Brand New Baby - Fresh 48 Hospital Photos
Four years ago I started working as a Fresh 48 photographer for a large national company. I loved my time photographing sweet brand new babies in the hospital and chatting with parents about their journey into parenthood. Three and a half years ago, I met one family during that encounter and we became friends.
Brett and Kelcee and wedding photographers and own KB Images, LLC. When I found out they were photographers, I assumed they would handle their own Fresh 48 photos, but the opposite happened. They accepted the photos and we soon followed each other on social media. Since then, we have referred clients to one another and have a friendly and professional relationship.
When Kelcee found out she was expecting, she immediately reached out to me and asked if I would be able to take Fresh 48 photos for their second daughter. I ensured her that I would definitely be there to take the photos, either through the national company or my own business. My tenue with the company ended at the beginning of the summer, so I was able to go into the hospital under my own brand and photographed this sweet family of four.
I have always loved the storytelling images of Fresh 48 photos. I love the in-between moments. The photos that aren't posed, but are real and authentic to the moment. One of my favorite images I have ever captured was a new grandma braiding her daughter's hair, while her daughter looked over at her own sleeping newborn. It was a very powerful image. Mothering never stops even when your baby has a baby.
With three-and-a-half-year-old, Ashton present, there were lots of opportunities for candid moments. She was adjusting to her role as big sister while being in a strange place. It's hard to perform under those circumstances, and I certainly didn't expect her to. Having photographed so many of these sessions, I do not push kiddos past their limits. My goal is to get in and out quickly and play with the older kiddo until they feel comfortable with the pose or prompt I suggest. If it doesn't work, I pivot yet again.
I always like to start Fresh 48 sessions with baby swaddled in the bassinet. This is their opportunity for solo shots. Lots of different angles of their facial features. I try to get a good variety of vertical and horizontal shots, because I don't know how parents plan on using the images. Each social media platform has their own preferred size. Instagram needs a square crop and TikTok needs vertical. Yet parents may choose to print the photos for the wall or baby book or even make birth announcements to mail out to family members. Dakota had the most gorgeous natural highlights in her hair, and I knew I wanted to showcase that in some of the images. Parents had brought along a matching headband and swaddle for her.
As the session progressed, we did some additional shots to show off hands and feet, as well as my swaddling techniques. I encouraged Ashton to jump in some frames and lay beside her baby sister, but she was more interested in the flowers that Brett had picked up before the session than posing for the photos. The flowers were gorgeous, so I do understand. Parents wanted to make sure I caught a tummy pose of Dakota, since I had photographed Ashton on her tummy all those years ago. Sweet Dakota was smaller than big sister as a baby though, and did not like being uncovered, so I opted to keep her blanket over her during this process.
I was even able to snap a few photos during the outfit change and Ashton being a ham with her flowers! Again, it's the little moments in between that I think make a Fresh 48 session so memorable and special.
I like to end the session with the newborn in parents' arms. I typically start with Dad holding baby and end with Mom. I've found this to be the best option, because sometimes when a newborn smells their mom, they are ready to eat. Then the session is over or a least paused for a feeding. You can tell that there were a lot of opportunities for family photos based on Ashton's level of involvement. One of the major things that I like about Fresh 48 sessions is that parents don't need to go anywhere. They don't need to bring anything special to the hospital that they weren't already planning on bringing. Fresh 48 sessions can be a bit tricky to arrange, but luckily, if I am not available for a session, I have a small group of trusted photographers that I could refer the session to. Want to find out more about Fresh 48 photos or newborn photos? You can schedule a video chat with me to discuss your session in more detail.
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