Category: Babies

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Styling Session: 5 favorite girl newborn “props”

I am so lucky to have a little niece who was born right around the same time as my little man because it meant that I got to spoil a little girl and use all my fun girly props on her. Being a mom to a little boy doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate everything lacey and girly because I do! I  actually have more girl props that boy props in my little collection. Every newborn photo session is different and every little girl deserves to have her own style during her photo session. I love styling each session to fit with the little lady I’m photographing. But I do have a few items that I love using more frequently than other items.

Pink Wrap

  1. Pink Wraps

While gray is my favorite color for boys, pink is my favorite color for girls. There is something so classic about putting a girl in pink. I know for some it may be very traditional but that is what I love about the color. I have one wrap that is my favorite one to use, because of it’s shade of pink and delicate texture.

Bows

2. Light Pinky / Peachy Bows

One of the best parts of photographing newborn girls is getting to play dress up with a real life doll. Playing dress up means getting to change out the headbands as many times as I like…it’s a good thing I have a plethora of pink / peachy colored bows to work through during a photo session. My favorite bows are tiny bows that just add a sweet little touch of color to the photo session.

Strechy Bows

3. Stretchy Bows

I have tried numerous bows and headbands to find my “go to” headband. These headbands are the perfect size, color, and fit. They slip easily on every little one’s head, which is super important when trying not to disrupt a sleeping baby. I love how sweet and simple these little headbands look on newborns…they aren’t too big and aren’t too small, just like Goldielock’s they are just right.

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4. Gray flower Headband

Women love flowers and what newborn photographer would I be if I didn’t have some form of a floral prop for newborn girls? My favorite floral headband incorporates my favorite color, gray but with a nice sweet little twist. This headband isn’t too large for any little lady’s head.

Daddy Arms

5. Daddy’s Arms

So I’m going to cheat again like when I was sharing my favorite boy props but this time talk about Daddy’s arms. Similar to the relations of boys and their moms you have girls with their daddy’s.

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Ask A Photographer: What do you bring with to a newborn photo session?

A question I get asked a lot is: What do you bring with for a newborn session?

Since I do all of my newborn sessions at your house I tend to bring quite a bit with me. Isn’t there a motto about “always being prepared”? Maybe that is a boy scout motto…but, with newborn babies you can never be too prepared! I’ll walk through what items you’ll see me show up with to your newborn photo session.

  1. Giant Bean Bag – I use this to pose your little baby on…the bag is large to ensure the safety of your little one
  2. Backdrop Stand & Clamps – I attach the backdrop (blankets) to the stand in order to create the look you see in the images of my portfolio, clean solid color backgrounds
  3. Multiple Backdrop blankets – I bring extra blankets just incase an accident happens, which they typically do, so no worries
  4. Puppy Pads – These are great for catching any accidents when your little one is naked on the bean bag
  5. A Variety of Color Wraps, Hats & bows, Fur Blanket – I will bring a nice assortment of wraps / hats / bows to use for your newborn photos
  6. Wooden Box – This is another item to pose your little one in for a nice added variety of photos
  7. Heater and Extension cords – I use this to keep your baby warm when they are naked…a warm naked baby means a nice sleepy baby
  8. Baby Wipes – Accidents happen and I want your little one to look their best at every angle
  9. Hand Sanitizer – Your precious new baby deserves special care
  10. Receiving blankets – These are used as little pillows under the background blankets to help pose your little one safely and comfortably
  11. Step stool – I’m short so I need some help in the height department for family photos and a place to sometimes sit when I’m working with your little one to get a perfect pose
  12. White noise app – A sleepy baby is important to have during your session so I have some extra help if you baby needs it to fall asleep
  13. Camera – The most important item in my luggage

I know it may seem like I bring a lot of items with me but I use everything and I’ve managed to downsize quite a bit! So please don’t look at me too weird when I show up with my two suitcases and have to take multiple trips to unload my car I promise I’m not moving in, just taking photographs of your little newborn.

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Pope Family {Gurnee IL, Newborn Photographer}

I recently got to photograph one of the most handsomest little men I have ever met…ok, so maybe I’m being a little extreme because I think every baby is super adorable but honestly this little guy is really adorable!  Plus he had the cutest hair ever!

