I first worked with Sean, Charmaine, and their beautiful daughters for their field maternity session. You can see those images by clicking here. They wait until birth to find out what they’re having - and I was so excited to hear from Charmaine that their third little GIRL had arrived!!!! Fact about me: I also waited with each of my pregnancies to find out what I was having. We have two daughters, and we thought we would have a third for the perfect little trifecta of sisters… but instead we had a little boy who completed our family of five.
We scheduled a time for them to come in for Claire’s newborn session when she was 10 days old and sent over the newborn prep packet for them to review before their session. It’s a short and easy read, and covers best practices for the morning of the session, what to bring with you, and what to wear from your own closets if you aren’t utilizing the studio wardrobe.
We are often asked how we schedule newborn sessions. When you reserve your newborn session with us, you are getting a guaranteed spot on our calendar. We only take a certain number due in each month to make sure that we have enough time to dedicate to each of our clients. If your baby arrives earlier or later than their schedule due date and end up being born in a different month than their “due” month, that’s totally ok too! We’ve planned for that as it tends to happen for at least one or two babies on our calendar each month. ;) Once your baby has arrived, you let us know within 48 hours of their birth. I tend to schedule newborn sessions to take place between 8-16 days of age but have photographed babies up to 26 days old. When you contact us to let us know your baby has arrived, we’ll ask a couple of questions about their weight and how you’re both recovering from the birth and schedule the date from there!
Charmaine arrived at the studio first with Claire. When older siblings are involved, we have dad or a grandparent bring them in later. It’s much easier and stress free for the whole family for older kids to only be there when being photographed! Being told to sit still and be quiet isn’t fun for anyone, and for the first portion of the session the studio needs to be a very quiet environment as I am photographing baby only. I got started with Claire’s solo portraits while Charmaine looked through the wardrobe to see what was available for her to wear. She loves lace, so quickly settled on a pretty cream lace dress with lots of detail and texture.
Claire was a sweetheart and slept well for her portion of the session. She did need a short break to nurse, so while Charmaine was tending to her, I pulled a few of our studio dresses for little girls to go through with Charmaine. We settled on a white dress from the studio wardrobe for her older daughter, and decided to put her middle daughter in a dress she had brought from home. All of their dresses were now in the same tonal color palette but different enough to contrast well and flattered each individual’s skin tone!
Sean and the girls arrived as I was finishing up with Claire, and we moved right into the family portraits. The girls were just so excited about their new baby sister and eager to hold her and participate in the session. At 5 and 3 years old, they were definitely quite easy to work with and direct! Sarah (3) was a little hesitant at first, but because she already knew me from our time together at the family’s maternity session she relaxed quickly and had a lot of fun. We wrapped up with a few parent only images and then the family went on their way home.
I loved working with this family and can’t wait to see them again in the future! If you’re expecting a new little family member and interested in learning more about a Fresh 48 hospital or newborn session to document those first weeks as a newly expanded family, contact us to discuss your vision and learn more about what we offer!
uIf 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.
