What to Expect at Your Newborn Photography Session

There is one thing I wish every new parent knew before walking into a newborn photography session:

Your baby does not need to be perfect for your photographs to be beautiful.

Your baby may cry.

They may need to eat more than once. They may need to be changed just when we've settled them. Your toddler may decide they have absolutely no interest in being photographed with their new sibling. And you may arrive at the studio feeling tired, a little frazzled and not quite like yourself yet.

None of that worries me.

I've been photographing babies and families for 27 years, and if there's one thing all of those years have taught me, it's that babies are going to be babies.

A beautiful newborn session isn't created by getting a five-day-old baby to cooperate with our plans. It's created by slowing down enough to follow theirs.

What if my baby cries during our newborn photography session?

They probably will.

Almost every newborn cries at some point during a session. They get hungry. They need to burp. They want to be held. Sometimes they simply need a minute.

Parents often interpret crying as something going wrong. I don't.

If your baby becomes fussy, we figure out what they need. Sometimes I swaddle them. Sometimes we feed them. Sometimes they simply need to be tucked against your chest while you sway back and forth.

And sometimes that's exactly when I keep photographing.

Because isn't that what you're doing at home right now?

You're holding them over your shoulder. You're patting their tiny back. You're rocking and shushing and kissing their head.

I'm not trying to recreate a version of your life that doesn't exist. I want to photograph the life you're actually living, just in the most beautiful way possible.

So I'll move around you while you soothe your baby. I'll watch the light. I'll photograph the way their head fits beneath your chin and how your hand covers almost their entire back.

Eventually, we'll move on.

There is no rush.

Does my newborn need to sleep for newborn photos?

A sleepy newborn certainly gives us opportunities for some of those soft, peaceful photographs parents love. But I don't consider an awake baby a problem.

I've photographed enough newborns to know that eventually during the session we'll get what we need. It’s just likely on their timeline, not ours.

Sometimes babies arrive sound asleep. Other times they don't fall asleep until the very end of the session, after they've been fed, swaddled, passed between Mom and Dad and held for an hour.

That's okay.

We photograph what they're giving us along the way.

If they're awake and content, I'll photograph those wide-open eyes. If they're getting sleepy in Dad's arms, I'll photograph that. If they're stretching and uncurling after I remove the swaddle, I want that too.

I've become much less interested over the years in making a newborn do something simply because I have a photograph in my head that I think we need.

I follow the baby.

They always give us something beautiful.

Should I feed my baby before a newborn photo session?

A comfortable, well-fed baby is usually a happier baby, so yes, feeding is an important part of a newborn session.

But I don't want parents worrying about manipulating a feeding schedule or trying to get their baby to eat an unnatural amount simply so they'll sleep for photographs.

Feed your baby normally.

If you're breastfeeding and your baby wants to nurse a little longer and falls asleep at the breast, wonderful. If we need to stop halfway through the session for another feeding, we stop.

We build time into newborn sessions for exactly that reason.

Babies haven't really changed in all the years I've been photographing them. They need to eat, sleep, be held, feel warm and feel safe.

How should I prepare for my newborn photography session?

My best advice may surprise you:

Don't over-prepare.

I would much rather have you arrive calm than spend the morning trying to follow a complicated checklist designed to produce the "perfect" sleepy newborn.

Bring the things your baby genuinely needs, including diapers and extra bottles if you're bottle-feeding.

Beyond that, we've already done the preparation together.

Before the session, we'll have a styling appointment so you aren't standing in your closet on the morning of your photographs trying to figure out what everyone should wear.

We'll know what you're wearing. We'll know what your husband is wearing. We'll have a plan for your older children.

I keep wraps, blankets, baby clothing and a wardrobe for moms at the studio. And if there's something special we want for your particular session, we'll talk about that ahead of time too.

By the morning of your session, most of the decisions should already have been made.

Your job is really just to bring me your family.

What should Mom wear for newborn family photos?

This is one of the biggest concerns I hear from new mothers, and I understand it.

You've just had a baby.

You're tired. Your body is recovering. Your clothes may not fit the way they did before pregnancy, and you may not feel particularly excited about being photographed.

This is one reason I put so much thought into styling Mom.

We might choose beautiful linen pants with an elastic waist and a soft, loose top. Maybe it's a dress that falls beautifully without clinging anywhere you don't want it to.

I want you to feel like yourself. I also want you to feel comfortable.

And I know how to photograph a postpartum body.

I know how to use light. I know how to position your body in ways that are flattering without making you feel posed. And when appropriate, I can use subtle retouching so that what you notice in the finished photograph is you with your baby, not the thing you were feeling self-conscious about that morning.

You have just done something extraordinary.

I don't want discomfort with your changing body to be the reason you aren't present in your baby's photographs.

Should I have my hair and makeup done for newborn photos?

I highly recommend it, and not only because you'll feel beautiful.

Hair and makeup can be added to your newborn session, and I love having Mom get ready here at the studio.

