“A new baby is like the beginning of all things – wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.” – Eda L. LeShan
When I first took the leap to being a professional photography, I honestly dreaded newborn sessions. I felt like I had found my style and my passion in family photography, especially with young children. I prided myself on capturing real, candid moments. I loved directly families into the beautiful light, and capturing what unfolded between them.
Most newborn photography I had seen at that time was so different than what I loved to do. It was beautiful, but very posed, with lots of bean bags, and props. I thought that’s what I had to do too…that that’s what it meant to photograph a newborn.
Thankfully, I started educating myself and following lots of other photographers and found that there is definitely more than one style of newborn photography, and I could absolutely bring what I loved about family photography into a newborn session. Step one was dropping any expectations of forced posing (especially when there are big siblings involved) and to focus on capturing that connection between family members, which is what I love to do.
And what other amazing time to capture that beautiful love and connection than during baby’s first days at home? It is seriously such a magical time that goes by amazingly fast, like a dream. What an honor to be able to freeze time in a sense in those early moments that define a family. It is so special for me to be brought into these moments of my clients lives, and to see their family grow. I was there for the birth of both of these beautiful children and I can’t tell you what it means to me to have a job that allows me to be part of something like that.
My favorite newborn sessions are when there is a big brother or sister involved. This brings a sort of beautiful chaos to the session that I actually love so much. One piece of advice I had read when I began to study lifestyle newborn photography was to go with the flow, and to just get them all in the frame and see what happens.
You can see both of those concepts in action in these photos. It’s generally impossible to get a 15 month old to pose for anything. But just like in a family session, we go with the flow and find things she likes to do to keep her happy and occupied I capture these moments between the family. (Notice the sprinkles on baby brothers belly to capture her interest? LOL)
These are the type of images that mean the most to me as a mother, so I hope that I am able to capture images that are meaningful to my clients.
