Lately I have been getting asked if I do newborn photography. I always have this awkward response where I say something to the fact of ‘yes I do, but I don’t put your baby in a basket’… which I now realize sounds completely insane and needs much further explanation. Those poor new moms and dads. So I decided this is a great platform to write about how I approach newborn photography and why I do it the way I do… this way when someone asks me I can refer them all to this one spot and not feel like the crazy Wicked Witch of the West putting ToTo in her bike basket and flying away…

What I am trying to say by I don’t put your baby in a basket is… I don’t do studio newborn photography. You know the beautifully angelic barely out of mom’s belly photos, where the sleepy baby is so delicately wrapped in a soft little cocoon and is wearing a flower crown. Those photos are stunning and so so special and those photographers who specialize in that must be extremely talented wizards. Whenever I see those pictures I honestly cannot stop staring at there peacefulness.

As a mom of 2 boys, I am not sure my babies were ever that serene and majestic nor were they sleeping long enough to manipulate them into a beautifully adorned basket and in a way that they didn’t look like rigid tree frogs crying for more milk. Flipping through my work, I hope that you will see that my stuff is raw, real, silly, a bit awkward, and joyful. I like to capture real moments that are happening whether that be the siblings peering into the crib at the new little babes, the baby cries and the mama’s hushing, the mid photo session snack that ALL babies need, or the fountain of pee that almost gets dad as he is changing the hundredth diaper that day. To me there is something so special about freezing in time those first moments as new, extremely tired, parents and the house that now has become so much more of a home. Those moments when the big sibling is inches away from crashing cars into the new brother’s head or jumping in the crib right next to this delicate new soul. The raw, real, silly, a bit awkward, and joyful moments that bringing a new baby into your world creates. Also its pretty cool to think that when they are grown up and look back at the photos they will get a glimpse into all of the work you put into making a just right space for them. We spend 9 months dreaming about who this little soul will be, my thoughts are, let that be a part of the photos. Below are specific details about a session AS WELL AS some of my favorite examples of what a Lifestyle Newborn Session looks like.

Time: Morning usually around 9:00am or 10:00am — if you are already a parent you know this means late morning in the life of a newborn. If you are new to this parent thing, I am sorry I spoiled that ha.

How Old: between 3 and 5 weeks when they start to wake up a bit is ideal, but really anytime.

Location: Your family home

Length: 60ish minutes — (not including the mid-shoot snack the babes will almost always want haha)