NEWBORN SESSION
In Home Newborn Photo Session
Newborn Baby & Props
If there is something that is special to you that you wish to have your newborn photographed with, please mention it. This is a great benefit of doing the session at home / on location. You may not want to pack everything up that you consider an idea, or you may have an idea in the middle of the session. Something special absolutely makes a unique photo and has meaning to you; however, heavy prop use can date an image. A bow on the head, baby wrapped, in a basket with fluff, all together on a hardwood floor may look cute now, but if 20 of your gallery images are all this, 10 years from now, it will look very outdated due to the overwhelming amount of items competing with your baby. It is best to focus on newborn or with parents or siblings for most of the session, and add a prop or two by request that has special meaning to you. This will allow every image to be classic and timeless and loved every time you look at it for years to come.
Jodie arrives on location with textured blankets and backdrops, lighting and camera equipment, some simple baby wraps, and a wooden bucket/box/crate in case a simple classic prop is needed for a specific setup.
She welcomes your ideas. If there is something in particular that you have that you would like to see in the images that is person to you, please let her know. She has photographed NFL player babies with their footballs, firefighters with baby inside of their helmet, and many others.
Important Note: Both images to the right are PhotoShop composites. These babies were never left alone balancing on the saddle or propped against a stuffed animal. These images are a combination of several separate images that are merged into one using PhotoShop as a tool. Safety is the most important consideration during a newborn portrait session which is why you need a newborn photographer with experience. If you are ever uncomfortable with anything that is done during a photo session with any photographer, please speak up. You as the parent should override anything that a photographer is doing if you are uncomfortable. Read more about the art of creating fine art newborn composites here.
What to Wear for Your In Home Newborn Portrait Session
Newborns are best photographed without clothing as they tend to be so tiny, nothing fits. If you wish to have baby clothed, natural organic-looking onesies or soft pants work well – anything that is meant to be snug will work.
Babies are so tiny that they can easily become lost in an image. If you want images of your family and baby cuddled up, either go skin-to-skin or wear simple solid colored clothing that allows the focus to remain on baby. Newborns will be lost in bold patterns. Don’t forget to browse the Newborn & Parent and Newborn & Sibling galleries for simple ideas.
If there will be more than one subject with newborn, keep clothing within the same brightness/darkness. For instance, one person wearing white while everyone else is wearing darker colors, distracts. The eye naturally will go to the white outfit before anything else. Family members do not need to match, just stay within all medium to dark outfits or all medium to light outfits. Light and dark combined often creates almost a clashing effect that is best avoided.
Your in home photo session is about you and your family. Despite anything you see here, if you have something specific you are looking to accomplish, whether it be a special location or a special prop, etc., please let Jodie know how she can best serve you.
What are these odd images of babies in weird places? These are a study in shapes that Jodie has been putting together with editing software for her own personal project. If you wish to have one of these done or have an idea that you would like to see, please let her know. She’s always looking for new ideas. She also teaches these techniques at Newborn Photography Today.
Babies (and older siblings) do better in your home!
On Location In Home Newborn Photo Sessions – When you have to pack baby up, she will sleep in the car on the way to the portrait studio, and then you must wake her up and frustrate her to take off her clothing for the pictures. Once she’s awake, she is not going to curl and sleep again easily. It is best to have the photographer arrive at your home and set up while you feed and relax with baby until it’s time to shoot. These little ones may be new, but they are already used to the smells and sounds of home. You will have a much more content baby this way. Making a child sit and wait for two hours while their little baby brother or sister is being photographed is quite torturous to them. During the newborn session in your home, older siblings can play, have a snack, watch a movie, or do whatever they wish until we are ready for them. They are much happier this way, and mom and dad are much less stressed. You’ve had a major life change, let’s approach this the most relaxed and comfortable way possible!
But I want images like on your website. They were shot in studio, right? No – surprising right? Any newborn image that you think was photographed in studio on the website was photographed most likely on location in someone’s home. Professional studio lighting is brought along and used as needed to create images that look like they were photographed in a portrait studio. There is nothing better as an artist than finding or creating beautiful light that will result in the best images.
Do I have enough room in my home? You do. Jodie has photographed entire sessions in a foyer, in a hallway, in a bedroom, in a kitchen, and even in a tiny hotel room…. If you have or can clear a 6 foot by 6 foot area, she can create images that look exactly like they came out of one of her previous commercial studios. A professional can accomplish excellent quality images anywhere.
What about backdrops? If you notice, the images on this site look like they are photographed in a studio with backdrops. Professional photographers know their equipment and know their light. The lighting is what makes these images look like they were photographed in studio. Jodie has special techniques that she has used and developed to create the look you see in all of her images.
Newborn Posing
Jodie respects every baby as an individual. Not all babies will move the same way or hold a pose the same way. No pose should ever be guaranteed by a photographer or forced. The photographer should pay close attention to each individual baby and note how they move and what keeps baby most comfortable.
Natural newborn posing is beautiful. Occasionally a baby will move into a position ideal for an interesting or fun pose (also with use of PhotoShop), but why have every baby look alike in the same pose down to finger and toe placement? Your baby is an individual and will share his/her already developing personality in posing.
Preparing for Your Newborn Baby Photo Session
Jodie strives to keep your newborn portrait session stress free. Having the session in your home allows your family to be relaxed and comfortable as the sessions can take quite some time. These photo session are baby-led… which means that your baby will tell us what he/she is comfortable with and when feedings or comfort are needed. You are not rushed; it’s all about getting the great images.
Every baby is unique. Sometimes we do not give these little ones enough credit. They know something different is going on, so we watch for cues to keep them happy and content. Some babies will sleep through an entire session while others struggle a bit. No worries! Patience is key, and we will get an absolutely gorgeous result!
Black and White Photography
A note on black and white imagery:
Every image that is shown to you will be in both color and black and white. We use special black and white conversion techniques that you will not see everywhere. Jodie has perfected her conversions of digital images to make them look more like black and white film. These images have more depth and variation of tones that result in striking gorgeous images. This is a technique that was perfected over the years. Read more about professional black and white conversions, and why they are important.
- Pricing – A $200 retainer it is required to book your in home newborn session; this retainer is applied to collections that begin at $600. Prints and products are available such as fine art prints, custom designed albums, and canvases; Full Newborn/Maternity Price List
- Scheduling & Rescheduling – If there are any issues with weather or someone is sick, please contact immediately to reschedule. The schedule is fairly flexible so scheduling conflicts are minimal. While last-minute sessions are often taken due to this flexibility, to insure your date, please schedule as soon as you can.
- Prebooking – You may also prebook newborn session dates which can float around the time of your due date. These are not set in stone and will move if baby comes early or late.
- Price Changes – As soon as you book or prebook your time, you will be locked into current pricing. Pricing can change at any time but if increases are going to occur, they will do so around Spring or Fall.
office hours
Weekdays
08AM-4PM
Weekends
08AM-12PM
Contact
Phone
443-299-2752
Address
Baltimore County, Maryland 21131
Harford County, Maryland 21161