2023 was my first and busiest year booking almost as many newborn sessions as family sessions! We are two thirds of the way through the year and I've already captured about two dozen new babies this year alone. I've discovered I absolutely LOVE newborn sessions and hope to do more of these in 2024 than outdoor family sessions. Why you might ask...for so many reasons. I love babies and really really miss the newborn and baby phase of my life. My kids are now 6 and 3 and I'm entering a completely different phase of motherhood with them. Diapers are gone. Bottles are gone. Carriers are gone. Strollers are almost gone! Though parts of me are really glad to be done with this early part of becoming a parent, I'm also feeling nostalgic for it already! If I had the financial and emotional resources to have one more, I totally would...but having a third child would fundamentally change our lives, for better and worse, so we are done with two. Doing newborn sessions feels like vicariously living through that part of my life and I value being close to it again - seeing new parents or ones who are welcoming a second or third is also really fun and I enjoy helping swaddle, sharing some tips, and providing words of encouragement to folks still figuring out how to take care of a new baby or managing more than one!
On the less personal side, lifestyle newborn work is far more challenging! During these sessions, I often need to carefully assess light and pay more attention to my camera settings; a setting that is one notch off could determine if a picture comes out just right or too dark, blurry, or washed out. I also enjoy the added challenge of how to use various contrasting colors in the foreground or background to make artistic and creative portraits. Since the main theme in my work is "loud and vibrant colors" I notice that most clients who choose to work with me have really colorful homes and value their decor being highlighted in their images...which is a major plus for me!