What Happens From Booking to Gallery Delivery
A Simple, Relaxed Newborn Photography Experience From Beginning to End
One of the questions expecting parents often have is:
“What happens after I book?”
Having a baby comes with enough unknowns. Your newborn photography experience shouldn’t be one of them.
I want you to know what to expect from the moment you reserve your session until you receive your finished photographs.
My goal is to make the entire process easy, relaxed, and personal so you get to focus on what matters most, your new baby.
Here is what the experience looks like.
Reserving Your Due Date
One of the first questions parents ask is:
“What date should we book?”
The answer is, we usually don’t.
Babies have a wonderful way of arriving on their own schedule, so I reserve your due date rather than scheduling your newborn session before your baby is born.
The exception is a scheduled C-section. If you already have a scheduled delivery date, we have a little more information to work with when planning your session.
Because babies arrive early, late, and everywhere in between, I only prebook a limited number of newborns each month. This gives me enough flexibility in my calendar when those babies decide to arrive.
If my schedule has room, I’m happy to accommodate last-minute newborn sessions. Availability isn’t always guaranteed, though.
For the best availability, I recommend booking during your second trimester.
To reserve your place on my calendar, I collect a $200 session fee. This is applied toward the cost of your newborn session.
Once your due date is reserved, there’s nothing else you need to schedule until your baby arrives.
Baby Is Here!
This is one of my favorite messages to receive.
Once your little one arrives, send me a quick text from the hospital.
I love hearing your happy news!
Please share your baby’s name, birthday, birth weight, and a quick update on how everyone is doing.
Now we know when your baby decided to make an appearance, and we’ll choose the actual date for your newborn session.
I typically love photographing newborns around 8 to 10 days after birth. During these early days, babies often still have those wonderfully sleepy expressions, curled-up little legs, and tiny newborn details.
Of course, every birth and recovery is different.
We’ll choose a day that works for you and your baby.
Planning a Session That Feels Like Your Family
A few days before your session, I’ll send you a contract and my newborn session questionnaire.
The questionnaire helps me learn what you love before I start packing for your session.
You’ll tell me about your favorite colors, your family, any special requests, and meaningful items you would like incorporated.
I also encourage you to browse my Instagram and portfolio and text me screenshots of images or props you love.
Maybe you love soft neutrals.
Maybe you’re drawn to pinks, blues, sage greens, or florals.
Maybe there’s a particular basket, bonnet, wrap, or setup you’ve seen in my work.
This gives me a wonderful starting point when choosing what to bring to your home.
Your session should feel personal to you.
Bringing a Little Family History Into Your Photographs
If you have something meaningful to your family, please have it ready for me.
I absolutely love incorporating family heirlooms and personal items into newborn portraits.
Over the years, I’ve photographed an 80-year-old teddy bear, a Bible dating back to the 1700s, five Stanley Cup rings belonging to a grandfather, military dog tags, stethoscopes belonging to parent doctors, a handmade quilt from a great grandmother, a firefighter helmet, a police uniform, Army shoes, …
These aren’t simply props.
They’re part of your family’s history.
After all, these are family photographs that I hope will be handed down for years to come.
Adding something meaningful makes them even more personal.
Getting Ready on the Morning of Your Session
I want your morning to feel as easy and relaxed as possible.
You don’t need to remember a long list of instructions. I’ll send you a detailed preparation guide before your session.
One of the most important things happens after I arrive.
If possible, feed your baby while I set up my mobile studio.
Setting everything up usually takes about 30 minutes, giving your little one time to enjoy a full feeding and hopefully become nice and “milk drunk” before we begin.
It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it’s a wonderful way to start the session.
And don’t worry, packing everything up at the end is much quicker!
I also recommend dressing your baby in a loose-fitting zipper or magnetic sleeper. We want to make undressing as easy as possible without pulling clothing over your baby’s head and waking them.
Please have a pacifier available too, even if your baby doesn’t normally use one. Sometimes it gives us exactly the little bit of soothing we need while moving from one pose to another.
If you’re breastfeeding, having a bottle of expressed milk available is helpful when possible.
I also prefer the house a little warmer than usual. As long as the A/C is not blasting on baby, we should be ok/. Babies are much happier when they’re warm, especially when they’re lightly wrapped or being photographed without clothing.
I Bring the Studio to You
When I say in-home newborn photography, I don’t mean that I arrive with only a camera and photograph your baby on the couch.
I bring my professional newborn studio with me.
My lighting.
Posing table.
Backdrops.
Wraps.
Blankets.
Props.
Bonnets and headbands.
A space heater.
White noise.
And quite a few other things I’ve learned are helpful after more than a decade of photographing newborns.
When I arrive, we’ll walk through your home and choose the best place to set everything up.
I love having enough open floor space for my posing table, backdrop, and lighting equipment. Higher ceilings are a bonus because they give me more flexibility with my light.
Something that surprises many parents is that I actually prefer darker rooms., with shades closed, or curtains pulled.
I bring my own professional studio lighting, so I don’t need beautiful natural window light to create the soft look you see in my portfolio.
