I first worked with Madeleine and Tyson for their maternity session in the gardens, which can be viewed by clicking here. I always LOVE getting the announcement that baby has arrived so we can schedule the newborn session!
Really quickly: we take a limited number of newborns due in a calendar month. Sometimes babies don’t arrive in their due date month, and that’s okay! When you reserve your session, you are guaranteed a spot. We don’t schedule your actual session date until your baby has arrived. Generally newborn sessions are scheduled between 8-16 days of life. However, there are many factors that will affect the dates that we give you as choices! Some of those factors are: baby’s weight, if there any complications for mother and baby, whether baby was born on the earlier or later side, and how mama is recovering! We see older newborns all the time for a variety of reasons, so don’t worry if your baby is older than 16 days old! It is NOT a “make or break” deal if they are.
When the new family of three arrived at the studio, Madeleine and I looked through several pieces that I had pulled and she chose a blue off the shoulder dress. Baby Parker was just the cutest and had a lot of his mom’s features. I loved his head of hair, and he was a sleepy yawny baby.
I headed to the newborn shooting room with Parker and we wrapped his solo portraits up pretty quickly due to how sleepy he was! We send a newborn session prep packet to all of our clients a few days beforehand, and Madeleine had followed it perfectly. While nothing will guarantee that your baby will sleep deeply for their session, following our instructions definitely gives us much higher odds!
I use mainly neutral colors for photographing babies. Your newborn is so perfect, and so precious! I don’t want anything distracting from their sweet little features, and want them to be the focus. I blend natural and organic posing with a few more involved poses as well for babies that are super sleepy. I don’t photograph babies in buckets or hanging from a sling - simple and timeless imagery is what we strive for at the studio!
After Parker’s solo portraits were concluded, I took him out to our main shooting room to his mama to nurse. Sessions are baby led! If your baby needs a break to eat or just to cuddle, we take one. The safety and comfort of my tiny clients are my top priority, so we’ll do what we need to do to accomplish that.
Once Parker was finished nursing, we started with the parent and family session. New mamas are often tired and need to sit down and rest from time to time. I build in breaks for mama throughout so she’s not standing the entire time, and you better believe I’m watching them closely! If I sense that a mama is getting tired, we take a break. The studio fridge is stocked with an assortment of beverages, and we have a snack basket as well! Recovering from childbirth is not always a walk in the park, and I want you to know that you will be taken care of too. I’ve had three babies of my own…. so I know how those first weeks can be!
Here are a few of my favorite images from sweet little Parker’s session. His mama sent me a recent photo of him, and I cannot BELIEVE how big he’s gotten and how much he has changed! I can’t wait to see him again as he grows.
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
