Columbia SC Photographer | How to Prepare for Your Newborn Photography Session

It has been a long nine months and your little darling has finally made it earthside to be with you. If this one is your first, surely there is a deep desire to get everything picture perfect. I know you want to give he/she the best of you and then some. So I am going to give you a few tips on how to best prepare and what to expect before and during your session.

1. If you will be having your hair and makeup done in the studio, we will have already pre-arranged this and discussed wardrobe and preferences at our consultation. We will plan the look and feel for your session at that time as well. The only thing you need to do is shower, dry your hair and show up! That's it.

2. It is easy to say get some sleep but moms know to well that with a newborn in the house, that is not likely so just go to bed early. For every hour before midnight that you sleep, it is as good as two hours after midnight. And you already know you are going to be up some of those a.m. hours so do yourself a favor and try to put baby down by 8 or have dad take him for a while so you can rest. 

3. Deep breaths, no heated discussions on the morning of your session. We want to see smiling faces and happy hearts. Emotions transfer to photos. This is a joyful time, let's make it memorable and beautiful.

4. Consider the color of your undergarments for the wardrobe you have chosen. Wearing white? You will want to bring a white bra and underwear to match.

5. Be mindful of what foods you eat the day before and morning of your session. Some things such as dairy, caffeine or tomatoes can give baby an upset tummy or keep him awake right in the middle of the time we really need him to sleep.

6. If you have a dear family heirloom that you want included in your photos, please bring that. I will do my best to include that for you.

7. It will be a long morning, possibly up to three hours. I will have some snacks available for you but you may choose to pack a little bag and that is fine.

When you arrive, you may take your time getting dressed and relax. You may go ahead and feed baby to get him full and sleepy. We will begin our session then. These little ones run the show so there will be plenty of time for breaks, feedings, changing etc...

We will do each parent/sibling with the baby then a family photo before I begin to work with the baby alone. I also include some lifestyle photos in all of my sessions.

After your session, I will begin working on your photos. It will take up to two weeks to get them beautifully retouched and I will give you a call to come view them. This will be the moment you have been looking forward to where you get to select each photo that you want printed. After the order is placed, the photos should be back in about a week. 

I hope that gives you just a little insight on what a hand-crafted newborn session looks like. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Newborn baby girl in Lexington, SC

Columbia SC Photographer | Behind the scenes

I don't talk a lot about what I do to others because I don't want to sound like I am talking about me too much or trying to sell something. Thankfully in my blog posts, I get to talk about the passion and joy I have for photography and people. My goal is to give you all a glimpse of what I do behind the scenes each week. This is not something I have to do, it's something I get to do. It's a talent and a privilege that I love and I want to share it with you.

A lot of planning effort goes into a session with me. Behind the scenes, I prepare for your special day as if it were my very own. Normally, I prepare for each session several hours (an average of 5 hours) throughout the week leading up to that day. I love my clients and really want to give them the greatest experience possible. Each and every shoot is handcrafted by me to suit each client. I make it a point to order or go shopping for at least one signature item to incorporate into a session so that in some way it is personalized for each person. I enjoy capturing personality through my work so that every photo is true to life. I appreciate real, authentic portraits. Even in my posing, I try to capture each client in their natural movement with minimal adjustments. 

After your session, I cannot wait to see what we have created together. I have a quick turnaround time with delivery of galleries because I truly enjoy it so much. It's a lot of work but I get so excited about retouching your images that I cannot wait to get them home after our time together. When I get to see a perfect shot on my 27 inch screen, a smile comes to my face. They are big, they are beautiful and I know my clients will love them.

I love every single thing about newborn sessions. Seeing mom and dad sleepily holding and gazing at their precious new baby with so much love is the sweetest thing. Small moments with emotion are key to getting beautiful family photographs. My sessions include a little bit of everything, baby poses and lifestyle. I have my own ideas for the session but I want to hear clients' ideas as well- it's all about them- and all of you potential clients. One thing is certain, I never leave a session without asking the question, "Are there any other shots that are important to you?" Even if they are not my signature shots or a favorite of my own, I will do what clients request as long as it's safe. 

In portrait and beauty style sessions, I add a little more posing. People have no clue how to stand or where to put their hands, they just know they want to look good and not awkward. This is where I come in. While any posing may feel a little awkward, it looks amazing on camera. It's so important to be properly directed on how to stand so that the images are flattering. 

Afterwards, when the clients come back to view their photos, they are seeing most of them for the first time on a large screen. It's a wonderful time, emotional, beautiful and I get to experience that. It's the most amazing part about what I do. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I get to give people an experience that they can't get anywhere else and they get to have gorgeous wall art of themselves and their babies that will last a lifetime. This is living.

Mother and daughter, newborn session in Columbia, SC