In-Home Sessions

The large majority of my newborn sessions take place in the clients’ homes. There is just something so special about documenting your new babe in the place you first brought them home to.

Before your baby arrives, it would be helpful to plan out what parts of your home you want to take photos in - the more you have figured out before your baby arrives the less stressful your session will be!

Think about what your favorite rooms and corners in the house are and which rooms get the best light. Having 2-4 different spots in your house to bounce between will give you a diverse gallery of photos. Common locations include the living room, nursery, master bedroom, guest room, front porch and garden - but we can get creative with other cozy corners of your home as well!

Once you have your rooms/ spaces picked out, try and get a feel for what time of day these rooms get the best light. Ideal light is bright but not direct (no harsh shadows).

Finding the best lighting in your home is important as only natural light is used for a newborn session. We will want all overhead lights and lamps turned off during your session as they can create very unflattering shadows. I don’t use flash photography as it can startle a baby, and it does not look as soft as natural light. Scheduling your session for when your home gets lots of bright light in through the windows is such an important factor for getting dreamy photographs!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about finding lighting!

How To Prepare Your Home

Don’t worry about cleaning every room! And definitely don’t spend time dusting or vacuuming, those things never get picked up in camera, I promise! Focus on a quick tidy of the rooms that you want photographs in. Clear any clutter from nightstands, window ledges, and shelves and try to remove any item that you don’t want in the background of a photo.

Posing Policy

My goal is always to portray connection over perfection. I want to keep everyone as comfy and cozy as possible, especially your new baby!

I do not do any trendy newborn poses - I prefer to keep babies looking natural and extra comfortable. I want you to look back on these photos and remember the true, simple beauty of who they were in this fleeting stage.

In my portfolio you may see photos of babies on their sides or stomachs, please know that I only do these poses if they happen organically for the infant.

For the family shots, the goal is find cozy spots in the best light and focus on the natural connection between everyone.

What to Wear

For family members: Keep it simple and comfy with neutral colors. Try to avoid clothes with writing or logos on them. With indoor photos it’s best to avoid hats as they can cast dark shadows on your face.

For baby: I suggest simple and timeless pieces for your newborn. All clothing should be formfitting - this usually means you will need a preemie or newborn sized onesie. A basic white onesie always works well. We can also take your baby’s clothing off and get some nude or near nude newborn photos as well if you’d like, but I do prefer to keep babies feeling and looking warm and cozy!

I recommend sticking with 1 outfit, 2 at the max! If you're planning on doing an outfit change it's usually best to try and have everyone in the family change outfits. The pro of doing 2 outfits is that it adds a lot of diversity to your gallery! It can also give everyone a little bit of a break between taking photos. The con is that changing outfits for everyone can take up a big chunk of our time together and it can also sometimes end up upsetting the kids! It is always a good idea to have a back up outfit options just incase there's a spit up incident :)

Let me know if you want more outfit or family styling guidance, or feel free and send me pictures of outfits you’re considering.

How old should my baby be for a newborn shoot?

Newborn shoots can take place anywhere between the first 5 days to 6 weeks of your baby’s life so that we can capture all that wonderful newness.

It’s truly amazing how many stages of development exist for babies, even within the first couple weeks. All stages are amazing, full of their own magic and are worth documenting.

Babies between 5-14 days old tend to be less aware of the world around them and may sleep peacefully through the majority of the session. You can plan on getting lots of dreamy, sleepy photos of your little love.

Babies between 2 weeks and 6 weeks are starting to get more alert and spend more of their time awake. You can plan on more photos with your sweet babe being starry-eyed and awake.

I promise your baby is perfect at every stage and the timing of your newborn session should be whatever works best for you in this new phase of life.

Your Baby

Your newborn is perfect just the way they are. I don't try and make babies sleep or place them in unnatural poses. I suggest you have your newborn in a simple onesie or outfit that is form fitting with no graphics or words. This usually means you will need a preemie or newborn sized clothing.

I recommend feeding the baby as much as they wants about fifteen minutes prior to my arrival.

Newborn sessions can take more time than you might expect, and that’s okay! We will let the baby guide the session. Babies are never rushed and may often need to stop for a feed or a cuddle with mom. If a baby becomes unsettled we will stop until they’re settled again.

Parents

You are going to be thrilled and exhausted. Having a new baby is hard and wonderful all at the same time. Remember that I’m a mom too, so I know what’s it’s like to have a newborn and all the messiness and magic that comes with it.

My job is not to make this time in your life look perfect, my job is to show you just how beautiful it is. I want you to be relaxed and at ease when I am photographing your family. You don't need to be anything but yourself.

Siblings

I know exactly what it is like to have a new baby, I have two of my own, and I know exactly how big this change is for the siblings in the house. I usually try and get sibling and family photos right at the start because the sibling(s) may loose interest in me quickly.

I have no major expectations for the siblings and will never force them into doing anything they aren't comfortable with. It is best to prepare the sibling for the session by telling him or her that a friend is coming to visit and take some photos of your family. It is always best not to surprise them.

My goal is always to try and have fun with your other kiddos so they feel like an important part of the process too! The best smiles are reals smiles so I never ask them to say “CHEESE” for the camera and whenever they need to take a break they absolutely can. While lighting is the most important component for scheduling your sessions - taking sibling nap and lunch times into account is the next most important factor!!

Props

Primarily, I do not use props with newborns. I think all babies are beautiful just as the are and don’t want any extra materials to distract from the simple wonder that is your newborn. For the Naturally Posed sessions I do have a small collection of neutral blankets, baskets, and clothing that I bring along with me to your session. If you have any specific props that you would like incorporated into your session, please let me know.