April - Newborn Studio Session

I was so excited when my favorite sister-in-law, Mariah, recommended my photography services to her friend, Tara. Tara was third trimester pregnant with her first baby and was looking for a newborn photographer for baby girl. We set up a zoom session to go over Tara and Josh's vision and likes/dislikes and I knew immediately why Tara and Mariah were friends! Tara was the biggest sweetheart and had the best ideas.

Take a peek at what we came up with for Baby April.

My current obsession is bonnets with ears for babies. I just love them. There's nothing cuter than the chubby cheeks, full lips, and little bear ears on a newborn.

I like to start out sessions doing what I call Mugshots. I place baby on the posing table against a white fabric backdrop and capture them wiggling and some of those close-up shots. April did not do much wiggling at all. Homegirl was tired. But look at how sweet she is with her rollercoaster arms raised above her head just snoozing away as the camera clicked above her. I especially love the detail shots of her hand and toes. She will never be this tiny again. Oftentimes, we overlook those details, but your photographer will try and capture those tiny moments too.

April looks like one of those super realistic Reborn dolls here, but I promise you, she is a real baby! I swaddled her up using the Newborn Nerds Fat Suit and Potato Belt for this Potato Pose. This is a bit trickier pose, so I had April's dad, Josh, spot her from behind. It worked out really well. Again, those little ears on the bonnet are the cutest ever!

This sweet girl just kept snoozing away, pausing every once and awhile for some milk. I learned right away that Josh doesn't love hair bows! As a Boy Mom, I was beside myself! Who doesn't love a girly bow every once and awhile!? We always tried with a bow on then removed it to appease Dad.

This is one of my favorite images of April. Tara and I immediately loved the yellow with the little sleeping cap and all the yellow flowers. April was not interested in having her head positioned differently in this basket though. She knew how she wanted to sleep, and she fidgeted anytime I tried to reposition her. We rolled with it, and I snapped the shot that she allowed me to take. I still call it a win!

I loved the family shots that we captured of this cute little family. The ones where Tara is holding her baby girl by her face is my absolute favorite. What a gorgeous family!

And you guys know me, you know I'm a sucker for black and white. And the black clothing on the black background makes for a very striking image.

April was the chillest baby I have had in my studio, so we were able to get through a lot of different sets. Parents did request that we use the bear blanket that her grandma made. Of course, April didn't seem to mind another set!

I love using those special blankets to 'tuck baby in.' This blanket had bears on one side and a solid pink on the other side. I just folded it up over Baby April and she continued sleeping with her roller coaster arms up. I've touched base with Tara a bit since April's session and she reports that April is still a good sleeper and eater! I have loved following along on Instagram and seeing the weekly updates on Baby April. I hope to see them again for April's six month and 1 year cake smash sessions!