Newborn photos are truly special. It’s such a cliche, but that time goes by SO fast, and once they get bigger you can hardly believe they were ever that small. A newborn photo shoot is a great baby shower gift, or great as a gift to yourself (after all that work you deserve a gift, don’t you?). I got a chance to chat with Linda Peluso about newborn photo shoots, what makes them unique, what to expect, and when is the best time to get them done. To find out more about Linda and Blue Iris Photography visit her site here, and come visit her (and me!) at the Saratoga Count Kids Expo tomorrow at the Wilton Mall!
Why are newborn photo shoots so special for you as a photographer?: The highlight of my photography profession is having the great honor of taking the first (professional) photographs of an extremely precious new born life. I have always been passionate about babies and have worked with them all of my life (starting to babysit for infants at the ripe age of 12, if you can believe families actually hired me at that age..and they did!). Even now, I am a photographer and PT professional Nanny, specializing in newborn care. I believe caring for a newborn or capturing a new life in a gorgeous fine art portraiture, is the most important work I do.
When is the best time to photograph a newborn, and when should an expecting mom schedule her shoot? A parent should not wait til their baby is born to schedule a newborn shoot. While pregnant they should definitely book their session, letting me know their approximate due date. Then they should call as soon as their baby is born to set up a day and time to photograph their precious new boy or girl, during the first 10 days. There is a very brief time span in which to capture that fragile, innocent newborn life, at it’s best. That is is during the first 10-12 days of life. After two weeks, babies do not sleep as soundly, they aren’t quite as moldable and they usually develop baby acne.
I feel that most babies photograph better in the morning and tend to be fussier in the late afternoon/evening. I spend several hours with newborns and like to photograph them both sleeping and awake. The sleeping poses are so cute, but everyone wants to see their eyes open, too! Oftentimes, just after a new baby falls asleep is when they drift off to lala land and give you that little smile, which is so precious! I’ll have my camera trained on them waiting, a little stroke of the cheek will often illicit it.
Quite often young babies are fussy and have a good sense as to what they need: to nurse, to walk around, to be patted next to a heartbeat sound machine, etc. I am always very positive, calm and reassuring. Parents and babies alike feel very comfortable with me, especially first time parents who are new to newborns.
I know from experience that it does take time to capture a newborn at it’s best and am never in a rush during the session. The end results are always worth the necessary time and patience involved. I believe I love and treasure my best newborn photos from each session as much as the parents do. It is so rewarding to know that a family will cherish these same photographs for a lifetime…and then some.
Saratoga Springs Edition 