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!

Sweet Baby Girl | Canton GA Newborn Photographer

Shooting newborns takes a lot of time and technique, but it's definitely worth it. I LOVE how darling these images turned out. In a typical newborn session, I will spend about 2-2 1/2 hours at my client's home to capture newborn shots. That includes plenty of time for setup, baby fussiness, positioning, feeding, changing, and--oh yeah--pictures in between (grin). 

Right now, I'm building my newborn portfolio, so if you are interested in a sweet deal on photos of your little one (or if you are expecting), let me know! Through August 2012, newborn or maternity sessions start at $129!

The edited image below:

The image before editing . . . notice mom's hand holding baby's head for safety.

Teeny Tiny Baby Girl | Atlanta GA newborn photographer

Here's a sneak peek of the teeniest, tiniest, cutest little angel! She was born a month early (thankfully very healthy), and her mom wanted to capture this darling before she grew much larger. So at a week old, baby girl modeled for a shoot-and-learn lesson at her home. I especially love having mom's hands in the first shot because it shows scale so well. The second image was the mom's request--and I can't believe baby was alert and looking at the camera. Most one-week-olds don't stay awake during a shoot. And don't worry! Baby was well-guarded the whole time!

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.

Welcome Little One: Newborn Session

It's been a while since I posted. I've taken a vacation from the business to catch up with my own family photos, relax, and just enjoy time being a mom and a wife. I haven't stopped taking photos, though (just ask my relatives). A what's-been-up-with-the-Butler-family post is well overdue, but that's not today's task.

Aren't these cute!? This darling little boy was a real pleasure to photograph. We took photos of him while he was awake and alert in the morning (one of two or three times during the day) and what amazing little expressions he has! His mom just squealed with delight (girl, you really did) when she saw these photos. What fun!

A note on the announcement: Often when I create a design for a client, I include the family name or the name of the child in the design. Since this is a public blog, I often change the names of my clients to protect them and their little ones online. I had my friends on Facebook help me come up with a cute alternate name for this baby boy and used that for the design you see here. Thanks!








And one of the whole family . . .

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!

10 Days Old: Newborn Portrait Shoot

It's been such a thrill to document this little one's journey to her family, first the maternity portraits with mom and dad, and now these precious images taken just 10 days after her birth. Welcome, little one!