I adore newborns. Those tiny little noses, sweet tosies and all the baby coos. I absolutely love working with brand new babies and capturing all those amazing new details and as sweet as those newborns coos are, posed sessions can be a bit more tricky if your precious baby is wide awake. I've written down a few steps that is crucial for our posed session to get the absolute best images for your newborn session.
FRESH 48
1 Hour Session At Your Hospital, Home Or Birthing Center
Includes Parent And Sibling Poses
20+ Hand Edited Images Presented In An Online Gallery For Viewing And Ordering
10 High-Resolution Images With Print Release
$300
POSED
2 Hours In Your Home
Newborn Only
20+ Hand Edited Images Presented In An Online Gallery For Viewing And Ordering
10 High-Resolution Images With Print Release
$400
POSED PLUS
3-4 Hours In Your Home
Includes Parent And Sibling Poses
20+ Hand Edited Images Presented In An Online Gallery For Viewing And Ordering
20 High-Resolution Images With Print Release
$650
Fresh 48 Session FAQ's
When is the best time to book my Fresh 48 Session?
I highly recommend booking your baby's session prior to your due date. Newborn sessions get scheduled around my births which can be sporadic due to the nature of childbirth. It is recommended you contact us around your second trimester to secure your session. Once little bub is here, just shoot us a text or email and let us know so we can work on the best time for your session.
When do you come to the hospital?
I come to the hospital within the First 48 hours of babies life. I will ask you around 24 hours when is convenient for you, and then I will come.
Do you bring props?
I do not bring props to Fresh 48 Sessions. I like to keep my images as natural as possible to capture all those adorable baby details.
What equipment do you bring?
I bring my camera and maybe a few extra swaddle blankets.
Do you use flash?
I do not use flash during Fresh 48 Sessions. We use natural window light.
How should I prepare for my session?
Please don't worry about any clutter or mess in your room. You have just had a baby, clutter is the last thing I am concerned about. Clutter is definitely expected! Your room does not have to be clean, I can definitely move a few things out of the way such as furniture if we need to make room for equipment, but don’t worry – I’ll put it all back when we’re through!
How should I prepare my newborn for the session?
An hour before the session, I ask you remove any clothing on baby, loosen their diaper and simply wrap them in a light swaddle, receiving blanket or plain white onesie. This helps their skin have time to relax any clothing marks they may have to deplete.
Full Posed Newborn Session FAQ's
When is the best time to book my newborn session?
I highly recommend booking your baby's newborn session prior to your due date. Newborn sessions get scheduled around my births which can be sporadic due to the nature of childbirth. It is recommended you contact us around your second trimester to secure your session. Once little bub is here, just shoot us a text or email and let us know so we can work on the best time for your session.
How old should my baby be for my full-posed session?
Posed Newborn portraits are generally taken within the first 14 days of babies life. The absolute best time to do their portraits is between 3-7 days. I don't generally like to go any younger than 3 days because I believe baby should have that time with their mothers and family for bonding time and general health and hospital time. We will be moving baby around into different poses and scrunching them into those precious sweet sleepy images that you love so much, so it's crucial that they are sleepy enough to enable us to do so.
After day 8 or so, precious babies start learning the amazing world of stretching out their limbs, which makes it a lot more difficult to get them into those adorable scrunched poses that we all adore, and after about two weeks old precious babies tend not to sleep as deeply as they did when they were first born. Newborn acne and colic sometimes also tends to flare up around the 2-3 week mark and while the wonderful world of Photoshop allows us to easily edit problem areas, I prefer to keep baby skin as natural as possible and do as slight retouching as possible.
If you have missed the amazing window between the first 3-14 days of your newborns life, don't fret!! I have taken babies up to 1 month old with success in newborn pictures. We may not get all those super squishy poses, but some newborn poses are definitely still possible! Please contact me ASAP to get you into the studio before precious bub isn't a newborn anymore. If you beautiful baby is over 1 month, consider looking into a Tummy Time Session at 3-6 months or a Sitter Session at 6-9 months!
Do you bring props?
