Perhaps you had to give birth without your husband in the room.  Or maybe those sweet siblings who were so excited to meet the newest little member of the family had to FaceTime from Grandma’s house for their first introduction.  And although you were secretly grateful that no one could visit you in the hospital, you found that meals dropped off at your doorstep left a small hole, as you truly wanted to share your little one with those closest to you.  When you shared the news of your expecting some nine months ago, you certainly did not expect what our world would be like once finally welcoming your little love home.

While these quarantine days have undoubtedly made their mark on your birth story in some way, perhaps your hopes for a newborn photography session are not all a loss.  

I make it a point to tell my expecting mamas that 14 days from birth is the most ideal time to schedule a newborn session.  This is mainly due in part to that lovely newborn sleepiness that makes for some precious, peaceful photographs.  Truly there is just something about a sleeping baby.  

The secondary reason being the sweet way newborns curl up, then stretch as if for the first time, and rest their head in your hands, at which point you realize how marvelously small they truly are.  Those pediatric appointments (aka. weigh-in days) give you physical proof of what you already realized but perhaps assumed to be exaggerated in your sleep deprived stupor.  Except truly babies grow at tremendous rates, and newborn sessions simply capture those all too fleeting first few moments.

Although here’s to the silver lining!  As a matter of fact, we’ll call it gold, because you may have thought that once those fourteen days pass, the photography world simply shifts into family sessions and your hopes for embracing such sweet beginnings are now out of reach.  Not so!

Newborn sessions can take place up to 3 months of age, and with the exception of seeing more wide, bright eyes than eyelids, you will embrace a whole new element of beauty within those newborn days.  Adoring interactions that had come to surface only weeks ago, and all the while parents that have tasted just a touch more sleep again.

Although you might be asking one rather poignant question:

Is it safe?

Granted safe is very much subjective in nature, and your comfort level will ultimately determine how worthwhile a newborn session will be.  However, some adjustments that I would bring into your home are ones that I commit to taking very seriously.

1.    No touch policy

• • Up until this point I have been very hands on with positioning both newborns and their family members, but would intentionally bring effective verbal communication to our time together

2.   Masked photographer

• • Your comfortability with my presence is of utmost importance!

3.   Longer lens

• • This may feel like photographer talk, but it’s an important change to note.  I love my 35mm lens for indoor sessions, although the shorter lens length means that I would need to get very close.  By switching to my 50mm lens I am able to stand further back and still get the intimate shots that I adore in capturing those little features

4. Pay-What-You-Can Session

• • Yes this is still happening!  Newborns are expensive in and of themselves, but throw in a virus that is shaking up our economy, and all your diligent financial planning suddenly looks a bit off.  Having personally invested in newborn sessions for our two girls, I deeply value these intimate, fleeting moments and want to do whatever I can to make the joy of photography accessible to you.

Oh how I would love to hear from you, whether a first time mama or seasoned parents, you may use my contact form for a September (or beyond session).  For a Pay-What-You-Can session inquiry (thru August 31st), click on the photograph below.