Newborn Portraits

What do you think of when you hear the word portrait?

Why newborn portraits are so important!

When you hear the word "portrait", do you think about a senior picture, or maybe a painting of someone famous in history like Napoleon or Queen Elizabeth.

The definition of portrait is "a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders". When we are talking more in a photography sense there is much more to it than something that simple.

Portrait when it comes to photography, or portraiture as it is called, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.

Now that sounds more like it! Way more fun than "depicting only the face or head and shoulder" explanation.

In the above portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Mona Lisa, Queen Elizabeth and Salvatore Dali, they all show a personality. That is what I do, with your newborn portraits!

Even babies have personalities. I want those very personalities to show in their newborn portraits. This is a moment in theirs and yours that you will never get back so capturing it is so important! Before you know it, the little one will be a year old!

Within fourteen days of your baby being born, your baby is a newborn. FOURTEEN days ONLY! Newborn portraits are capturing your precious baby before they grow up.

While I have mom and dad as assistants when photographing a newborn, sometimes it is really great knowing that I have the right equipment and materials to help make the newborn feel comfortable and happy. I always tell my clients while I am setting up backdrops and lighting in the house to feed your baby. This way they will be happy and milk drunk and more likely to sleep and not be bothered by us moving and posing them.

I remember the first time I did a newborn session on my own, I had not learned some of the amazing tricks I know now like the one mention a moment ago.

When I arrived at the home, Mom said "baby just had a bath and is ready and full of smiles"! Being a first time mom herself, she was not really thinking about it either, she said later when we talked about it when her second son was born. As she was a friend, her and I laughed about it when looking at the photos together an seeing her baby boy bright eyed and ready for the camera. Even though there were only a few of him sleeping, the portraits of him with his eyes open and his gummy smile just warmed your heart. He was one week old when I took his portraits.

A more recent newborn session I did was for a couple who had their baby boy in the beginning of February when it was cold as all get out here in Michigan. He was the complete opposite after his bath. When his mom said he had just taken a bath, I replied with an "Oh that is great! He should have a bottle", thinking he would be wide awake, well I was wrong. He was already out in his moms arms, he did not even need the bottle. He snoozed through his whole session and his mom and I are best friends now!

I want to thank you for taking time to read my blog. Since this is a first for me, I am really excited to share with you things I am working on and stories of my life as a photographer in the newborn and baby portrait world.