Blue Springs, Mo Newborn Photographer: Baby G

This little guy could sleep!  Just opened his gorgeous little peepers at the end to say "hello" before it was time to say "goodbye".  :)  

Jackson...3 weeks | Blue Springs, Mo newborn photographer

When you look at newborn photos, it looks like being a newborn photographer is a really easy thing to do.  You just take a sleepy newborn and curl them up and pose them and maybe dress them up with a few cute props.  Ok, I have to admit that's just about how easy it was with little Jackson, but even when everything goes perfectly in a newborn session, a good part of it is spent making sure they are happy...and full.  The beginning of almost every session is spent feeding them and getting them into a nice, deep sleep and especially now that I am in the studio and everything is set up and ready to go beforehand, that leaves me with not much to do other than capture these little moments.  Feeding, burping, rocking...these are things that will be done hundreds of times in the next year but are seldom things you think of photographing at home.  Maybe these images won't end up in huge frames over the fireplace, but I have a feeling in 5 years or so they will be the ones that tug at the heartstrings the most.

I should also mention the studio was put to the test for this session.  We had mom, dad, baby Jackson, big brother Parker (who also did an AWESOME job in front of the camera) and a friend of the family (and fellow gym mom of mine) and of course me.  It was cozy to say the least and made me a little anxious of the furniture that is still on it's way, but overall I couldn't be happier with the studio.

Harper's newborn session...Blue Springs, Mo newborn photographer

2 week old Harper was my first client in my new studio!  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little model to test it out with.  She resisted sleeping for quite a while and in hindsight I have to say I'm glad.  Any newborn photographer will tell you the best shots are usually when they are in a deep sleep, but try telling that to Harper.  She had the most gorgeous eyes and gave me the opportunity to test out the natural light in the studio (which was awesome...no extra lighting needed!) on those beautiful little peepers.  We were able to get so many great shots while she was awake that we were about to call it quits and give up on her sleeping when she crashed...another great thing about the studio...if I had traveled to her home like I did in the past, my car would have probably been loaded up with all of the props and backdrops already but since everything was right there, we were able to get lots of precious curled up sleeping shots.  

Lovely (and lively) little Leni...Blue Springs Newborn Photographer

Usually when I am contacted to schedule a newborn, the baby is still in mommy's tummy.  So when Leni's mommy called me to schedule a newborn session and told me that her baby was already a few weeks old...I knew we needed to hurry. After the two week mark, newborns are suddenly more alert, awake and aware and this makes getting them into a deep sleep that is perfect for squishing them up and posing them in cute positions trickier.   Luckily, scheduling with newborns is usually a bit more flexible since mom is at home on maternity leave so we were able to get her scheduled quickly.  Leni wasn't all that impressed with our efforts though and decided to be awake most of the 3 hours of her session anyway.  Like I told her mom though, when you are this cute...it doesn't really  matter.  Big Sister Ellie was a great helper too!  Such pretty girls and a wonderful family.

Hadley Mae...Newborn in Odessa, Mo.

I had the pleasure of meeting Hadley Mae (isn't her name fabulous?) and her mommy on her 1 week birthday.  She was the perfect tiny client and ate while I set up the carload of props that I always bring on a newborn session and then fell asleep.  I couldn't have asked for it to go any better than that.  Hadley is one of my "Watch Me Grow" clients and I am so excited to see her every few months and see how she is changing and share her with all of you.

This little girl's headband collection put mine to shame!

...These guys were just hanging out down the road from Hadley's house and I couldn't resist pulling over and getting a shot of them.  I love it.  I had to share this here because the next session that I blog will be such a sharp contrast from this and it really makes me realize how lucky I am to live where I do and have the best of both worlds.  Beautiful countryside one direction and an awesome downtown the other.

It's a Girl!!!....Newborn in Higginsville, Mo

Finally!  I have been waiting to use these adorable headbands for a while now but so far have only had little boy newborns.  This little cutie was the PERFECT model for them though.  She never really fell into a deep sleep, but she did love my comfy bean bag and as soon as she got nestled into it she was pretty tolerant of all of the strange lady moving her around and putting things on her head.  Isn't she just lovely?

"not quite new"born in Blue Springs, Mo

Although this little guy just arrived home from the hospital a few days before this session, he came into the world a little earlier than planned and was actually several weeks old before he was able to have a newborn session.  He knew it too.  He was way too big of a boy for that silly nonsense that newborns do like sleeping and curling up in a little ball to be posed and propped up.  Despite that, he was still a great model and when your this cute, you know you are going to get some great shots.

Oh, and it has become a habit of mine to make final preparations for sessions hours or minutes before I walk out the door.  I don't know why...it just seems to be when inspiration strikes.  The morning of this session I decided this little guy needed to wear a santa stocking hat so I knitted one about an hour before the session. I think it was worth it.  :)

Baby Gabe

Just realized that my last post was also of baby Gabe...BEFORE he was born! :) He is here now and just look at that hair! I could have easily spent all day with this little sweetheart. I seriously had to pry myself away from him and remind myself that I just might not get every newborn shot I have ever imagined with one newborn. He was a trooper though and even though he wasn't sound asleep for a good portion of my time there, he put up with me like a trooper!

Something New

A lot of "somethings" actually. This was my first newborn shoot so that in itself was new to me (and so much fun!). Second, obviously, a new baby. About 10 days new to be exact! Third, a new backdrop (ok, actually I have had it for a little while, but this was the first time I used it. I think it's yummy! Why yummy? Because it reminds me of coffee and chocolate I guess. Two things I love. And lastly, a VERY new blanket. I was so excited for this shoot and had some very specific ideas in my head and one of them involved a blanket that did not exist yet so I finished knitting it seconds before walking out the door!