Newborn Sessions – What to Expect
Newborn sessions are my joy. Those sweet brand new little angles
are my muse. Photographing them makes my day. I spend some time every day
learning to perfect my craft. Hopefully this little section will help
you to prepare for your session as well.
Preparing For Your Session:
-Once you decide to schedule a session with me, we will set a tentative date based on your due date. I understand that babies rarely come when predicted and I will accommodate their personal plans for arrival. But a due date will give us a base line. Once your infant is born, please get in touch with me and we will firm up our date and time. Babies are best photographed in the first 10 days of their new little lives. They sleep better, don’t have colic yet, and usually haven’t started developing baby acne or cradle cap. If you are a c-section Mom, we can work out something out. I know that recovery can be slow and painful.
-When we schedule your session, we will have a conversation about what you are looking for. Do you want only pictures of the baby? Are you more interested in your infant being photographed with family than in some of my props? Are there specific poses you are looking for? For example, one of you is a soldier, do you want your infant to be photographed with props that you will bring from home like a flag or helmet? Are you bringing siblings? Will Dad be there? Do you want some skin on skin shots? All of these questions will help me to build a session that is a perfect fit for you.
-It is always nice to have a pacifier. This will help me to sooth your baby in between poses. If you have chosen not to use a pacifier, please be prepared to help me by having your finger ready for your baby to suck on.
- I photograph babies in their birthday suits. Newborn babies just don’t fill out clothes properly. They are so much sweeter without all that bulky fabric. I would be happy to schedule another session down the road to photograph your baby in any special outfits, especially christening / blessing outfits.
-What should you wear? Wear something comfortable. Keep in mind that I rarely if ever show anything below the waist in a portrait. So you can wear shorts, jeans, or whatever else you choose. As far as tops are concerned I LOVE black tank tops for Moms. Black shirts and blouses are best. Bring something to change into after I am done photographing you with baby that is nice and cool. We need to keep the area very warm at around 75 degrees. It is all about the baby. So think about keeping cool when you are choosing clothing.
-I strongly encourage you to bring any special hats, hair-bands, bracelets etc…. You may not like what I have and I may fall in love with what you bring. So not only will your additions give us more to choose from they are also extra special since they belong to your little one.
-Lastly, if you should think of anything before you come please feel free to contact me. I live and breathe by checking my email! I will respond in a very timely manner.
During Your Session:
-I start my sessions by taking some portraits of your baby on a beanbag. I am looking for some great body shots and capturing some of baby’s bits and pieces like her hands and feet.
-After that we will move on to some relationship poses. I will get my pictures with Mom, Dad and Siblings at this time. Something to keep in mind- I am NOT a family photographer. I have not studied posing families. So while I am happy to take a quick picture or two with all of you, please do not expect it to take the place of a good family picture a few months down the road.
-Once we have these more important poses under our belt, I will move on to photographing your newborn in the props that you have chosen.
-Before you leave, I will ask you to sign a model release. This allows me to use your images to promote my business without compensation.
After Your Session:
-Now you can go home and relax and dream about all the beautiful images that will soon be yours.
-I go through the images from your session and select the best. I am looking for the cream of the crop. I usually narrow it down to 30-50 images.
-Once I have the “final cut” selected I go through each individual picture. I look to correct any blemishes. Tiny details like baby acne or hairs on shirts once corrected can make all the difference in an image! My process also includes looking for images that would shine with a special touch like a vignette or a special color application. I convert all of your images to black and white as well. Just a word on that. I process my black and white with a little warmth. That means they have a little touch of sepia in them. I feel this makes portraits look even better than traditional black and white. However, if you need to match portraits from other siblings and those portraits were done in traditional black and white, please let me know so I can accommodate you.
-If you purchase a disc of your images I will provide a usage license so that you can print your images at the lab of your choice without any hassle. You will need to have it with you when you place your order and / or when you pick it up. The license does not give you full copyrights to your images. It simply allows for printing and using your images in products you might want to purchase.
-If you decide to order directly from me your images will be ready for delivery within two weeks after your order. Once they are completed I will send you an email and we can discuss how you would like them delivered. If you live close by (within 30 minutes drive) I would be happy to hand deliver them to you. If you live farther away, I would be happy to send them in the mail. The Post Office typically only takes a day or two. Otherwise you are always welcome to come and pick up the images yourself.
-When printing from your order there are three things to keep in mind. First, your pictures are all sized to be 4 x6′s. This is the native ratio my camera captures images. If you are printing in any other size you will need to re-size your image. For example… if you want an 8 x 10 you will have to crop it to be such. If you do it, then you are controlling what will be in the picture and what will be cropped out. If you let the lab do it, then you never know how your picture will come out. They might crop off the top of your newborn’s head. NOT GOOD! So control that yourself or you can always order directly through me. Second, I have processed your pictures and I think they are perfect as they are. If you forget to tell your lab to not “auto-correct” (often times it is a box on the order form that is automatically selected), then they will add saturation and contrast to your images. They will not resemble the images I have provided for you on your CD. Third, be carefully which lab you chose. Walmart is horrible, Costco is tolerable, but a professional lab will give you professional quality. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for!
-Now you have your portraits and they look beautiful in your home. Your friends comment on how fantastic they look on your walls and everyone admires the sweetness of your precious newborn. You have wonderful, precious images to remind you of the innocence of your newborn, and you have documented in a beautiful, meaningful way what those first few days of life were like.
