1) Q: When should I reserve a newborn session with a photographer?
A: Every photographer is different, but I suggest reaching out to schedule your newborn session at the beginning of your 2nd trimester. This ensures that you will be able to get on your photographer’s calendar before they are fully booked.

2) Q: How old should my baby be for newborn photos?
A: Every photographer will have a different answer for you. For me, I typically see newborns between 8 days to 3-ish weeks, but I do photograph older newborns as well! With older babies, we might get more awake photos & less sleeping photos – which is equally as precious 🙂

3) Q: How do I pick a date for a newborn session without knowing *exactly* when my baby will be born?
A: The way I book newborn sessions is that I put your *due date* on my calendar. I accept a maximum of 5 newborn sessions a month. Once your due date is on my calendar your newborn spot is held. From there we stay in touch & you let me know when your little one has arrived. Then we will pick a date for your newborn session that works well for you & your family.
I’ve found that this scheduling approach allows for more flexibility and works best for families with new babies. (If you have a planned C-section or pre-planned induction, we can book an exact date for your session if you prefer).

4) Q: In home OR in the studio?
A: I offer both in-studio & in-home newborn sessions. About 80% of my newborn sessions take place in the studio.
My studio has beautiful natural light and I incorporate carefully chosen pieces to make your studio photos feel home-y. The whole focus of studio sessions is connection & your baby.
In home sessions, still focus on connection, but your home & decor also become a focus. If an in-home session is something you are interested in, but you want to make sure lighting will be good in your home, let me know and we can talk through everything to make sure that lighting will be perfect!

5) Q: In the days leading up to my newborn session, how should I prepare?
A: Below are a few things I recommend doing to prepare for your session:
– Clean up everyone’s nails.
Your hands will show up quite a bit in a newborn session.
This could simply mean cutting & cleaning your nails OR it could mean treating yourself to a manicure. If you decide to paint your nails, I recommend neutral or muted colors, to avoid stealing attention from your babies.
But if a bright red mani is your signature thing – you do you!

– Hair & makeup.
Whether you are doing your own hair & makeup OR if you are having a professional hair & makeup artist help you – I recommend a natural look for newborn sessions.
If you are working with me & want a hair & makeup artist for your session, let me know ahead of time and I can arrange for you to have your hair & makeup done at the studio. While you are getting pampered, I’ll take all the baby solo photos, as well as photos of baby + your partner if they are participating as well! It truly is an excellent use of time!

– Keep your baby awake as much as possible before your session.
Keeping your baby awake before their session, will help your little one be more tired/sleep for their photos – which typically makes things run more smoothly.
Giving your little one a bath before their newborn session, can also help tire them out a little for picture time 😉

– If you are coming to the studio, bring the following:
* diapers – a few extra is a good idea 😉
* bottles – if you are bottle feeding. Newborn sessions last between 1.5-3 hours. Sometimes babies get extra hungry on photo session days due to extra stimulation, so be prepared with extra bottles just in case.
* pump – if you are pumping, bring your pump with you to your newborn session just in case you need to use it.

– Clothing:
* If you are coming to the studio, I have a whole wardrobe of dresses for moms to choose from, as well as a curated selection of clothing for young children, wraps & blankets for babies. I also have a few shirts for dads on hand, but do recommend that dad’s bring their own clothing.
If you’d like to view the studio wardrobe, you can do so here.
* If you would like to wear your own clothing, I’m happy to help you pick out & coordinate clothing for your entire family – just ask! In the meantime, you can read more about how to dress your family for photos here.

6) Should I schedule photos for my baby as they grow?
I have created a Milestone Membership package for anyone who has a new baby OR just wants to photograph their family at different seasons of the year.
Babies grow so quickly & change drastically throughout their first year. For this reason my Milestone Membership is very popular. If you want to learn more about milestone for baby sessions, you can do so here.
Many people also opt to include a maternity session in their Milestone Membership. You can read more about maternity sessions here.

If you’d like to discuss a newborn session – reach out here.