I get a lot of questions about newborn sessions so I thought I would put together a blog to explain how it works. Stick with me! There’s a studio tour video at the end.

Do I need to bring anything to the session?
Nope! I have everything we need except the baby! I have worked over the last four years to build a collection or backdrops, hats, headbands, and props so that you don’t have to bring a thing. If you have a special blanket or item you want to incorporate into the session I welcome you to bring that but it is certainly not necessary.

When should I book?
Some clients e-mail me just after they’ve told their spouse. ha! But most book in their second trimester. I only book 3-4 newborns a month so delaying booking may mean my schedule is filled.

What if we want more than just a newborn session?
90% of my newborn clients return for another session! I offer a variety of packages that are meant to capture some of your little one’s biggest milestones. Check them out here. Don’t see a package that works best for you? E-mail me, I’m happy to design a custom package for you. 

How do I book a session if I don’t know exactly when I’m going to have the baby?
Trust me, as a mom who delivered one baby at 41.5 weeks and the other at 36.5 weeks, I get it! I know that babies are unpredictable. So I pencil in your due date on my calendar and then wait for your e-mail that the baby has arrived. We will not set a specific date until the baby has arrived.

How soon after the baby is born will we do the session?
The ideal time to photograph your little one is between 5 and 21 days. I typically schedule babies around 14 days. This window ensures that baby is still snuggly, extra sleepy, and doesn’t mind being curled up just like they were in the womb. This small window is why it is crucial that you contact me as soon as the baby has arrived – even if you designate this job to a close friend or family member.

When  and where will the session take place?
The session will take place in my studio, typically in the morning through the week. I have found that morning sessions (hopefully before dad heads back to work!) work best. It doesn’t kill your whole day (or your nap!). Clients are done around lunch time and able to get back home if there’s a toddler that needs to nap. For whatever reason, every evening session I have done, the baby is fussy and doesn’t want to sleep. Fluke? Maybe. But I’d rather avoid it. Sessions are done Monday – Thursday mornings at 9:30am. They are typically done on Tuesdays. 

How long will the session last?
This greatly depends on the baby. We let baby run the show. If baby comes and slips into a milk drunk coma then I can usually get through the session in an hour and a half. However, if baby needs to stop and eat it takes longer and have taken up to three hours. 

How do we prepare for the session?
Don’t worry! I’ve got all of that covered in my prep packet I will send you the week of your session. 🙂

I’m breastfeeding. Do you have a place for me to nurse?
Absolutely! I breastfed both of my babies. You are welcome to nurse how ever you are comfortable. If you want to cover, that is fine but it does not bother me in the least if you choose not to. I know sometimes that it is just one more thing to juggle. If you would like some privacy you are welcome to step into another room where you’ll find a comfortable arm chair with an ottoman.

I have older children, what will they do after they are done with their pictures?
Your children will probably be much happier stepping out of the very warm studio and making themselves at home playing with my kids toys! They are welcome to play in the loft  as well as outside, weather permitting. Some parents choose to drive separately so that dad can take the kids home, daycare, or school after their part of the session is over. 

How warm is the studio?
It’s warm! This is how we keep the baby extra sleepy. I set the heater to 75 but usually after we add all of the bodies it creeps throughout the session. I suggest dressing in layers. 

What do we wear?
I go over this in the prep guide but if you want to plan ahead – I recommend neutral colors and solids. Why? We want the focus to be on the baby, not on what you are wearing. Many clients choose to wear cream, navy, black, gray, or white. Siblings full bodies will show but for the most part, parents will be waist up. I have a gray, navy, or dark tan backdrop that I use for parent and family posing. That may help guide your decision. 

Is it safe to pose baby?
Safety always comes first. Don’t believe everything you see. Just because you don’t see a hand on the baby in the final image doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a hand on the baby.  Some shots are composites where someone is holding baby and I edit them out. I promise to keep your baby safe and not put them in danger. 

Where is your studio located?
My studio is in my home in northern Hendricks County. My clients end up absolutely loving it because their older kids (and spouse) don’t have to stay confined to the hot studio for the duration of the session. They can step out, play with my kids’ toys and play outside. 

Take a peek into my studio! It’s my favorite place. And this isn’t even all of it – there’s a   basket of newborn outfits made  perfectly to fit their itty bitty bodies as well as more props and quilts in the garage, which my husband just loves. 😉

IT’S A BOY!!!! Welcome to the World, Everett James. If you saw my previous post you know that this couple didn’t find out what they were having until birth. Fresh 48 are quickly becoming favorite of mine! You will never regret capturing these fresh details of your new baby.