I bring natural props such as wraps and white onesies. I like to keep my sessions as natural as possible. I do occasionally bring baskets and posing materials with me as well.
What equipment do you bring?
I have quite a bit of equipment that accompanies me to Posed Sessions. I have a large posing beanbag and a large light stand and umbrella that will be setup for your session. I also bring my camera gear and any baskets/props that is needed for the session.
Do you use flash photography?
I do use flash for Posed Newborn Sessions. Using flash allows me to control how much light is being used for the Session. The use of lights for newborn sessions not harmful to your baby. Your baby is exposed to the light for very short periods of time and the light is not bright enough to cause any damage to your baby. If you have any further questions, please contact me and I would love to provide you more information.
How should I prepare my home for the session?
Please don't worry about any clutter or mess in your home. You have just had a baby, clutter is the last thing I am concerned about. If you didn’t have dishes piled in the sink, dirty clothes and baby items strewn all about, I'd think you were weird. Clutter is definitely expected! I have a bit of equipment that comes with me for posed sessions so, I do ask that you have a large (10x10) area that I can set up in. It does not have to be clean, I can definitely move a few things out of the way such as furniture if we need to make room for equipment, but don’t worry – I’ll put it all back when we’re through! One more thing to prepare your home for your newborn session is to have your home heated to around 75-80 degrees F. Your little one will be naked for part of their session and they love to be warm. This helps insure baby stays nice and sleepy.
How should I prepare my newborn for the session?
Full babies are happy babies. And happy babies are sleepy babies. And a sleepy baby is what we want! Prior to the session there are a few steps that are crucial for your newborn to be just that, nice and sleepy.
About 12 hours prior to your session feed baby as often as they are needing. We want baby to be full up to your session.
2-3 hours before your session, feed your baby as you normally would with the anticipation of another feeding at the start of our session.
An hour before the session, I ask you remove any clothing on baby, loosen their diaper and simply wrap them in a light swaddle, receiving blanket or plain white onesie. This helps their skin have time to relax any clothing marks they may have to deplete. If you are traveling to me, dress baby in minimal clothing that either buttons or zips up. Nothing that should be pulled over the head. I also recommend light stimulation to keep them somewhat awake until I arrive. We want them to be nice and tuckered out. This is one of the most crucial parts of the directions!!! I hear moms all the time say, she sleeps all day and so deeply, just to find out that baby is wide awake for the whole session and does not want to pose into those squishy poses. You want to avoid overstimulating them because sometimes that can have an opposite effect on your newborn and they will be wide awake for their sessions. Here are some activities you could try:
* Put on soothing music and hold your baby, gently swaying to the tune.
* Pick a soothing song or lullaby and softly sing it often to your baby. The familiarity of the sound and words will have a soothing effect, particularly during fussy times.
* Smile, stick out your tongue, coo and make other expressions for your infant to study, learn, and imitate.
* Use a favorite toy for your newborn to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find.
* Let your baby spend some awake time on his or her tummy to help strengthen the neck and shoulders. Always supervise your infant during "tummy time" and be ready to help if he or she gets tired or frustrated in this position.
*A nice bath, or if they still have their umbilical cord, then just a gentle hair wash. (I highly recommend this one!!!)
If your baby seems agitated or starts to cry when you try to get their attention, they may be overstimulated. In a young baby an overstimulated cry is accompanied by pulling up of legs and bringing his hands towards his face and mouth as he attempts to self-soothe.
How do you achieve the poses?
Poses are achieved once baby is super sleepy and has settled. I will place him/her on the posing bag and make small adjustments to his or her body to get the desired look.
Do the poses hurt my baby?
The poses that I work with do not hurt your baby. At any point in time your baby looks or feels uncomfortable, I will stop and adjust or allow your infant to adjust him/herself.
What if my baby doesn't settle?
I do my best to give baby ample amount of time to settle. In some cases, we may resort to wrapping baby for the whole session, but no worries! We still have plenty of props and poses to work with in that situation.
Why is the session so long?
Making small adjustments to your baby and allowing baby to settle in position requires a lot of patience and time. Sometimes babies need to be cuddled or nursed to be happy or diaper changes may be necessary!