What is the Simply Baby Collection?
The Simply Baby Collection is a series of 3 portrait sessions aimed at capturing the highlights of your baby’s first year of life. These sessions typically include:
- Maternity Photos
- Newborn Shoot
- Lifestyle Family Session/1 Year Portraits
*** Any one of these sessions can be swapped out for another baby related highlight (ie: baby shower, baptism, 3 or 6 month old photo session, etc.)
About Maternity Sessions:
WHEN: Sessions take place when the mommy is 7-8 months into her pregnancy
WHERE: an indoor/outdoor location of your choice – all sessions will be shot using natural light (studio sessions are not available) – we will brainstorm with you to come up with a location that makes sense and will aid in telling your pregnancy story
WHO: Maternity sessions do not have to be JUST about the mommy-to-be! It’s about who you are as a family. We like to include the daddy-to-be whenever possible and you will have the option to include other family members if you so desire (ie: other children, pets, etc.)
WHAT TO WEAR: Bring several changes of clothing all of which should be relatively tight-fitting around the belly. A variety of colors and style (ie: dress, pants, etc.) will give your images more variety. If you want to have any shots where your belly is bare, select at least one top that can be unbuttoned or pulled up to reveal your tummy. If other members of the family are going to be included in the photos, we DO NOT require that you wear matching clothing, but we do suggest that you all dress with the same level of formality in mind and try to wear colors that are complimentary. A parent in a suit and child in jeans and a t-shirt may look a little funny :-) Please avoid tops that have a really strong pattern that would draw a lot of attention away from your face. No matter what you choose, we do recommend that you choose something you’d be ok sitting or laying on the ground in for a short period of time.
About Newborn Sessions:
WHEN: Sessions MUST take place within 7 days of birth – if they are older the style of your images will not reflect a “newborn” look. The bigger and more active they get, the harder it will be to capture the “womb” like softness that is preferred for this type of session.
WHERE: All newborn sessions will be done in your home to ensure that you and your baby are as comfortable as possible and have access to whatever may be needed.
WHO: The focus is primarily on the baby, but we do shoot some poses with the parents as well. Unless you request otherwise, parents should plan to be dressed and ready for photos.
WHAT TO WEAR: Choose 2-3 of your favorite outfits to have on hand for your baby. Unless you request otherwise, we start out by taking nude photos of the baby on a black backdrop. These shots mimic their state in the womb and showcase their tiny size and fragility. We will pose them curled up to hide all private areas. Hats, bows, headbands or other items to put on their head are especially encouraged for these shots and help to give the images personality.
OTHER TIPS – A few things to keep in mind as you prepare for the session:
- Keep the house warm – at least 80 degrees – this will keep baby comfy and sleepy, especially during the nude shots.
- Baby will need to nurse/eat just before we arrive for the session. A “Milk Comma” makes it much easier for us to pose and move the baby without disturbing them too much.
- Most of the baby focused shots will be taken on a beanbag which we will provide. We will also bring a soft black blanket to drape over it, but it does help if you have a few of your own favorite blankets with unique colors or patterns that we can also use to add variety and provide other backdrops.
- Relax and be patient. Some babies are fussier than others and it may take a little extra time or even an extra feeding to help them be calm. Don’t stress or get frustrated if your baby happens to be a bit grumpy or uncooperative at first. We completely understand and are willing to be as patient as needed to document them at this tender age.
About Lifestyle Family Sessions (1 Year Portraits):
WHEN: Around your baby’s one-year birthday
WHERE: an indoor/outdoor location of your choice – all sessions will be shot using natural light (studio sessions are not available) – we will brainstorm with you to come up with a location that makes sense and will work well for you and your little one.
WHO: Parents, baby, other children, etc.
WHAT IS A LIFESTYLE SESSION? Lifestyle photography is focused on creating artistic photos from real life situations. For instance; when you take your child to a traditional studio they will be put in front of a backdrop with props and asked to pose, creating a “portrait”. A lifestyle session with us may include meeting you and your child at the park to capture them playing and interacting with you and their environment. On a lifestyle shoot we will make some suggestions for ways to interact or situations to recreate, but the goal is to capture actual moments as they happen.
WHAT TO WEAR: Wear something that reflects YOUR personality and style! For family sessions, we DO NOT require that you wear matching clothing, but we do suggest that you all dress with the same level of formality in mind. A parent in a suit and child in jeans and a t-shirt may look a little funny :-) Our only real preference is that you avoid tops that have a really strong pattern that would draw a lot of attention away from your face. Your clothing choice is entirely up to you, but we recommend that no matter what you choose it should to be something you’d be ok sitting on the ground in for a short period of time.
OTHER TIPS – What to except during your session:
- You probably won’t get a lot of “posed” shots where everyone is looking at the camera. As you know, a 1 year old has a pretty short attention span and may not cooperate for very many formal photos. Don’t worry about it or get frustrated – we will do the best we can to snag one of two snapshots of this nature, but it will all depend on your child.
- We will probably spend most of the session letting your child play and asking you to interact with them as you would on a normal day. This will produce the most natural shots and allow us to capture his/her personality.
Can we include our pet in our portrait session?
Yes! We are open to including pets during maternity or lifestyle family sessions, but as they are a bit unpredictable we ask that a family member or friend that will NOT be included in the photos come along to help look after them. We suggest that we include the pet during the first 15 minutes to half an hour of the session and then the family member or friend can keep watch over them so we can spend the rest of the time focused on the main subjects without any distractions.
