When new babies are born, we want nothing more than to show them off to the world. A newborn session is the way to do that. 

There are so many options when it comes to newborn photography. I get a lot of inquires about newborn photography so I decided to write a blog explaining what it is that I do offer when it comes to newborn photography. 

I offer a style commonly referred to as Newborn Lifestyle Photography, it's very different from the photos you see of babies swaddled and posed in some adorable way. With a lifestyle session, I use your home, where we will use the nursery if there is one, the living room or your room. 

What is a Newborn Lifestyle Photography?

Getting to do newborn lifestyle sessions is amazing because it all about capturing moments, which is where my passion with photography is. It's all about the connections and sweet moments that are happening in your home, with the new bundle of joy in your life. During the session I will be able to capture sweet tender moments between your newborn, and everyone in the family. If you have pets, they are our family members too, and of course they will be included. 

When siblings are involved, I like to get some images with them in it, and then allow them to run free in their own home, while I shoot the rest of the session. I usually tell families to have an extra family member around to help with the kids, and if time permits they can jump in the session as well. Sometimes grandparents are still in town to help out with your newborn. I would encourage them to jump in a few photos as well.

How long is a Newborn Lifestyle session?

Newborns run their own schedule so I allow for a lot of time. A typical session lasts between 2.5-3 hours. This allows for life to happen in between. There are sure to be feedings, changings, and crying that will happen. I will be there to capture it all. 

 

Where do these sessions take place?

You just had a baby of course things are everywhere and the house is probably a mess. I just need some good lighting. That usually happens best in the living room, and bedrooms. I don't need the whole rooms, just some space by a window to have some good light, I might ask to temporarily move furniture if it will help me get the best lighting. Not to worry, I will stick around to help you put everything back in place. The one place I do usually request is the parents bed because it offers the most space to work with. I will ask that the bed be made up, and that the sheets coordinate with the outfits your family will be wearing. 

 

What do you wear for a newborn lifestyle session?

Your newborn will be the star of the show, I tend to recommend, light, neutral colors, like creams, whites, or greys. If you would like to add pops of color I would recommend doing so using jewelry. Solid colors are always best. No logos, or phrases that aren't baby related. (Some families get matching shirts made) those can always work.  

 For your newborn, I would recommend that you keep it simple as well, using a solid onsie, or a swaddle with their favorite blanket, or even better, just their diaper. My main goal is for your newborn to be comfortable.

Will you do any of the traditional newborn poses?

During a lifestyle session my main focus is capturing the connections between each member of the family and your newborn. There will be a lot of down time when I can get those close up photos of all their tiny newborn features. Since it's a lifestyle session I like to let your newborn do whatever they do naturally when they are with you or when you lay them in the crib or your bed. 

What age should I schedule a session?

Since it's in a more relaxed setting there really isn't much of a time frame, however those newborn baby features go away fast as your newborn will change and grow a little more each day so if you would like for me to capture those newborn features I would recommend no later than two weeks. I've done newborn sessions as late as 9 weeks and they still turned out great.

 

Towards the end of the session, it's almost certain that your newborn will be tired. That's when I can swoop in to take those precious sleeping photos and close up shots. 

Lifestyle sessions are a  beautiful way to show all the love surrounding your newborn. If you are interested in booking a newborn lifestyle session please message me! 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite part of photography is capturing genuine moments between people, and the best opportunity for that is during an extended family session.

 

 

Family sessions in general can be stressful to coordinate, between the perfect matching outfits, finding a date that works, and, lets be real here, the best times in the day to have a session aren't easy to accommodate. 

So when I sit here and say you need to schedule an extended family session, you must think I'm even crazier. Trust me when I say I know how hard it is to get a bunch of people with extremely busy lives to get together for some professional photos, but I've come up with some great reasons why I think you should schedule one with your family sometime very soon!

 

Reason #1: Your parents/ grandparents

When is the last time your parents, or the kids grandparents got to have their pictures professionally done? It's probably been a while, allow them to have photos together and with each family member. It's something that will always be treasured by every member of the family. I'm also willing to bet that they would love some updated photos for their house as well. 

