Wondering what actually happens during a newborn session? Maybe you haven’t had professional photos taken since your wedding day, so inviting a stranger into your home mere days after giving birth feels intimidating. I get it! So today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my Richmond newborn sessions, beginning to end. I’ve spent years developing a gentle, stress-free process for capturing those magical, first days with your little one. And honestly,  it’s much easier and way more fun than you’d think. 

The Secret Prep Behind Every Session

How I scout the perfect light in your home before setting up

As a primarily natural light photographer, good light is one of the things that inspires me most. But that doesn’t mean you need to have a home flooded with natural light in order to get great photos. I’ve been photographing families and newborns in homes for over 7 years, so I’ve seen a LOT of different (challenging!) lighting scenarios. 

When I arrive at your home for our session, I always like to get a quick tour to see the natural light in each room and evaluate the best shooting locations. 

My most recent newborn session took place on cloudy, dreary day, so my clients’ home was much darker than it normally would be. So, We opted to position mom and dad holding baby on the floor beside a window in the nursery. We were just rolling with the punches and staying flexible, but it ended up creating the most intimate, soft lighting for their photos. Such a win!

So don’t stress — even if your home is on the darker side, we can always get creative to use the light you DO have and create beautiful images with it.

Prior to the session, I always ask clients to open curtains and raise the blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. I also request that you turn off all artificial lights. It may look dark to your eye, but I chose my camera and lens line up because of HOW AWESOME they are in low light situations, so chances are, what my camera seed looks much different than you’d think! Plus, avoiding weird color casts from mixed lighting helps editing go much faster, and it keeps the skin tones and colors in your final images looking natural and beautiful.

Which rooms work best for natural newborn photos

Hands down, my favorite room to shoot in for newborn sessions is the master bedroom. I love the laid back, lived-in look of photos where baby is snuggled up on mom and dad’s bed with some lovely window light coming through. 

Also, as a mom, I know how much of those first weeks take place in and around the bed, so capturing the magic right where it happens makes the photos extra special over time. 

I also love to get shots of baby in the crib and/or nursery.  As a kid, I always loved to look back at my baby pictures and see how my room changed and evolved over time, so while I’m in the nursery, I always make a point to capture some of the decor and details. 

And third on my list of spaces is usually a living room, den, or other lounge space in your home. Shots of mom, dad, and baby (maybe the family pet too?!) snuggled up on the couch together is a sweet moment, especially if your living area has some good window light. 

Simple adjustments I make to your space to create the best backdrop

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to clean your whole house before having photos taken. 

It actually doesn’t take a lot of tidy areas to create beautiful images with tons of variety. 

If I shoot photos on mom and dad’s bed, we can pile up the nursing equipment, bassinet, pacifiers, etc on the other side of the room. And if I notice clutter on a nightstand or a pile of laundry trying to creep into the shot, I just take a moment to slide it out of view, and we continue on with the session 🙃. 

I have two kids, so I know how overwhelming the first few days with a new baby can be. If you are showered and photo ready, that is success enough! Please don’t feel like you need your entire home to be spotless before the session begins! It’s not necessary, and I won’t even notice the mess – I promise. 

Why I bring certain items to your home (and what you should have ready)

I always bring a sound machine to my newborn sessions. The snap-snap-snap of my camera can be just loud enough to stir a dozing newborn, so a sound machine helps keep your little one nice and drowsy. 

I also bring a very minimal external lighting set up just in case the interior of your home is extra challenging light-wise. I have a simple light stand, off-camera flash, and small umbrella that takes me just a few minutes to set up. Most of the time, it’s not needed, but I like being prepared for anything on the day of the session, so I keep it on hand! 

Otherwise, not much is needed for great newborn photos! Most of the images will be of you and other family members snuggling baby, which keeps everyone cozy and happy. For the photos of baby alone, a simple, neutral outfit or swaddle is perfect. I do recommend having an extra swaddle or outfit on hand in case of spit up or an untimely blow out! It doesn’t hurt to have a back up outfit for mom and dad as well. You just never know when tiny humans are involved 😅

Bonus Tip: For the day of the session, turn up the thermostat! Babies love to be nice and toasty, and it’s much easier to get those sweet sleeping photos of your little one in their crib if they are nice and warm. If it feels a little too hot for you, it’s probably perfect for babe. 

Baby Whispering Magic

How we incorporate family members naturally

My approach to family photos of any kind is this: We roll with whoever wants to be in the photo at the time. If toddler brother or sister is not feeling photos at the moment, no problem! We can get images of baby alone or snuggling with mom and dad. Does mom need a nursing break to feed the fussy newborn? Totally fine. I can snag images of the nursery or get photos of dad playing with the siblings in another part of the house. 

I keep a mental checklist of the shots I want to get at some point throughout the session. But how we get there is totally flexible and always different based on the size of the family, the mood of the kids, and the preference of mom and dad. 

The relaxed approach to feeding, changing and soothing

When some parents see that my newborn sessions are 90 minutes long, they feel stressed. They’re worried that the family won’t be able to keep it together for that long. 

But I actually created that timeline purposefully, building in plenty of time to chat, to soothe baby, and to deal with diaper changes or unexpected spit up situations. 

I want newborn sessions to feel relaxed and peaceful — never rushed. An hour and a half is usually plenty of time to get amazing images, while still leaving room for whatever tricky baby situations might creep up. 