This adorable couple is just the sweetest. They didn’t find out the sex of the baby until birth – which is my favorite! I guessed girl even though everyone else guessed boy…

Miss Harper is 2! One of the best parts about this job is photographing family and watching my cousins love on their babies. Harper is so so sweet with a little hint of sass. Her sessions shows that so perfectly.

I cannot believe a year has passed and Malina is one! It’s absolutely crazy how fast a year goes. This brown eyed girl and her family have a special place in my heart and I just love photographing them. I cannot wait to see all that Malina does in her life.

Colton was such a dream to photograph. Before newborn sessionsI send out a prep guide to parents with what they can do before the session to make it go as smoothly as possible. I could tell from the moment they walked through the door that they had done every single thing on that list to ensure that Colton slept soundly during the session. It’s hard work but it is so worth it!

Now that that this little guy is almost 4 months old, I’m finally getting around to blogging his newborn session.

Hannah and Alex are the sweetest couple. When Hannah first e-mailed me and asked for a January session I thought she was crazy for wanting to do it in the cold Indiana winter. Then she told me that Alex would soon be deployed. So we embraced the cold and they got to snuggle up in front of my camera.

Alex, thank you for your service and I look forward to another session when you return home.

I get it. You just paid quite a bit of money for your session. Your toddler wouldn’t nap. Your baby is cutting three teeth. Your significant other forgot to switch laundry and was 10 minutes late getting home. You are stressed because you want it to go well. And your husband just keeps telling you to relax.

Trust me. I get it. Even as a photographer, we go through the same thing before our session. The stress of the outfits and praying everyone is in a good mood.

So here’s my advice – to you and to myself.

Take a deep breath. Choose your outfits at least a week before. Nothing is more stressful than running to seven stores the day of the session only to find they only have a size 5T for your small four year old and oversized clothing doesn’t photograph well.

Do your best to get a late nap in for the kiddos. Drive them around in the car with the heat cranked up and white noise. And if they don’t nap, bring their favorite snack. If it’s a late spring/early summer session and it’s super late, plan for a late dinner.

Once you arrive, relax. You’re here. If you forgot Suzy’s bow and Johnny’s shoes there is nothing we can do about it now. Pretend like it was meant to be. We have plenty of sunlight. One thing I try and tell clients is that for the next 30 – 45 minutes, pretend you are the happiest you have ever been. Everything your child does and says is the best thing they have ever done. If they are being brats, roll with it. Distract them. Chase bugs, hunt for flowers, and grab their hand and go skipping through the field. The more relaxed and fun you are, the more *real* they will be. Throw them in the air. Sing to them. Laugh with them. Tell jokes, read books, and have fun! Let me capture your family loving each other.

Lastly, have realistic expectations. Everyone is not going to sit perfectly still and smile at me all at the same time. I’m not Sears Portraits 1995 and that’s not the look we are going for. Your kids are going to be over it roughly 10 minutes into it. Don’t keep telling them to smile and say cheese and that you’ll go get ice cream as soon as they let me get one more picture. Because guess what? Then they are really over it and they want ice cream now. Play with them. Sing their favorite song. Bring some books to read. Have fun with it.

This is real life. Kids can be stinkers. Moms get stressed. And dad’s are clueless about what we both want these images to look like. 😉

Have fun with your session. Don’t let it stress you out! (I say to myself who just booked a session and is already beginning to stress about outfits)

Parents.

The ones that are married.
The ones that are not.
The ones that are single and figuring it out all on their own.
The ones that are young.
The ones that are older than most and never imagined having children.
The ones that were done having kids but ended up with one (or two) more.
The ones that are two moms.
The ones that are two dads.
The ones that are newlyweds and it came much faster than anticipated.
The ones that tried for months before conceiving.
The ones that got pregnant right away.
The ones that had many losses before their rainbow baby.
The ones that used fertility treatments.
The ones that used donors.
The ones that adopted.
The ones that had their baby carried by another woman.

The beauty of parenthood is that no two journeys ever look the same. But this moment, when you hold your baby for the very first time, Makes every painful second of whatever journey you had all worth it.

On a cold Tuesday morning in December, the snow began to fall. And just before the sun rose, a very special little boy was born from a woman who made a selfless decision to give an amazing man and woman, who she had only met nine months prior, a chance to become parents.

The minutes before his birth there was a flurry of people and a little chaos. But the moment he entered the world, time stood still for just a moment as that beautiful new mother breathed in everything that was happening. She was overcome with emotions as the moment she had dreamed of – longed for – finally became a reality. Her baby boy was finally here. No longer a dream. No longer a wish. No longer a prayer. But hers.