Preparing For Your Session:
-Once you decide to schedule a session with me, we will set a tentative date based on your due date. I understand that babies rarely come when predicted and I will accommodate their personal plans for arrival. But a due date will give us a base line. Once your infant is born, please get in touch with me and we will firm up our date and time. Babies are best photographed in the first 10 days of their new little lives. They sleep better, don’t have colic yet, and usually haven’t started developing baby acne or cradle cap. If you are a c-section Mom, we can work out something out. I know that recovery can be slow and painful.
-When we schedule your session, we will have a conversation about what you are looking for. Do you want only pictures of the baby? Are you more interested in your infant being photographed with family than in some of my props? Are there specific poses you are looking for? For example, one of you is a soldier, do you want your infant to be photographed with props that you will bring from home like a flag or helmet? Are you bringing siblings? Will Dad be there? Do you want some skin on skin shots? All of these questions will help me to build a session that is a perfect fit for you.
-It is always nice to have a pacifier. This will help me to sooth your baby in between poses. If you have chosen not to use a pacifier, please be prepared to help me by having your finger ready for your baby to suck on.
- I photograph babies in their birthday suits. Newborn babies just don’t fill out clothes properly. They are so much sweeter without all that bulky fabric. I would be happy to schedule another session down the road to photograph your baby in any special outfits, especially christening / blessing outfits.
-What should you wear? Wear something comfortable. Keep in mind that I rarely if ever show anything below the waist in a portrait. So you can wear shorts, jeans, or whatever else you choose. As far as tops are concerned I LOVE black tank tops for Moms. Black shirts and blouses are best. Bring something to change into after I am done photographing you with baby that is nice and cool. We need to keep the area very warm at around 75 degrees. It is all about the baby. So think about keeping cool when you are choosing clothing.
-I strongly encourage you to bring any special hats, hair-bands, bracelets etc…. You may not like what I have and I may fall in love with what you bring. So not only will your additions give us more to choose from they are also extra special since they belong to your little one.
-Lastly, if you should think of anything before you come please feel free to contact me. I live and breathe by checking my email! I will respond in a very timely manner.
During Your Session:
-I start my sessions by taking some portraits of your baby on a beanbag. I am looking for some great body shots and capturing some of baby’s bits and pieces like her hands and feet.
-After that we will move on to some relationship poses. I will get my pictures with Mom, Dad and Siblings at this time. Something to keep in mind- I am NOT a family photographer. I have not studied posing families. So while I am happy to take a quick picture or two with all of you, please do not expect it to take the place of a good family picture a few months down the road.
-Once we have these more important poses under our belt, I will move on to photographing your newborn in the props that you have chosen.
-Before you leave, I will ask you to sign a model release. This allows me to use your images to promote my business without compensation.
After Your Session:
-Now you can go home and relax and dream about all the beautiful images that will soon be yours.
-I go through the images from your session and select the best. I am looking for the cream of the crop. I usually narrow it down to 30-50 images.
-Once I have the “final cut” selected I go through each individual picture. I look to correct any blemishes. Tiny details like baby acne or hairs on shirts once corrected can make all the difference in an image! My process also includes looking for images that would shine with a special touch like a vignette or a special color application. I convert all of your images to black and white as well. Just a word on that. I process my black and white with a little warmth. That means they have a little touch of sepia in them. I feel this makes portraits look even better than traditional black and white. However, if you need to match portraits from other siblings and those portraits were done in traditional black and white, please let me know so I can accommodate you.
-If you purchase a disc of your images I will provide a usage license so that you can print your images at the lab of your choice without any hassle. You will need to have it with you when you place your order and / or when you pick it up. The license does not give you full copyrights to your images. It simply allows for printing and using your images in products you might want to purchase.
-If you decide to order directly from me your images will be ready for delivery within two weeks after your order. Once they are completed I will send you an email and we can discuss how you would like them delivered. If you live close by (within 30 minutes drive) I would be happy to hand deliver them to you. If you live farther away, I would be happy to send them in the mail. The Post Office typically only takes a day or two. Otherwise you are always welcome to come and pick up the images yourself.
-When printing from your order there are three things to keep in mind. First, your pictures are all sized to be 4 x6′s. This is the native ratio my camera captures images. If you are printing in any other size you will need to re-size your image. For example… if you want an 8 x 10 you will have to crop it to be such. If you do it, then you are controlling what will be in the picture and what will be cropped out. If you let the lab do it, then you never know how your picture will come out. They might crop off the top of your newborn’s head. NOT GOOD! So control that yourself or you can always order directly through me. Second, I have processed your pictures and I think they are perfect as they are. If you forget to tell your lab to not “auto-correct” (often times it is a box on the order form that is automatically selected), then they will add saturation and contrast to your images. They will not resemble the images I have provided for you on your CD. Third, be carefully which lab you chose. Walmart is horrible, Costco is tolerable, but a professional lab will give you professional quality. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for!
-Now you have your portraits and they look beautiful in your home. Your friends comment on how fantastic they look on your walls and everyone admires the sweetness of your precious newborn. You have wonderful, precious images to remind you of the innocence of your newborn, and you have documented in a beautiful, meaningful way what those first few days of life were like.
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