Yesterday’s post included this sweet little girl - she was inside her mama’s belly still. Click here to see her wonderful family’s park maternity session and read the backstory!
When Ezra was born, Jessica let me know right away and I was so excited for them! When her brother Everett was born, I happened to already be at the same hospital (Northside) photographing a birth and stopped by their room to meet him and say hi. This time I wasn’t, so I had to wait to meet her until her newborn session.
I love meeting new siblings of repeat clients. It’s so fun to compare and contrast what they look like as newborns and see the differences and similarities! My younger sister and I look absolutely nothing alike, but my three children very much look like siblings and share similar features - they all have the same eye color, but not the same hair color!
Jessica arrived at the studio with Ezra and settled into the hair and makeup chair. She loved her HMUA experience for her maternity session so much that she requested to add it on again. Fact: most of our repeat clients always request services for their subsequent sessions!
I started with Ezra’s solo portraits, and marveled at how chunky she was! Such big cheeks and so cute! She was an eight pounder and a solid sleeper. There were a few times she needed to eat, but she was also a very quick nurser! Jessica had let me know that she wanted a mix of headbands and no headbands for her images. I always discuss with moms what their preference regarding that is, and I choose the headbands used very carefully. I want it to flow well with everything else and also be proportionate to each baby’s head. I’m not a fan of giant bows or flowers because that takes away from your baby, and they should be the star of the show!
After I finished up, Danny arrived with big brother Everett. When older siblings are involved with sessions, we have them arrive later after we’ve finished photographing just your newborn. This keeps the studio calm and peaceful, and your toddler has much more fun at home until it’s time for them to come! Mamas also really enjoy the little break and quiet.
Jessica asked if we could borrow from the wardrobe for Everett because she didn’t have many options at home. Moms of boys don’t tend to buy lighter colored clothing because it just gets destroyed! We have several shirt options available for 1-6 year old boys so if you don’t have something, there’s no need to run out and buy something! We also have lots of dresses for big sisters in sizes 1-6 with some 8/10, so if you need help in that department, we may be able to do so!
Jessica opted to keep it simple with jeans and a pretty white tee. I always want my clients to dress however they feel best. If that’s a dress from the studio wardrobe, great! If that’s jeans and a simple white tee, perfect! There is no right or wrong way to dress for your newborn images - the only thing I’m worried about is the color and tone (ie: don’t choose neon colors!) of your clothing palette to make sure your images look like what you hired me for. We’ll help you out by sending you a style guide that covers exactly how to go about choosing clothing from your own wardrobe, so don’t stress about that!
After Jessica chose her favorite shirt for Everett we started with sibling images right away. I like to do these first as long as big brother or sister is up for it and not too wiggly. Some older siblings just aren’t able to safely participate in these types of images, so we’ll default to other tactics that involve mom or dad being in the image as well. Your newborn’s safety is my top consideration, and we’ll determine what will work and what won’t after I assess your older child(ren) and we discuss some things the day of your session. Everett was fantastic with his baby sister, and daddy was just out of the frame ready to help if needed. We then wrapped up with family images, which are so much fun. I’ll play simple and fun games with your older children to get them engaged and interacting with the newest addition, and direct you to do the same. Sessions here are fun and laid back, and I want to make sure your older children are enjoying themselves too!
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from Ezra’s newborn session!
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.
