Newborn Love | Alpharetta GA Newborn Photographer

With the holidays over, I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on posting. (That, and doing a major clean-out of closets, kitchenware and clothes at home.) So, it's fun to take a break and show off some of my favorites from a recent shoot. 

Look at this darling little guy! He was just a week old at the time of this in-home session. The first photo is what I call a "miracle pose," really a tough one to set up unless you have a very sleepy baby and cooperative arms and head. I love the blanket he's on -- made by his grandma and a great personal touch. I love using props that have an actual meaning for my clients. 

Lately, I've been asking my clients how their session experience compared to what they expected. Here are some tips from this session:

• Expect it to take a while. Newborns are on their own schedule, and with eating, changing, and diaper breaks, a typical newborn session can take around 2 hours.
• Posing newborns takes time and patience. I think we worked for about 25 minutes to get that "miracle baby" shot. 
• You will get wet (and sometimes worse). With those darling "nakey baby" pictures, there's always the risk of "accidents." No worries, just make sure to wear something washable. This little guy's mom said that the worst came out with soaking in OxyClean. Good to know!
• You will be tired at the end, so plan on an easy schedule the rest of the day. And if I have time, I am happy to watch your little one while you take a shower and change at the end of our session. I love babies!

Oh, baby! | Alpharetta GA Baby Photographer

I'm lovin' the babies I've been able to shoot lately at home. (Yes, these shots were taken in the family's home with the backdrops and lights I bring to my baby shoots.) Originally, we had planned to do the session a week after this little guy had been born, but sickness and client plans delayed us. So, it turned into a one-month-old shoot instead. I think that is my new favorite age! Look at the variety of expressions we got. LOVE them.

One Week Old | Alpharetta Newborn Photographer

Whew! I have done SOOO much today . . . (with the help of an awesome hubby who took care of my sick little guy and ran errands for me while I worked). On days like these, I'm full of energy and ideas. Here's what I did:

• Shot newborn session
• Packaged client orders
• Did laundry
• Delivered client orders (I felt like Santa Claus!)
• Researched brand packaging
• Went Grocery shopping
• Worked on dishes
• Finished editing and designing our family's Christmas card
• Ordered Christmas cards
• Thought it would be nice to have BFP-branded thank you cards
• Designed thank you cards
• Ordered thank you cards
• Decided to reward myself by editing one portrait from today's session
• Edited cutie below
• Oh, and wrote this blog post

Now I think I'm sleepy enough to go to bed. Good night!

One Week Old | Alpharetta GA Newborn Photographer and Photography Teacher

I love teaching photography, especially when my mentee has a brand-new baby to model for us. Look at this sweetheart! Monique wanted to practice her in-camera shooting techniques while posing her girls and the baby. We set up a simple "studio" at her home using a bed, this cool stretchy blanket from Ikea, window light, and an external flash.

The baby remained quite content in the non-air-conditioned room while we sweated and worked. (Babies don't like it cold!) She was pretty cooperative and though we had relatively short amount of time, we got some great shots.We lucked out with the white blanket too! Baby stayed dry and unsoiled until the minute mom put a diaper on her. Talk about great timing!

Here are some of Monique's shots, absolutely gorgeous! Head on over to Monique's Day in the Life blog for more about her family and photography.

Too Cute: Newborn Portrait Session

I know; he's too cute for words, and mom and dad are going to have a hard time picking which images they want on their CD. I would! We did this little session in the living room with an awesome white background my client owns. (She is also a photo enthusiast and blogger.) The black background is a new trick of mine: black flannel blankets. They absorb the light and go totally black with a little tweaking in Photoshop. What I'm really pleased about from this shoot is the catchlights in the little one's eyes. I am also really glad we got a chance to do photos of him in his blessing outfit. Babies grow so fast, and if you wait too long, the opportunity to catch them in that favorite little outfit or wearing that darling expression is gone. I'm glad we didn't wait!