If you have a two-story home, downstairs is usually easier because I bring quite a bit of equipment.
If the best space is upstairs, though, I’ll make it work.
Please Don’t Clean for Me
If I had a dollar for every mom who apologized for her house when I arrived, I might be retired by now… just kidding, but what I truly mean is “please don’t clean for me”
You just had a baby.
There might be laundry on the couch.
Bottles on the counter.
Dishes in the sink.
Baby gifts you haven’t put away.
Burp cloths everywhere.
That’s life with a newborn.
I’m not coming to inspect your home.
I’m coming to meet your baby.
Please don’t spend the night before your session trying to make your house impeccable for me.
Rest.
Cuddle your baby.
Have some coffee.
I’ll find the space I need and take it from there.
If you have animals, I do ask for you to keep them in a different room (unless they are part of the session for a few pictures). Sometimes, a barking dog can wake the baby. Unfortunately, I also have slight allergies to cats, certain dogs, birds, and guinea pigs… if I know ahead of time though, I will bring some allergy medicine with me.
Then the Fun Begins
Once my studio is set up and your baby has a nice full tummy, we begin photographing.
Everything happens at your baby’s pace.
If your little one needs to eat, we feed.
If baby needs cuddles, we cuddle.
If we need a diaper change, we take a break.
If your baby doesn’t like a particular pose, we move on.
Nothing is worth upsetting your baby simply because I had a particular photograph planned.
Most visits take around two to four hours, including setting everything up and packing it away afterward.
That doesn’t mean you’ll spend several hours posing for photographs.
For much of the session, you get to relax.
Moms tend to stay a little closer, especially when breastfeeding.
Dads often love the flexibility of being at home. Some watch the entire session. Others catch up on work, watch a sports game, help with toddlers, or take care of things around the house.
I’ve even had dads go golfing after we finished the family photographs while I continued photographing their newest little family member.
Older siblings get to enjoy being home too.
They can play with their toys, grab a snack, watch something, or go back to their normal routine until I need them.
No one needs to sit quietly in a photography studio for hours.
It’s one of the reasons I love in-home newborn sessions so much.
After Your Session, I Prepare Your Proof Gallery
Once your session is finished, my work continues behind the scenes.
I carefully review the photographs we created and prepare your private online proof gallery.
Your proof gallery is typically ready in about one week.
You’ll see multiple photographs from each setup. This gives you the freedom to compare those tiny differences in expressions and poses and decide which images mean the most to you.
The images in your proof gallery receive a light edit and crop, but most have not yet received my complete hand editing.
For each setup, I typically include one fully hand-edited photograph.
This lets you see exactly what the finished photographs from that setup will look like.
For example, you might see several photographs of your baby in the same basket or on the same backdrop. One will show you my completed editing, while the others remain proof edited until you make your selections.
I do this because I want you to choose your own favorite photographs.
I might love one tiny expression.
You might look at another and immediately think, “That is so him.”
You know your baby best.
You Choose the Photographs You Love
Once you receive your proof gallery, you’ll choose the photographs included in your collection.
Take your time.
Look at the different expressions.
Compare similar images.
Look at the way your baby’s fingers curl.
Look at your toddler’s expression while holding their new sibling.
Look at the way your husband is looking at your baby.
Sometimes the photograph that means the most isn’t the one you expected to choose.
Once you send me your selections, I begin the final editing.
Your Selected Images Receive Their Final Hand Editing
Every photograph you select receives my complete hand editing.
This is different from the lighter proof editing you saw in your selection gallery.
I carefully work through each chosen photograph and complete the detailed retouching and finishing touches that create the soft, polished, timeless style you see throughout my portfolio.
Final editing typically takes about one additional week after I receive your selections.
I don’t rush this part.
These photographs will remain long after your baby has outgrown the newborn stage.
I want every finished image to receive the attention it deserves.
Your Finished Gallery
And then comes the best part.
Your finished photographs are ready.
You’ll receive your fully edited images through your private online gallery, ready to download, share, print, and enjoy.
You’ll also have the opportunity to preserve your favorite photographs beyond the digital gallery.
Many families choose a custom heirloom album filled with their favorite images. Others choose artwork they’ll see on their walls every day.
I love digital photographs, but there is something special about holding an album years later and showing your child how tiny they once were. I offer products too.
These photographs become more valuable as the years pass.
From Booking to Beautiful Memories
From the moment you reserve your due date until your finished gallery arrives, I want you to feel taken care of.
You already have enough to think about when welcoming a new baby.
Your newborn photography experience should feel calm, personal, and enjoyable.
Years from now, I hope your photographs remind you of more than what your baby looked like.
I hope you remember how tiny they felt in your arms.
Those sleepy little expressions.
Their curled-up legs.
The way their fingers wrapped around yours.
And how it felt to bring this little person into your family.
Because eventually these won’t simply be newborn photographs.
They’ll become part of your family’s story.
Thinking about an in-home newborn session? I’d love to help you create timeless portraits in the comfort of your own home. If you’re expecting a baby in Jupiter, Palm Beach County, Martin County, or the surrounding areas, I’d be honored to tell your family’s story.
