I first worked with Safeeya and her family for their family maternity session at the gardens location, (view those images by clicking here) and was so excited to photograph them again for their new daughter’s newborn session! Safeeya had let me know that they would be wearing traditional dress for their session and I absolutely love when my clients honor their heritage in that way.
When Safeeya arrived at the studio with baby Hauwa, I got started with photographing just the baby. Safeeya took the opportunity to rest for a bit. Hauwa wasn’t really sure if she wanted to sleep or not, but she eventually did after being snuggled and rocked for a bit. I have all the patience in the world, so if your baby doesn’t want to go to sleep right away during your session, please don’t stress or think your baby is being “uncooperative”. They are being a baby and they have their own sleep cycle. They will eventually go to sleep, and it’s my job to get them there. When babies are awake, I always photograph them for those open eye images as long as they’re calm. If they are awake and angry, my focus is on settling them and getting them what they need. I would say maybe under half the newborns who come into the studio ever open their eyes and of those half - about half are calm when awake. So, while I definitely take advantage of the opportunity for that open eye direct camera engagement image - it doesn’t always happen. It just depends on your baby!
Once I was finished with Hauwa’s solo images, big sister and daddy had arrived. Everyone got dressed and Safeeya dressed Hauwa in a beautiful lace dress to match big sister. If you choose to bring clothing for your newborn to wear during the family portion, you’ll need to make sure that it fits snugly. Otherwise your baby will be swimming in their outfit, and it will not look cute. We have a full collection in the studio of blankets and some sleepers and onesies that photograph well, but some of our clients like to bring a sleeper or blanket from home. I’ll advise on whether it’s going to work well for your session since sometimes the items brought have a strange color cast or just won’t work well with what the family is wearing.
I started off with sibling images of the two girls together. Hauwa was awake and calm, but then decided she wanted to eat and wanted to eat NOW. After she was fed, she was happy and content and we resumed the session. Since Hauwa was totally asleep, we finished this portion up very quickly as it was just a matter of passing Hauwa back and forth between her parents with different groupings. I work very efficiently when I have baby’s cooperations since we never know how long we’ll have it!
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from Hauwa’s newborn session. I can’t wait to see this family again in the future and see how much the girls have grown.
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.
