Provo Newborn Photographer (FAQ)

I love it when clients contact me in their second (or even early third) trimester. It’s a great time to schedule as my calendar is usually more open, giving you more options to choose from. Some moms are worried about scheduling so far in advance, but I keep dates open on my calendar for babies we need to reschedule. Once you’re on my calendar, you are my priority.

Of course I frequently get calls from moms who have forgotten to schedule in all the last minute pregnancy planning. If that’s you, don’t let it stop you from trying to schedule. I do have random last minute openings when babies are rescheduled and can sometimes work you in.

Newborn sessions typically last between 1 hour (for a Petite Session) and 2 1/2 hours (for a Full Session). Petite Sessions are able to move much faster because we keep baby wrapped and for most of the session baby is held by mom or dad. Full sessions include more setups with baby, and frequently we will take a break mid-session for a feeding. Feeding, changing and soothing baby takes time. It’s completely expected, and we plan for it!

You don’t need to worry about bringing anything specific for baby to wear, other than a clean diaper. I have an assortment of newborn outfits you may use that have been specifically sized for these brand new babies. Depending on baby’s age we’ll use one or two outfits and then plan on using wraps for the remaining setups.

Only a few things are needed for a newborn session. Please bring a diaper, a paci (soothie), and a bottle (if baby is drinking formula). A water bottle and snack for mom is also a great idea.

I’ve taken a bunch of classes on newborn posing, and have developed a workflow that helps baby stay safe, comfortable and as sleepy as possible. I get the cute portrait angles I do with the use of special props meant to help baby stay cozy and safe during the session.

My very favorite time to do newborn sessions is when baby is between 5-18 days old, outside of that age range, anything up to about 7 weeks goes (although right around 5-6 weeks can be a little tricky). The older baby gets, more awake baby will be. This is absolutely doable, it just means that baby may be more awake for photos and will probably need to be wrapped for a greater portion (or all) of the session.

I have this great outline for choosing a photographer in general, but my main advice would be to first look around at newborn portraits and get an idea of what you’d like.

A few things to consider would be if you prefer “posed” or “lifestyle” sessions, if you prefer a certain style of portait like “light and airy” or “dark and moody”.

When you start narrowing down your newborn photographer options, look over your potential photographers websites, social media, etc to see if they are consistantly producing the kind of portraits you’re looking for. You should know exactly what you can expect when you book your session.

There is a wide range of prices for newborn portraits. A lot of the difference comes down to experience, what is included, and where the photographer is located. Cheap sessions can be as little as $200, while luxury sessions can run into the thousands. I love that there is a photographer for every price point. While I firmly believe that you get what you pay for, there are times when budgets dont allow for the absolute best and that’s ok.

While trends change over time, some things that seem to be consistantly popular are outfits, tiebacks (for girls), little lovies for baby to hold, wraps and posing blankets. Baskets are a staple in every session. I also really like including some layering with different textures (blankets, scarves, etc). Florals are fun, and recently greenery has been very on trend.

My schedule is typically full about 6-8 weeks out. While that IS the case, I frequently have rescheduling as babies come on their own timetable, so if you need something sooner than that, please still reach out as I may have an opening come up.

It’s incredible how fast these little babies grow and change. It’s one of those moments in time that you don’t get back, and you’ll want to remember forever. It’s also one of the moments in time that your kids will cherish the most. My own kids LOVE looking at their own newborn (or tiny baby) portraits.

Newborn portraits are timeless, in that while we switch out our family portraits and school photos every year or two, we love keeping a wall of each of our kids newborn photos. We have it in our own home, and I’ve seen baby portraits hanging on the walls of so many of our family and friends homes.

You’ll want them to remember your baby as tiny as they are now (or will be soon), you’ll want to show your kids as they grow- to display in slideshows for graduation and weddings, to compare to your future grandkids and talk about how your new grandbaby is the spitting image of their parent.

I will just adapt my posing and workflow and we 99% of the time we can work it out. The majority of babies really love being wrapped, and so if baby is fussy I’ll usually proceed to my wrapped setups and baby settles right down. I build time into the session so we can try things like feeding and bouncing, and most of the time we can still get a full gallery.

In the very rare instance that baby can’t be soothed, we can reschedule for a few days later. In my experience this is pretty much always a feeding issue, whether baby isn’t getting quite enough food yet or has a food sensitivity that needs to be worked out. A few days can make a big difference in these cases.