Newborn Photography

You can anticipate my opinion on this topic; I think is it so very important to book a professional newborn session. "But Emily," you say,"of course YOU think it's important. You want to get paid to do it!" And yes, certainly, I would love for you to book me to take your baby's first pictures, but the reason why I think it's so very important to get professional pictures of your newborn goes much deeper than earning a few bucks and has everything to do with my "why" for being a photographer in the first place (and one who specializes in babies, kids, and families).

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was incredibly anxious. I had suffered a miscarriage not too long before I got pregnant with her and was honestly just too tied up in worrying during my pregnancy to even think about finding a photographer and booking them for newborn pictures. We got a cell phone picture of her that was "good enough" at the hospital, which I ended up putting on some inexpensive birth announcements. And, of course, we took a ton of candid pictures with our cell phones (I finally upgraded from a flip phone to the iPhone at that time). But it wasn't until she was four months old that we finally got in for a studio baby session/family session. And, by the way, I had never treated myself to a professional session before that. We didn't do any when I was growing up (I think back then parents mainly got the JcPenney prop shots or the school photos...we've come a long way!), so this was my first experience with a professional photographer outside my wedding photos.

So of the many candid cell phone shots and the professional session shots, which ones do you think made it to print and now adorn the walls of our house ten years later? Yeah, it's not the cell phone photos. Those are stored somewhere on the cloud, I guess, and maybe every once in a while will come up as a Facebook "memory." Otherwise, we don't really look at them or think about them. But we do see the beautiful photographic wall art around our house from our firstborn's session--and of the newborn sessions of her little sisters and brother, which I made sure to book because I so regretted not having beautiful pictures of my first in that fleeting newborn season. These beautiful photographs are so much more special to me than any great work of art. I'll never forgot what my babies looked like all brand new and how perfect they were. They are still perfect in my eyes, but they've changed a lot! Even my youngest baby has changed so much from that tiny newborn of 5 months ago! But I have that newborn perfection frozen in time--frozen in photographic art--to see and enjoy every day in my home.

Even better, these photos prompt many and regular conversations between me and my kids, as they love to ask me questions about the photographs and about what they were like as babies. And yes, they love to ask comparison questions as well, such as, "Mommy, was I the best sleeper when I was a baby?!" LOL. But ultimately, these photographs are a point of connection between me and my children and more broadly between us as a family unit.

So then what sets a professional newborn session apart from the cell phone pics?

Quality of the photos: cell phone pictures have gotten really good, but the quality of pictures taken by a professional camera are still better, which also means pictures will look better in print. Professional photos also have access to print labs that work exclusively with professionals to get their clients the highest quality print products.

Experience and skill: photography is an art in my humble opinion, and one that we professional photographers will work our whole lives to foster and develop. Newborn photography, especially, is very niche in terms of knowing the proper lighting, angles, editing, etc. Safety when posing newborns is also key, and a good newborn photographer will have taken newborn safety courses to know how to pose without injuring or stressing the baby.

Energy: As a new, sleep deprived parent, the last thing we want to do is curate and take our newborn's pictures. But when you go to a professional, you can sit back and relax while the photographer does the work for you. In my studio, I offer seating, nursing pillows, refreshments, and peace and quiet.

Connection: You deserve to be in you little one's pictures too! But when you're taking pictures yourself, it's hard to get good pictures of you and the baby and of the whole family. That's where a professional comes in, to ensure we capture the beautiful and growing connections between you, your family, and your little one.

If you are on the fence about booking a professional newborn session for any number of reasons, please contact me and let's chat. Because I really want you to have pictures commemorating this special yet fleeting season of your perfect little one's life! Unfortunately, you can't go back for a redo once that season has passed. I focus on capturing those sweet wrapped and posed pictures, of course, but also on getting macro shots of baby's perfect little features, fingers, and toes. And then getting pictures of the whole family--Mom, Dad, and any big sister and brothers with the new baby--is also so important to celebrating the new life and your growing family in this special season.