I had the pleasure this fall to work with an absolutely lovely couple as they anticipated the arrival of thier first child, Benjamin. So much love and excitement surrounded the arrival of this little guy! Here are some images from the maternity session as well as his newborn session. 
This is a quick trip back in the time machine – for various reasons I failed to get this little beauty up on my blog when she was still tiny newborn, but even though she’s MUCH bigger now, her newborn session remains one of my favorites. Her peaches and cream complexion went perfectly with the peachy blanket and her Mom & Dad just couldn’t get enough of snuggling with her!
Such a cutie! Sandy came over with his mom for his newborn portrait session. He was a *tiny* bit fussy – but nothing that some snuggling with me wouldn’t cure. I was pleased as punch that he was happy to let me swaddle him and hold him close to soothe him back into prime portrait capturing mood (aka – asleep!).
This past winter, my stylist revealed she was pregnant and due October 12th. I congratulated her and informed her that October 5th is a really great day to celebrate birthdays (especially my own!) We laughed and joked about the probability of her baby actually being born on that day (I mean, what are the odds, right?)
Well, guess what?!
Meet Ryleigh Nicole, my fellow Ten-Fiver.
Miss London came to me as a referral from another great client (just LOVE referrals!!!). She was the perfect model! She’s also the latest member of the babyJACKS club, so be sure to be sure to look out for more posts with her adorable self featured in the coming months!
Tesher – aka: Mr. Smiley! Love love LOVE this little guy!
Maxwell entered the world at a whopping 9lbs 11oz – that is a whole lot of baby!! I met him on day 17 and he was a DREAM to photograph! He knew his momma wanted beautiful portraits of his chunky little self so he slept like a good little boy and let me have my photographic way with him! Here are some of the results:
Such a cute cute CUTE little girl!!! Huge congrats to J & S and “Thank you!” for sharing her with me!
A photographer’s definition of a newborn may vary vastly from the general public’s idea of a newborn. Typically a photographer considers a newborn a baby that is two weeks or younger – this is because the newly-born stage of life is extremely special! Your baby is very sleepy and pliable – two traits that can set the stage for some exceptionally creative newborn portrait art!
This isn’t to say that beautiful artwork can’t be created with a baby that is older than two weeks, nor is it a guarantee that every baby under the age of two weeks is going to be the perfect model. All babies are different, of course!
Whenever possible, I recommend scheduling your newborn’s portraits between day five and fourteen. This seems to be the ideal window of opportunity for working with newborns. If you have missed this window, don’t worry – I will still schedule your session for as soon as possible so that we capture the newness of your little one!
I approach all sessions for babies under 8 weeks of age as if the baby were under two weeks of age – if he will sleep soundly and let us curl him into those adorable poses, we definitely do them! However, if your baby is more “awake” (even if they aren’t fussy) the curled-up, sleeping poses may not be possible. Wide-eyed portraits are just as beautiful and I have a lot of ways to pose and work with a baby who isn’t the least bit sleepy.
Some babies are just flat out fussy during their sessions – but don’t worry! I am first, and foremost, a mom and have been in your shoes before! I have also been photographing newborns for seven years – I’ve experienced it all! It’s a rare session where, with a little (okay, a LOT) of patience, beautiful portraits can’t be created. While I typically schedule all newborn sessions in the morning, if you have noticed that your baby is typically fussy in the morning but calm in the afternoon, definitely let me know! This pattern may not reveal itself until after the first two or three weeks, but for babies over the three or four week mark, it is definitely important to work with the time of day they are the happiest!
Whether your newborn is two weeks, or two months, the most important thing to remember is to NOT STRESS their portrait session. I set no expectations out of your newborn prior to the session – every child is different and I take cues from them on what they will, and will not, do for me.
What a SWEET SWEET little boy!! He slept like a champ!
