One of the great things about booking a newborn session with me is that I can come to you or you can come to my studio! You don’t have to stress about leaving the house with a brand new baby in tow if you don’t want to, but if the last thing you’d like to do is have someone in your home, by all means, enjoy a comfy spot at my studio and relax while I photograph your brand new little one! My style consists of natural and styled posing. I like to make sure your new bundle of joy is comfortable and safe at all times. I bring my large bean bag and backdrop holder as well as my studio light if I come to you so the images I capture for you will not change based on where I capture these fleeting moments. I may use natural light if the light in your home is fantastic, but I like to be prepared with light that I can control in case the sun keeps hiding behind clouds (making the light unpredictable) or if too much sunlight is streaming in and cannot be diffused. I will also bring a selection of colorful & neutral backdrops to you or will have them available at the studio. I do have some wraps and hats, but please let me know if you have a special outfit or a cute hat already that you may also want to use!

Newborns are at their sleepiest stage in their first two weeks and are less likely to have hit the baby acne stage, so I highly recommend contacting me to put an approximate date on my calendar for you before your baby arrives. We all know that their arrival is unpredictable, but that is why I plan for it and make sure to leave a few dates open two weeks before and three weeks after your due date.

Today I want to share some tips with you to prepare for a successful session. A lot of baby’s session is done with minimal clothing. For this reason, I recommend turning up the temperature in your house. I also bring a space heater to focus even more warmth on the space used for the session.

Sleepy babies are warm and fed. If at all possible, it works out super well if you are able to feed baby while I am setting up. This gives them a full tummy to settle in with, stay warm and sleep through the session. Does it always work that way? Absolutely not! Sometimes baby can’t wait to eat and needs to be fed 45 minutes before I get there & is wide awake. Sometimes baby cluster feeds and we need to take a break every 30 minutes for baby to top off. That is not a problem at all! Make sure to set aside two to three hours for your session so we have the ability to be flexible and calm baby into a relaxing slumber so we can get those perfect little poses.

If you would like to capture family portraits during your session, these will be done using your natural home surroundings or a neutral backdrop in my studio. If these will be done at your home, please be sure to have a space in mind, free of clutter so the focus of your images will be you and baby.

There are some poses I won’t do at all or will only do with the help of an assistant (mom or dad) because I take safety so seriously. If you take a look at the series below. The image on the left is the original. The image in the middle is where I got rid of Mom’s arm through photoshop magic (you can still see her hand that I needed to edit out). Image on the right is the final image with mom removed.

Babies are very top heavy. If Mom wouldn’t have been holding on, the little guy could have easily flopped out of the cheese or dumped himself over if he had fidgeted. I would not have attempted this shot if I had not had Mom’s extra hand to create it.

In the image above with this sweet little guy in a bucket, I had a weight in the bottom to anchor him down and then blankets padding it so he was nice and comfy. As an added safety measure, dad was just directly out of the frame near by.

How is the session set up? I’m glad you asked! I have a large posing bean bag that is set up with backdrops draped over it. It is firm, yet malleable and large enough to support baby safely. I keep wraps, hats and headbands nearby so I am able to switch out looks fairly quickly. I also welcome a hat or stuffed animal you may have and want included as well!

One thing I LOVE to capture are those perfect little yawns and stretches. I swear there is nothing cuter than their scrunched up little faces. The posed shots are fantastic, but I find it just as important to capture them in their natural state too.

We can’t forget the details! Those tiny hands and toes are so precious. I will always capture an image or two that tell the story of just how little they were at the beginning of life. Most often I will ask parents to use their hands during these shots because it builds an emotional connection in the photos to showcase just how little their hands and feet were in comparison to you.

Newborn sessions are best scheduled in the morning. A 9:00am start time is perfect because it gives you time to get ready, but gets me out of your space by lunch time!

I am what I like to call, a flexible light photographer. If I’m coming to your home, I will bring my studio light, but if you have FANTASTIC natural light in your home, I will likely set up by a window instead. I like to use the route that works best in your home, but always prepare by bringing my light in the event heavy clouds roll in, the light doesn’t come in from the right direction or the space just doesn’t allow for a window-light set up.

What do you need to do during the session while I am photographing your beautiful little bundle of joy? Sit back and relax! If I am having trouble getting baby to settle, I may ask for your assistance, but if baby is sleepy and comfortable, PLEASE use this time to relax and let me capture beautiful images for you. Please don’t hesitate to ask any additional questions that I may not have covered and to book your session. My email and phone number can be found on my contact page. I’m looking forward to capturing your precious little one soon!