I first worked with Jess and David for their maternity session in the field, which you can view by clicking here. They had not scheduled a newborn session, but I checked in with Jess to see how she was doing. I really love staying in touch with my clients after I’ve worked with them and seeing photos of their little ones as they grow! Jess responded that they hadn’t had their little girl yet, but were still waiting and would let me know when they did. A few weeks later, Jess emailed the studio and asked if they could schedule a newborn session for Ellis! They hadn’t thought they wanted a newborn session, but after Ellis had arrived a couple of weeks ago and they saw how quickly she was changing and growing, they decided that they wanted to preserve those early days. It took some finagling when it came to the studio schedule, but we were able to fit them in on a day that worked for both of us when Ellis was almost FOUR weeks old. I prefer (when possible) to photograph babies between 8-21 days of age, and we schedule most between 8-16, barring any complications for mom and baby. However, sometimes things happen or we get a last minute request for an older newborn whose parents had a change of heart about wanting newborn photos. If that’s you, don’t wait to contact us - if we can fit you in, we will. Most of our clients book their newborn sessions when they are in the second trimester.
You may wonder how we book a newborn session for a baby that hasn’t arrived yet. You aren’t alone -almost everyone asks us this! Simply put: we have a limited number of newborns that we will take for our calendar. When you reserve your newborn session, you’re reserving a guaranteed session on our studio calendar. Our calendar is based on due dates, but babies operate on their own schedule. If you’re due in the month of May, but deliver in June - no worries, you’ll still have a guaranteed spot. When your baby arrives, you simply let us know. We’ll ask you a few questions regarding your delivery and baby’s stats, and then schedule your session based on the answers to the questions. If you’re adding hair and makeup services we’ll also take care of making sure one of our HMUA’s is available on the date that we schedule for you. Easy peasy! All that’s left is to review our short and sweet newborn prep packet that we’ll send to you after scheduling your date, and then just show up for your session.
On the morning of of their session the new family of three arrived at the studio with Miss Ellis! I was so excited to see them and hear about their delivery experience and how they were settling in to parenthood. We discussed whether they wanted to have Ellis wear headbands during the session, and they decided on a mix - some with, and some without. I leave this decision up to each parent. I have everything your baby will need and when I choose headbands for your baby, I’m choosing the best colors for their skin tone and the best size for their head. We don’t do flowers the size of a ten gallon hat in this studio! All of our headbands are meant to be simple and dainty so that the attention is on your baby’s sweet face and not what they’re wearing on their head.
Ellis was a big girl since she was almost a month old, and was wide awake when we got there. She made me work to get her to fall asleep, but once she had nursed and been shushed and swayed and soothed, she fell into a deep sleep and I was able to photograph her solo portraits pretty quickly. It just took us a bit of time to get her to sleep, but we used that time to chat and catch up. I am never in a rush, and your baby is never an inconveniencing me. All of my sessions are very laid back with no stress and baby leads the way.
Jess and David had followed our style guide and had opted to go with earthy tones which I LOVED. Olive green is one of my favorite colors and I half jokingly told Jess that I wanted to steal her dress. It seriously is one of my favorite colors, and she looked gorgeous in it. They had brought along some headbands for Ellis, and once I saw the mustard yellow bow, I knew it was a perfect fit for what they were wearing. Since they were wearing more casual clothing, they opted to dress her in one of our studio onesies rather than a wrap. The onesies that we have are selected for their fit and their color - many of the onesies out there are too white and will photograph with a blue cast. They also tend to be ill cut and bunch up under the chin. We have them in a couple of different sizes to fit the tiny babies and the chunkier ones. :) Ellis was wide awake at this point, and I loved it! She was so alert, but so chill and relaxed with her parents holding her. Some awake babies will fuss and flail, but not Ellis. She just casually checked out her surroundings and looked right at the camera for so many of her images, which is pretty rare for her age. I can’t wait to see her when she’s older and see if her personality is still the same as it was during her newborn session when she was awake!
Enjoy a few of my favorites from this awesome family’s 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.
