YOUR MATERNITY SESSION:

Your clothing selections and preparation for your fine art portraits can make or break a beautiful image. To help you select the best clothing style, colors, and patterns, I've put together some helpful guidelines that I have found work best for beautiful portraits. Also included here are helpful suggestions that will help ensure your preparations make for an enjoyable experience.

Your Preparation:

Maternity sessions are all about capturing your beauty during your pregnancy, and the miracle of the baby growing inside you. It's critical that you are relaxed and comfortable during your session. So make this day about you. Be sure to schedule yourself a very light day. Eliminate distractions, and pamper yourself. Manicures and pedicures, whether done professionally or at home, will not only help you get a little of that pampering, but they will also be important because proper grooming will be necessary for the portraits. Hands and feet do show up in some of the images.

A few hours prior to your session, please remove anything that may cause lines on your body such as socks, maternity pants, jewelry, undergarments, and belly supports. Wearing loose-fitting clothing prior to the session is best.

Only those being photographed should be present. If you would like your children to be included in some of the photos, childcare is a must for the remainder of the session.

Clothing:

I usually recommend some clothing basics for your session: yoga pants, tank tops, camisoles, and jeans. Jeans with panels are not recommended, but jeans that sit below the belly, and jeans from before your pregnancy will work even if they can't be zipped up. As long as they can fit up over the hips, they'll work. Clothing that shows your growing belly work well, such as shrugs that we can tie above the belly. I also recommend that if you have a maternity outfit you really love, have that prepared too. It might be great for your portraits. Please make sure all clothing is either ironed or steamed. Wrinkles do show up in photographs.

Beyond the basic clothing items, we will provide fabrics to create pregnancy wraps if you choose.

YOUR NEWBORN SESSION:

Newborn portraits are different than any other portraits your new baby will ever have. Photographing in the first two weeks of life allows me to capture your baby's newness. You will treasure these memories of just how little your baby was. The peach fuzz. The squishy folds. The sleepy face. And yes, the first cries, too! Your newborn session is scheduled in advance, based on your due date. Once you're in my schedule for a newborn session, it's a floating appointment. The final date and time is set once you've had the baby. My clients have found it best to call before they leave the hospital, while they still have a little time to themselves. This way, the newborn session doesn't get put off until the baby is a month or two, because by then, the babies have changed so much it's no longer possible to capture how they were when they were brand new. Most likely you'll find that you want many sessions of your baby throughout that first year, which is normal because every month brings so many big changes.

Preparing Yourself:

Taking care of yourself can be difficult when a new baby arrives, so don't be shy to accept help from friends and family so that you can get yourself ready for your session. If possible, even details like grooming your hands are a good idea before your session, as your hands will play a big part in newborn portraits. And don't forget that this is important for the father of the baby too, if he will be participating in the session. Not necessarily a manicure, but clean hands, and lotion applied to any dry skin. Feet are also fun to incorporate into the portraits, because it's amazing how small a newborn's feet are to ours. Makeup should be applied the way you normally wear it.

At least an hour before I arrive, please remove any clothing from your baby that may cause lines in the skin: such as socks, outfits with elastic, etc. If you would like some "madonna" type portraits without clothing, holding your baby against you, keep your own skin free of lines too. Wearing a loose-fitting nightgown or robe prior to the session is best.

Preparing your baby:

If your baby is sleeping when I arrive, that's wonderful. Please do not try to wake your baby up. Sleeping is the best way to photograph babies at this age as their eyes are not yet focusing, their eyes get crossed when open, and they cannot hold their head up and make expressions yet. Don't worry...the babies do wake up during the session, and I keep photographing during that part too.

Clothing is not something I recommend for your newborn's portrait debut. The baby's birthday suit is best because we're trying to capture that new baby, and all the fuzzy, squishy folds that your baby is going to grow out of in just a few weeks. If you have an outfit you want the baby photographed in, please limit the clothing selection to one outfit, as clothing changes tend to upset them.

For the session, some great things to have ready are: a favorite blanket, baby wipes, several extra diapers, a binky if your baby uses one, and some cloth diapers or burp rags.

Preparing your home:

Please adjust your thermostat to 75 degrees before I arrive. I know that's warm, but when removing blankets and clothing from babies, they will get fussy if it's not warm in the room. You can turn it back down when we're finished.

Only those being photographed should be present, with the exception of a helper if you'd like. If you would like your children to be included in some of the photos, childcare is a must for the remainder of the session.

Clothing:

I often use mom or dad as a background to hold baby, and for this, I'll need you both to be wearing a black top. Also have ready some light, airy clothing for some images with a softer feel. For moms, I especially suggest cotton knit camisoles, and long or short sleeve black knit tops. Jeans, or other comfortable pants or skirts are fine. For dads, I suggest they do NOT wear button down shirts. The best type of black top they can wear is a long or short-sleeved knit, without too much bagginess in the sleeve. They should also have ready a white t-shirt (with no logos or writing) or undershirt. Please make sure all clothing is either ironed or steamed. Wrinkles do show up in photographs.

Beyond the basic clothing items, we will provide fabrics to drape over you for those images where we need your clothing to disappear from the image.

YOUR FAMILY SESSION:

Coming Soon!

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAIT SESSION:

Coming Soon!