How I capture authentic moments while still providing direction

This is my favorite part of photographing families, and it’s become my secret sauce as a photographer. 

I guide my clients toward areas with the best light and prompt them to interact with each other rather than looking at the camera. Then, I let moments unfold naturally and capture it in an artful way.

Some families need and want a little more hands-on direction. Others just naturally interact and show affection toward one another, and I blend into the background to document it.

Either way, when you view your final gallery, you’ll be amazed at the breadth of candid, authentic, emotive moments that just look like magic. 

The Unexpected Moments

The reality of newborn sessions: poop, pee, spit-up, and how we handle it all

Parenting is messy. Especially parenting a newborn. No matter how much you try to avoid it, there will be pee, spit up, blow outs, or potentially all three during the session. 

And that’s totally fine! 

It’s just a normal part of the process, and I build extra time into my sessions so that you don’t have to panic or rush if an unexpected clothing change is needed. 

What happens if baby won’t sleep or settle

The wonderful thing about lifestyle newborn photos is that most of them happen while you or another family member is snuggling the baby. Newborns just love the warmth and security of being held. So most of the time, as long as someone is holding your little one, they are happy to appear in as many photos as needed. 

If we are trying to get shots of baby alone, but they are not having it, I usually have mom try nursing or rocking the baby for a little while. We can almost always get a few shots of baby on their own, as long as we take our time and approach it in a relaxed way! 

Babies are remarkably aware of the emotional temperature in the room! If we stay calm and laid back, baby usually will too. 

Bonus tips: nurse or bottle feed baby just before the session, so that they are nice and sleepy with a full belly when the session begins. If baby is drowsy when I arrive, I almost always start with the images of baby alone so that we can check that off and spend the rest of the session snuggling.

ALSO! Make sure to schedule your session within the first 10 days of baby’s life if at all possible! This ensures that your little one will still be in that super drowsy newborn stage and much less fussy than babies who are even just a couple of weeks older.

Why the best photos sometimes come from the “unplanned” moments

My passion is capturing real life, real relationships, and real connection. Emphasis on the real. The best way to do that is to create a relaxed environment and then be there to document what comes out of it. The unplanned, in-between moments make for some of the best photos because they are honest. 

You might think you want only the curated, polished moments in your final gallery. But in a few years time, when this whole newborn season is a distant blur, you will treasure the imperfect, documentary style moments. They provide a window into how it really was, how it actually felt, and that’s what makes it feel like magic. 

The Transformation Process

My culling and editing process

At every session, I shoot A LOT of images. Like hundreds and hundreds. This is why I shoot digital instead of film – because I am a chronic overshooter 😅

So, after each session, I go through all the photos and hand select the very best ones. 

Then, I use a handful of presets (along with over a decade of editing images for families!) to color correct and lightly edit the images for your final gallery.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram or browsed through my portfolio, you have a good sense of my editing style. I like to keep colors fairly true to life and skin tones looking natural, all with just a touch of nostalgia and film-like grain.

I’ll determine the best images to put into black and white and which ones to keep in color, but you can always request for a black and white images in your final gallery to be uploaded in color as well – and vice versa. 

How I select the best images from our session

This is where artistic eye, experience, and gut intuition all comes into play. I want every photo uploaded into your final gallery to be beautiful and meaningful from a storytelling perspective. I aslo want to provide you with options while keeping it from being overwhelming! 

So, as I’m looking through your photos, I’m looking for images full of connection and emotion, shots that feel authentic and laid back, and photos with beautiful light and composition. I only want to deliver photos that check all of those boxes, so that no matter what you share or print, it will be a stunning, artful representation of this season of family life.

When and how you’ll receive your images

Final galleries are delivered to you within 2-3 weeks of your session date!

When the photos are ready, I’ll send you an email with a link to your gallery and attached online shop. There, you can view your images, download the high resolution files, share with family and friends, and order prints and products from some of the best labs in the world. 

The most popular products Richmond families choose for their newborn photos

Photo books and albums are perfect for sharing the images from your newborn session. I like to take a storytelling approach to my sessions, so I capture a mix of wide angle shots, portraits, detail images, and candid interactions. When you put all of those together in an album, you see how the whole story unfolds. 

After you receive your images, I’ll work on putting together a complimentary album design, and you’ll receive it right through the online shop. Many families want to order photo books, but the process of designing them feels completely overwhelming. That’s why I put together a design that showcases your images in an artful, storytelling way, and then you can decide whether or not to purchase it. 

I also find that many families like to get medium-sized prints for hanging up around the house or gifting to grandparents. 

Your online shop will be full of prints and products that are all of exceptional quality, so definitely browse through to get inspiration for what you may want to order and gift!

Those Fleeting Newborn Moments

Those newborn days can feel long and exhausting in the moment, but they are truly so fleeting. Before you know it, baby will be sitting up, babbling, crawling, and walking all over the place. You’ll look back and wonder how they were ever so tiny and snuggly. 

There’s a brief window of time to capture the freshness of a new babe, so don’t miss the opportunity to capture their magical introduction to your family. 

I have been doing this work for quite a while, so I have lots of valuable experience to offer! And it’s a joy for me to make the process feel as stress-free, flexible, and easy as possible.

If you’re expecting this year, now is the time to reach out and start planning you newborn session! I’d love to connect with you and capture the ordinary magic of your growing family.