welcoming baby | Session Guide

Hooray- you've booked a newborn session! I can't wait to document this amazing time in your life. 

My goal with this session is to tell the story of your life right now in a beautiful, honest, relaxed way. 

Here's what to expect:

I know how stressful life with a newborn is, so my sessions are very relaxed and flexible. I schedule 1.5 - 2 hours, but will stay as long as I need to in order to fully tell your story. 

When I arrive at your home I'll get to know everyone and chat with your kids a little bit. Then I'll look around to familiarize myself with your home and turn off overhead lights and open window coverings for the best light.

I might do a bit of directing and you'll probably hear "oh! do that again!" or "stay right there!", but I'll mostly let your life unfold naturally and capture what I see.

Please feel free to change diapers, feed baby, get snacks for kids, or do whatever else needs to be done. I'm there to document your life and those things are part of the story.

I love incorporating meaningful activities that are part of your family's daily routine. This not only preserves those memories for you, but keeps things flowing and helps me capture the beauty in your candid/ everyday moments. 

One of baby's first baths, going on a little walk together, reading books, snack time, etc. Start thinking about the things you do together that you'd like photos of, then we will chat and form a session plan together.

How to prepare:

I realize that when you have newborn you are very sleep deprived. Please don't worry about deep cleaning your house. If you want to shove the clutter into a closet, that's great. And if you don't get that far- I'm pretty good at working around clutter/ moving it out of my way when necessary. Remember that I'm a mom with young kids myself, so I know all about messes! This session is not about showing the world how perfect your house is. It's about preserving your family's precious memories.

What to wear:

Outfits are not the most important part of your session. Pinky promise. Everyone feeling relaxed and enjoying each other is the most important part. That being said, I do have a few simple guidelines: 

Wear something comfortable, that you feel like yourself in. Bare feet and clothes that you would normally wear around the house look the most natural. Neutral tones tend to photograph well. Try to avoid bright, neon colors (tricky to edit), busy patterns, and logos or words on shirts. 

I know you have lots and lots of adorable outfits for baby, but I've learned that they photograph best in just a diaper, a white or solid color onsie or one piece footie jammie, or swaddled in a white (or light colored) swaddling blanket. That keeps the focus on that sweet, new baby. If you do have a different outfit that is meaningful to you, we can definitely change the baby for part of the session. 

After the session:

I will choose the very best images from the session and edit each one until it is just right. After about 2 weeks, I will email you a link to your gallery with a password that will allow you to order professional quality prints and products or download your images to print on your own.

Now if you'll just fill out this questionnaire, I'll be able to get to know your family a little better and make sure you get exactly what you want out of your session.

Thank you so much for taking the time to fill this out!