Newborns

Newborns are perhaps my favorite subjects to capture. The essence of a newborn - fragility, dependency, innocence - is best captured within the first ten days of his/her life. After this time, they are not as sleepy or easy to "pose." Baby acne, if it's going to pop up, typically does so shortly after this time. Because we have such a small window of time, it's important to work together to take full advantage of our session together. Here are some tips for preparing for our newborn session:

1. We will need your newborn to be very sleepy to get the best shots. There are two things you can do to help with this. Most of the photos will be taken with your newborn completely bare so it's a good idea to bump your thermostat up about five degrees to keep them warm enough to sleep. Please, also try to feed your infant right before our session.

2. Be prepared for our session to last around three hours. It's important that we take our time and as many feeding breaks as necessary to get your new baby sleeping soundly for the photo session.

3. Have your baby undressed, loosely diapered, and wrapped in a blanket so that we can easily remove the blanket and diaper without disturbing the baby's sleep too much.

4. I will bring props - many wraps, hats, etc. - but if you have anything specific you would like the baby photographed in, have that item out and available for the session.

5. Newborn sessions are typically done in your home where you and your baby are most comfortable in these first few days. Lighting is perhaps the most crucial element to a good portrait. Therefore, I will need to use whatever space in your home has the best light. Please do not feel the need to burden yourself with extra cleaning or worry about me entering a certain room. The background of your home will not appear in the photographs (unless we are capturing it specifically ie. the nursery) I just need the best light!!

6. You will need a long-sleeved black shirt. Nothing fancy. You will wear this shirt as the "backdrop" for some photographs in which I want nothing but your baby and your hands to appear.

7. Our photo session should be fun as we capture the first precious days of your newborn's life. One amazing characteristic of newborns is their automatic connection to their parents right from the start. It's important that you not worry about our session being successful. I'll make sure of that. Just relax, and let me do the work. This will help your newborn remain at ease.