Babies just may be my favorite subject to photograph. At least when they are sleeping. :)
There's just something awe-inspiring about a new baby. So tiny, so perfect. And the newborn stage is so fleeting. After a couple weeks with room to stretch out, they don't curl as tightly or sleep as soundly. So, it's key to catch them in the first week or two of life for those beautiful posed portraits.
It's such an honor to be entrusted with taking these tiny model's first pictures. It takes skill and loads of patience (and is a really sweaty job), but I love it! Babies are true works of art and I love giving parents pictures of their precious little ones that they will treasure forever.
Most parents are living in a bit of a blur those first few weeks, but with pictures they will always remember how tiny their baby was at the start and how perfectly he or she fit in their arms. Yes, it's important to be in the pictures, even if you don't feel like it! You'll be so glad you did down the road. These are just faces and hands pictures, so the rest fades away. Plus I'm really good at photoshop retouching and can remove any distractions. :)
I'm often asked for a "short" newborn session. Which I'd love to do, but really, the baby is in charge of the pace (I can tell so much about their personalies from the session, it's really fun to observe!). It's not uncommon to wait an hour for a baby to fall asleep before I take the first picture. And that's after 30-45 minutes of bringing in all the props and gear and getting everything set up and ready. And usually there's a break for a feeding or clean up. So, a "fast" shoot is about 4 hours, details here on a newborn session.
I travel to my client's homes with a car stuffed full of props, supplies and gear. It's a lot to move, but keeps the new parents comfortable if they need to rest or eat. I'm happy to have help and have parents watch, but they are also free take a nap or each lunch.
The main requirements are a room we can warm up (if I'm sweating the baby is cozy and sleepy) and a large bright window. You provide a well-fed baby and I do the rest!