You don't have to wake up after a night of newborn sleep, get everyone dressed, pack the car, take care of the baby and somehow get yourself completely ready before leaving the house.

You can practically show up in your pajamas.

Once you're here, someone else gets to take care of you for a little while.

There's something wonderfully calming about that transition. You sit down. You have your hair and makeup done. You get a moment to reset after the hustle of getting everyone out the door.

Meanwhile, I can begin working with your baby.

By the time you're ready, everyone has settled into the space and we can move into family photographs without that feeling that you just raced through the door.

What happens if my toddler won't cooperate for newborn family photos?

Toddlers don't cooperate on command.

After 27 years of photographing children, I don't expect them to.

Older siblings have their own rhythm during newborn sessions, and I generally photograph them during a concentrated period toward the beginning. After that, I let them come and go.

If your two-year-old wants to be part of the photograph, wonderful.

If they need to sit on the couch for a few minutes, they can.

If they suddenly decide they want to climb into Dad's lap while he's holding the baby, I'll be ready.

A toddler's attention span when they don't want to participate is usually just as short as the attention span they have when they do. So we wait.

What I don't do is force it.

I also never force a young child to hold a newborn. There are safer, more natural ways to photograph siblings together.

The goal isn't to prove that your toddler can sit perfectly beside their new sibling and smile at the camera.

Years from now, I think you'll be far more interested in seeing who they actually were.

Do you pose newborn babies for photos?

Not in the traditional sense.

Years ago, newborn photography became very focused on achieving particular poses. Babies propped with their heads on their hands. Elaborately arranged setups. Photographs that could sometimes take 30 or 45 minutes to create.

I photographed some of those images too.

My work has evolved.

I have very little interest now in putting a baby into a position you would never naturally see them in.

It feels dated to me, and I don't think those photographs hold the emotional value that we once assumed they would.

If I lay your baby down and they naturally curl their legs beneath themselves, I'll photograph it. If they're unswaddled and suddenly give me that wonderful full-body newborn stretch, I'll be right there.

I love photographing their tiny toes and eyelashes. I'll get close enough to remember the flaky newborn skin and those impossibly small fingers.

But I'm not willing to spend 45 minutes trying to manufacture one particular pose when I could spend those same 45 minutes photographing your baby's actual relationship with you.

Are family photos included in a newborn session?

Yes. In fact, I think the family photographs may be the most important photographs we make.

Of course I want portraits of your baby alone.

I'll photograph them swaddled. I'll photograph them on their own. When they're comfortable, we'll get those beautiful close-up details.

But I'm a mother with children who are now growing up and leaving home.

When I look back at my own photographs, I don't only want to see what my babies looked like.

I want to see us.

I want the photograph where I'm laughing with an older sibling while holding the newborn. I want my husband's arm around us. I want to see how young we all were and how little our family looked together.

I don't even particularly need everyone looking at the camera.

I'd rather see you looking at one another.

That's where the story is.

When should you schedule newborn photos?

You don't have to choose between photographing your baby while they're still brand new and giving yourself enough time to recover.

If you're ready to be photographed during those very early newborn days, wonderful. The best time is within two weeks of birth. After two weeks, their digestion develops and they get fussier.

If you're feeling uncomfortable in your body, exhausted or simply not ready yet, we can talk about allowing a little more time.

Your baby will continue changing, of course, so we'll balance that with the kind of photographs you want to create.

What I don't want is for a mother to believe she missed her opportunity because she wasn't ready to walk into a photography studio at exactly seven or ten days postpartum.

There is room for you in this experience too.

What makes a newborn photography session successful?

It isn't a perfectly sleeping baby.

It isn't a toddler who follows every direction.

And it isn't checking ten poses off a list before the session ends.

After photographing newborns for more than 27 years, I know that eventually babies settle. I know how to swaddle and soothe them. I know when to keep going and when everyone needs a break.

That experience has given me something I value even more than a bag full of newborn tricks.

Calm.

Babies don't need us frantically trying to get the session back on schedule.

They need us to give them time.

And parents need that too.

A successful newborn session is one where we document true connection and this incredibly intimate moment of growing as a family.

What I Want You to Remember About Your Newborn Session

Someday, I don't think you'll care whether your baby slept through their newborn session.

You probably won't remember that we stopped twice to feed them or that your toddler spent ten minutes refusing to come anywhere near us.

You'll have the photographs.

You'll see how your newborn disappeared into your husband's arms.

You'll see the way your older child reached for your hand.

You'll see yourself holding this brand-new person when you were still figuring out who you were as their mother.

And you'll see all of you together at the very beginning of this version of your family.

That's what I want to preserve.

Your baby doesn't need to perform for me.

Neither do you.

Just bring me the family you're living with right now. We'll make something beautiful from there.

Planning a Newborn Photography Session in Denver?

I photograph newborns in my Denver studio with a soft, baby-led approach centered on connection, beautiful natural light and photographs that feel like your family. Every session is planned ahead of time, including wardrobe and styling, so that when the day arrives, you can simply come in and be with your baby.

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