Maternity & Newborn

 

Ahhhh newborns! What is there not to love? Between their amazing new baby smell, adorable facial expressions, and their squishy little limbs, I cannot get enough.  Newborn sessions are so dear to me, to know that you have invited me into your home during an exhausting, chaotic and very special time in your life, and have chosen ME to make sure that you don’t forget a thing about your little squish! As a mom of 3 myself, it is not lost on me that you are feeling vulnerable, self-conscious and exhausted, and maybe aren’t really even sure you WANT to invite a stranger into your home right now. Trust. I get it. I’ve been there! If ever there was a time to leap, put yourself out there, and not look back, it is now. You will never regret having these images of you and your baby bonding, but you will most certainly regret it if you don’t!

Fresh 48 sessions are shot at the hospital, in those first 48 hours when you and baby are just getting to know each other and fall in love. These sessions are quick and easy going and very candid/documentary style focused on capturing details and relationships.

My newborn lifestyle sessions are all shot right in the comfort of your home. But I don’t live in a beautiful model-perfect house! That’s ok! Can I tell you a very poorly kept secret? New Moms aaaaaallll have messy/disorganized houses full of gifts and balloons and baby gear and half-unpacked hospital bags. It’s practically a requirement. And if you have other kiddos at home too? Forget about it! And it doesn’t even matter. I promise you won’t look back at your photos and see any of the mess, or the baby gear, or the stacks of clean diapers, or the dishes and bottles or anything else. I’m a ninja at making thing disappear. And finding corners and walls and spaces that are just perfect. And I will move stuff, and put it back, and I won’t judge. I especially won’t judge. Because we’re in this special club called Moms.

And don’t you even think about skipping out on this one, either. I won’t allow it! You just made a tiny human, you are amazing and beautiful and you must MUST be in the photos with this tiny human. I often use Mom and Dad as props, to help hold the baby in different positions to get good light, or to show off their tiny size, get beautiful shots of Mom and baby bonding, nursing or just being still, and basically just roll with what happens, but I one thing I always get is that amazing brand new family shot.

Newborn lifestyle sessions last about 1-2 hours, and Fresh 48 sessions are about 30 minutes. With in-home sessions we are on baby’s schedule and because we may shoot a variety of different swaddles or rooms in your home, we allow time for baby to need to feed or be changed, while in-hospital sessions move much quicker. With your session fee you will receive your professionally edited, high resolution images delivered to you in a beautiful online sharing gallery.  From your gallery you may download your images, share with friends and family, and have the option to purchase prints, canvas and albums. While I do not set a minimum or maximum number of images, because every session is so unique, I typically deliver 15-30 images for a Fresh 48 and 20-60 for an in-home session, and sometimes several more depending on the mood of the baby.

I will provide a couple of cute, stretchy and super soft swaddles, and a simple, clean white muslin blanket for draping baby for many of the shots, however if there is a special hat, blanket or family keepsake that it important to you I am happy to photograph that as well! I love to work the personal touches into our session.  Keep in mind that newborns don’t usually photograph well in outfits, even newborn size ones, because they are just too tiny.

Investment & Delivery

Newborn sessions start at $275 for Fresh 48 sessions and $350 for in-home sessions. I also offer a Belly to Baby bundle to save you some cash for that amazing new stroller you are eyeing – you can nab that package here! (You can also pass that link along to your friends and family who may be looking for a fabulous baby gift that you will treasure forever!)  

Your session fee includes high resolution, professionally edited digital files and an online sharing gallery for sharing with friends and family.  I love to give you the images where there are beautiful expressions, and priceless moments being captured so there are usually a good number of adorable candids mixed among your posed shots! While I do not edit and/or share every image from our session, I do strive to deliver the best photo(s) of every pose and different groupings of people. Anything with blinks, blur or odd facial expressions hits the cutting room floor right away.

Typically I will post a few sneak peek photos on my facebook page within 48 hours of our session. If you prefer to keep all photos a surprise until after birth announcements are mailed, please let me know that right away! I will aim to have your gallery of portraits edited and ready within one week of our session so that you can get those birth announcements ordered, but no later than 2 weeks (and sometimes just a few days!). You will receive your photos in a personalized, password protected, online gallery. This allows for the quickest delivery of the images, for you to easily view and share your photos. From there you are welcome to order print products through my professional photo lab if you would like. You also have full printing rights to these digital images. By sharing your gallery with friends and family, they will be able to order prints and ooh and ahh over your little one on their mobile devices and computer screens but only you will have download ability unless you request otherwise.

So what do you think? Ready to get your due date penciled in on my calendar? Newborns are best photographed before they are 10 days old, the earlier the better! Newborn sessions are best done when there is lots of natural light coming in to your master bedroom, the baby’s nursery, or both, as that is typically where we will be shooting. That may be early morning, mid-day or afternoon, depending on the direction your rooms face, you’ll need to let me know.

Because babies arrive when they want, and we can’t really schedule the exact date of your session until you deliver, I recommend booking your newborn session at least 3 months ahead of your due date. I only take a limited number of newborns each month so that I can be sure to have room in my schedule when they are ready to arrive.

If you’re ready to get on my calendar, go ahead and get in touch in whatever way you are most comfortable! And congratulations Mama, you’ve got this!!