Newborn & Baby Portraiture

If the furry sibling is gentle and you trust them around the baby, sure. Just have treats ready and someone who can take them elsewhere when they’re not in the photos.

Newborn & Baby Portraits sessions are all-inclusive and you generally won’t be required to spend anything additional after the session. However, if you wish to schedule a session outside of my normal service area you will be required to pay for travel. If applicable, you’ll also pay for parking and event or location admissions during the session, any prints that you choose to buy from me, as well as any advanced retouching you might request.

Sure! However, it’s worth noting that changing a newborn’s outfit can come with some risks, particularly if they are not in a true newborn phase — less than about 2-3 weeks old. If they’re jostled around too much, you might trigger a cranky response. Older babies may not recover from this response in time to capture the kinds of images you’re hoping to get and there’s not much we can do about that. If you’d like to try multiple outfits, I would recommend ordering them according to your priorities, and starting with your favorite first. Then we’ll move gently and quickly through the rest of them for as long as they remain amenable to the experience.

Absolutely. Portraits are about identity, and for now, these people are pretty much your baby’s whole identity. Your session will focus mostly on your baby, but we will most likely drape the experience in the people who matter the most.

If you really want to, sure. But fair warning, that’s not really my thing. My approach to photographing babies is less about props and more about connection. I try to respect the dignity and individuality of the people I photograph — even when they’ve only been around for a few days. So instead of themed setups or novelty props, I prefer to focus on the early environments and objects that are actually part of their life — the blanket grandma knitted, the stuffed animal their big sister gave them, the chair you’ve spent nights rocking in, the arms that hold them every day.

No, I’ll arrive with my camera, and lights if we need them. No baskets, antler headbands, or chalkboard “I’m one week old!” signs. We’ll use real objects and heirlooms that are available in the baby’s environment in order to add dimension and personality to the images.

Newborn & Baby Portraits sessions include travel to locations within 35 miles of the 21054 zip code. Travel beyond that will cost a little extra. Express Sessions are limited to locations in Bowie and Crofton, MD.

Standard turn around time for Newborn & Baby Portraits is around 2-3 weeks or less, but not guaranteed. If the images need extra time to look their best, I’ll give it to them. I will always keep you in the loop if things are taking a little longer. Guaranteed rush delivery is available at an additional cost.

you can plan on around 90 minutes for Newborn & Baby Portraits.

If we’re working with a true newborn, less than 2–3 weeks old, the best thing you can do is follow your normal routine as closely as possible. Keep them well-fed, warm, and comfortable. Avoid noisy or high energy guests. Keep the white noise machine cranking if you have one. About an hour before the session, crank the heat in the house or apartment higher than usual to around 78-80 degrees, and loosen the baby’s clothing to avoid red marks on their skin. If the baby happens to be sleepy when I arrive, perfect — we’ll ease right into things. If they’re awake, that’s fine too.

I consider babies to be people who are generally too young to intentionally “play along” with the session. That’s usually around 2-3 years old, but could be earlier or later depending on your baby’s unique development.

While it’s great if we have really nice natural light, it’s no problem if we don’t. I’ll bring lights, and I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.

I’ll make every effort to accommodate changes in schedule. It’s important to keep in mind that I can only reserve one date at a time per booking, so schedules will be based on current availability at the time of rescheduling.

I recommend scheduling your newborn session within the first 2–3 weeks after birth. During this time, babies are typically very sleepy, easy to pose, and less reactive to their environment, which makes the whole process smoother and more flexible for everyone. After those first few weeks, babies begin waking up to the world around them. It’s a beautiful stage developmentally, but a lot less predictable. If you’ve missed that early window, it’s usually best to wait until around 3-4 months, when they are still firmly a baby, but more alert, social, and likely to smile and engage with parents or the camera.

Newborn & Baby Portraits will always take place on-location. For newborns, I will almost always recommend we capture the images in the climate controlled conditions of your own home. For babies who are not newborns, we can explore outdoor locations that they will find interesting, but not too interesting. It depends a lot on your read of your baby, but we’ll typically want to avoid situations like playgrounds which are 100% play focused, and instead look for locations that involve a discovery and exploration component, without inviting them to fully disengage from the session. If you’re looking for inspiration, take some time to browse my extensive locations directory. I am also more than happy to offer up some suggestions.

Most of the time I’ll photograph your session personally. Some folks may get to work with my associate of more than 15 years, Felipe. If you have been referred to me by someone who has worked with Felipe in the past, I’m happy to assign your session to him. In either case, you will know who your photographer is when you book your session.

Depending on the context of the image, we will remove some non-permanent blemishes and may slightly soften skin where it looks unnaturally rough. I do not generally perform major cosmetic adjustments on portraits.