We started his newborn photo session with family photos and I will confess that I fell in love with his big sister first…she was so full of life, joy and excitement. I love how mom and dad have a secret way of coaxing her little crinkly nose smile to come out, I would share their secret but I was promised to secrecy…you know, photographer – client secrecy. Big sister gave her little brother the sweetest little kisses and held his hand so gently. I was secretly dying inside when I captured the image of her smile with his little fingers interlaced in her one hand…trust me, you will to when you see it!

When it came time for mom and dad photos it was amazing how calm this little guy was in their arms. It never gets old seeing a baby held in their parent’s arms.

This little man was a perfect gentleman during his newborn photos…he didn’t make a sound and didn’t have any accidents. I love the color scheme that mommy went with, simple and classic. We had to toss in a little football action for Daddy, even though I must confess that I’m a Packer fan, this little guy sure does look adorable all suited up for the Bears.  Who knows…maybe someday he’ll be a Bear? A Daddy can always dream.

It was such a fun afternoon to spend with this family of four (plus two sweet little fur babies).

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Ross Newborn {Libertyville IL, Newborn Photographer}

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I was so excited for this little family when they told me they were adding to their family. I had gotten the privilege to photograph their first little boy when he was a brand new baby and now I got the privilege to photograph his little sister. Little Lady Z was just amazing during the photo session and didn’t make even the tiniest of noises the entire time. She curled right up in every pose and took a nice long nap during the photo session.

This little lady has the softest of details; lips, toes, fingers and even eyelashes. She is just petite and perfect in every way!

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We had to do a little football pose for Daddy since he is pretty big Bear’s fan and since every little girl has a special bond with their Daddy it was only natural. How many of your daughters have a special little bond with their Dad’s? I know my son is a big Mommy’s boy and I just love the special relationship we have.

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I love how mommy had already started to spoil this little lady with all the cute bows and lace that come with being a little girl. The ruffly tush just makes me melt…but then again I love dressing my little man with appliqués on his tush since putting little ruffle bloomers on a little boy won’t necessarily be the best clothing choice. I can just see little lady taking ballet lessons with a cute little pink tutu on.

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Welcome to the family baby sister!

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Styling Session: 5 favorite boy newborn “props”

After becoming a mommy to a little boy I have to slightly confess that I fell in love with photographing little boys. Don’t get me wrong I love all the little bows and frills that come with girls but boys can have some special photo props as well! I want to share with you 5 of my current favorite boy props that I use during each photo session. Which of these do you like? One, Two, or all of them?

Andrew - Newborn 17

  1. Packer Outfit

I got this outfit for my little boy when I found out I was pregnant. We are a big Packer family and I couldn’t just resist getting it as a surprise for my husband. Once it came I fell in love with how sweet it looked on my little man. What Daddy doesn’t want to imagine their little boy as an NFL player? I must also confess that I recently got a little Bears Outfit…it’s only fitting since I technically live in Bear Country.

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2. Gray wrap

Gray is one of my favorite colors for little boys. It’s a nice neutral color that goes with any nursery pallet and is a timeless color that will always be “in fashion”. This wrap is also one of my favorites because it has such a sweet tiny detail texture. So combined together this wrap is one of my go-to’s for little boy sessions.

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3. White background

This one is a given because I love to photograph all my sweet fresh babies on white. For me, the color white represents freshness, newness, purity…all things that I associate with newborns. White is such a nice base pallet to have because it allows you to add any little pop of color or keeps things very clean and simple. My favorite white blanket for boys has the tiniest of textures to add a little extra pop of softness to the images. I do actually have a girl version of the white blanket that is a little different.

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4. Teddy Bear

I love tiny stuffed animals and this teddy bear is such a perfect little thing to tuck under a little boy’s arm.  It’s the right size, not too big and not too small. When you think of your childhood it was very likely that you had some stuffed animal or blankie that you took everywhere with you…right? This little teddy bear brings me back to remembering my own blankie and stuffed kittie. I can’t help but wonder what item(s) each little baby of mine will have as they get older.

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5. Mommy’s Arms

OK…so maybe I’m cheating here but what baby doesn’t look good in their mommy’s arms? I love putting a baby in mommy’s arms because the look on a mommy’s face is pure love and joy. It also works in reverse and when a little boy is in his mommy’s arms a wave of peace and comfort comes over their faces. There is a special bond between little boys and their moms.