A Newborn Session Walk-Through || Spring Hill Newborn Photographer

If every session went exactly like this one, I’d schedule 10 a day because it would be so easy! Aside from those perfect pouty lips and curled fingers, little John Oscar slept so soundly, and was so easy to pose that it was over in no time. Bliss. I think it runs in the family (you’ll see).

Recently I’ve had a lot of questions from parents about how and why I do certain things, so for a change of pace I thought I’d do a session walk-through. Enjoy!

In this first set, we just used a soft blanket and a simple wrap and just captured him as he was, in the natural way newborns sleep. Since he was 15 days old (and as a general rule, you should always shoot newborns in the first ten days, fourteen at the most), he was as curled up as usual, so we emphasized his stretch. He’s a long baby! The room was very warm, we had a noise machine going, and his belly was full!

I like to use blankets that the parents supply, and I only bring one with me. I do this because then I get really beautiful pops of colors like this one below, and they always match the rooms in their house. John’s baby room is bright and sunny, and this green blanket will match perfectly on the walls. At this point, seeing how good John was doing, I decided to risk no diaper, and was rewarded with no accidents and perfect skin.

For a touch more of color, I added the blue wrap, simply folding it around him, without changing his position very much. It adds a dramatic depth to the images and makes the baby really stand out.

Introducing Della! This little princess is the smartest tiny kid I’ve ever seen, I am consistently amazed at the words that come out of her mouth. Her family goes to my church and is in my missional community (small group), so I see her at least once a week, and man, she is entertaining! She’s also an excellent listener and marvelous big sister, so setting up these snapshots were a piece of cake.

Newborn family pictures can be hard, especially on new parents who aren’t as experienced with holding a newborn, but this family was definitely the exception. They were all completely natural, and if add in their beautiful home, it was photography heaven.

These are some of my favorites. I love to shoot close up for parent+baby pictures because it emphasizes the smallness of the baby, and the intimacy of the moment.

Pure bliss, right? Uhg! I want to do it again!