathers, siblings and pets during a session.
• 4. All About Natural Light: Find usable light in indoor spaces such as nurseries and bedrooms without relying on flash.
• 5. All About Posing: Study Brenna’s posing system for full-family photographs and baby-only setups.
• 6. All About Workflow: Build a flexible session plan that can be adapted to different homes.
• 7. Behind-the-Scenes: Follow three complete real sessions: an in-home lifestyle session, an in-home lifestyle and posed session, and an in-studio lifestyle and posed session.
• 8. All About Editing: Watch a Lightroom-only edit that uses The Archetype Process profiles.

Who the newborn photography training fits

The course is suited to established portrait and family photographers adding newborn sessions, wedding photographers interested in weekday work, and natural-light photographers who prefer to work in clients’ homes. Basic camera fluency, comfort in manual mode and a working Adobe Lightroom installation are assumed.

About Brenna Heater

Brenna Heater is a Phoenix-based portrait photographer who runs Brenna Heater Photography + Education. She has worked professionally since approximately 2013 and specializes in luxury in-home maternity, newborn, baby and family photography with a classic, light-and-airy style.

Also on GenkiCourses for content creation: Sean Dollwet – Royalty Hero and Youri – YouTube Automation First Academy 2022.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Lifestyle + Newborn Course cover?

The course covers planning, newborn safety, family direction, natural light, posing, session workflow and Lightroom editing. It also includes three behind-the-scenes session walkthroughs.

Who is the course designed for?

It suits portrait, family and wedding photographers expanding into newborn work, as well as photographers who shoot in homes with natural light. Familiarity with manual camera mode is assumed.

What materials are included?

The course includes video modules and a workbook for each module, along with email templates, photography guides and two mini-courses. Materials include videos and PDFs.

Do I need a studio, flash or editing software?

The main curriculum uses natural light and does not require a studio or flash. Adobe Lightroom is required for the editing module; Lightroom and The Archetype Process profiles used in the demonstration are not bundled.