First of all, congratulations on the new bundle of joy you are expecting. Becoming a parent is truly the most important and rewarding job you will ever have! Newborn sessions are my joy. Those sweet brand new little angels are my muse.
You will never forget the first moment you laid eyes on your daughter or the first time you heard your son cry. These are truly magical moments. As much as we hope and pray they will stay little forever, they grow up anyway. Those first few weeks seem to fly by and each moment becomes a fleeting memory.
As a newborn photographer, Gisela strives to capture those first few weeks and turn the resulting images into a work of fine art to be treasured forever. Newborn photography requires a large amount of planning and an insane amount of patience, and you’ll be happy to know Gisela is good at both.
When should I schedule my maternity session? As soon as you know you want Gisela to be your photographer. We recommend at the start of your second trimester because they are best photographed between 31-34 weeks (twins even sooner).
When should I schedule my newborn session? The sooner the better! Time will slip away from you and your baby will be here before you know it. Newborns are best photographed in the first 12 days of their new little lives. They sleep better, don’t have colic yet, and usually haven’t started developing baby acne or cradle cap. Our schedule books up far in advanced and Gisela can only do a selected number of newborn sessions per month. We don’t like to say no to a newborns but we also don’t like to over book. Priority (scheduling and editing) is always given to those that book in advance vs last minute. For this reason we strongly recommend booking your session as soon as you know you want Gisela to be your photographer. Most clients schedule during their second trimester.
But how can we schedule so in advanced if I don’t know the exact date my baby will be born? Once you decide to schedule a session with us, we will set a tentative date based on your due date. We understand that babies rarely come when predicted and we will accommodate their personal plans for arrival. However, a due date will give us a base line. Once your infant is born, please get in touch with us and we will firm up our date and time. A quick text or email while you are in the hospital is perfect.
What should I bring the day of the session? For maternity, we have a small selection of beautiful long dresses especially made for maternity portraits. They are one size fits most. You are welcomed to bring your own outfits as well. For newborns, we have a large selections of props so there is no need to bring anything for your baby unless you have a special item you would like photographed with your baby. Nude is best for baby. If you plan on buying any special props like knitted costumes, hats, etc. we strongly recommend making sure they were designed for newborns up to 14days old. Make sure you see actual pictures of brand new babies less than 14days old modeling the outfits. There are many vendors on etsy and ebay that claim to be “newborn size” however a lot of them are much larger and will not fit. For this reason we have created a list of trusted vendors we have worked with in the past. Contact us for recommendations. Don’t forget some of those custom outfits can take 4-8 weeks to receive so plan ahead. For parent posed with baby, mom can wear a simple white, cream or black cami or any simple solid color top. For dad, a black, cream or white t-shirt. If dad is comfortable bearing their chest please do because these can make for some beautiful images with father and baby. A more detailed list of preparations instructions with be sent once you book your session.