Reason #2: Couples Portraits

Most of the time, after the engagement photos, and your wedding day, most couples don't take pictures together again for a long time. After they start having kids, it becomes about the kids and even less about them. In an extended family session, each couple will get photos together. It's easy for parents to sneak away and have some quick alone time in from of the camera, while the rest of the family is already there waiting to help out with the kids, and young cousins near by to help out as well. That brings me to reason number 3.

 

Reason #3 :Cousins

As much as I love big families, I was an only child, and for me my cousins were my siblings. Some of my best childhood memories were with my cousins. Being able to capture those genuine moments between cousins, interacting, getting along and playing around. Cousins will be there to help make the fussy baby laugh, cousins will be there to help everyone smile at the same time. What a great way to capture the love between an entire family together.

 

Reason #4 Camaraderie 

Being with family is always the most fun, because they are who you can be yourself around the most. During these sessions I love to capture an aunt with her niece, or a son in law with his mother in law. So much magic happens between shots, just looking around at everyone interacting with each other. Kids playing games on the floor, parents laughing at inside jokes, and grandparents saying their " remember whens" 

 

Reason #5 You'll be the hero

If you are the one who decides to take on this huge task of planning an extended family session, you'll be the hero of the family when all of your gorgeous images get delivered. Think of all the gifts you'll be able to give each family, and how now each member of your family gets a reminder of that fun day, when everyone got dressed up to take pictures with their entire family. 

 

 

 

For those of you who have booked with me already, you'll know each session is full of fun prompts, singing, dancing, and games to bring out the true expressions on everyone's face. I love getting to know you and your families, and I love being surrounded by a families love and capture it all on camera. 

 

If you'd like more information on the pricing difference in a regular family session, and an extended family session please feel free to contact me on Facebook or through my website. 

The question I get asked most often before a photoshoot is "What should I wear?" The very thought of someone asking me for fashion advice makes me laugh. My style consist of a witty phrased t-shirts and jeans, but I have been behind the camera enough to know what looks good in a photo and what doesn't. I hope this style guide helps in deciding what you should wear for your photoshoot. 

Over the years styles of family photo shoots have changed, the traditional white shirt and blue jeans are old news now and vibrant colors are back! 

The first tip I would give is to coordinate outfits, use colors that work well together, notice I said to coordinate and not match, if everyone in the photoshoot is wearing the exact same thing they blend together. 

Don't be afraid of color and patterns, be sure to again coordinate so you don't end up looking like a big rainbow.  If you are going to use patterns I recommend small ones that won't distract the photo but adds some pop. If one person has a pattern make sure someone else doesn't have a competing pattern. 

As much as I love graphic t-shirts, it's best to avoid them during a photoshoot because it can be very distracting, this also includes large clothing brand logos. 

The most important thing for me is for everyone to be comfortable, when everyone is comfortable their personalities will shine through in the photos. Make sure you feel good in what you are wearing and check that your children like what they are wearing as well. I know sometimes children have articles of clothing that they never take off or love to wear all the time, bring them! We can always include them in the session, what better way to capture who your kids are and always have something to remember that moment. 

While on that topic I often ask families to bring something from their homes that represents them as a family. Different props can always be included in some way during the photoshoot. If your family loves to play baseball in the backyard, then bring a baseball bat and ball. If your family does karaoke night, bring the karaoke machine and let's have some fun with that! 

 One thing to also consider is the home in where you will be displaying these family photos, you will want your outfits to also fit in with the décor of your house. Keep your décor in mind to ensure your large prints fit in nicely in your home. 

Most importantly PLAN AHEAD! 
If you plan on getting your hair and make up done, get them scheduled and plan your schedule accordingly. Get hair cuts done a couple of days before, in case a bad hair cut happens, you will have at least a day to try to make it work. 

Ladies, I recommend makeup but make it natural, if you want anything bold, go for a bold lip color. However if you aren't usually a make up person, eyeliner and lipstick make a world of difference in photos and can help you to "pop" more. 

If we have discussed outfit changes prior please bring some different options for everyone, I have a changing tent so outfit changes can be done in private. 

Bring comfortable shoes I know that ladies LOVE their heels, and you should bring those too, however make sure you pack comfortable shoes because there tends to be a lot of walking that happens during a photoshoot. 

More than anything be ready to have an open mind and have fun during your photoshoot!