Granger, Indiana Newborn Session: Welcome Baby Charlee
Very little in this world is as exciting, emotional, and overwhelming as welcoming a little one. An entirely life changing event in one tiny, precious bundle. Babies are the best.
Having taken both Natalie’s pregnancy announcement photos and maternity photos left me itching to meet the sweet baby she was carrying! When I got the text that the baby had made their arrival, my heart overflowed with joy and excitement for Natalie, Mike, and their crew! When Natalie and I were first getting to know each other she had mentioned that she still had a little bit of baby fever dwelling inside. I am just over the moon for her and her family knowing that this baby girl is the perfect completion of their family!
Talk about a glowing mama! How gorgeous is she at 8 months pregnant!
The beautiful and healthy Charlotte Noelle joined the Evans family on November 22nd. She has ten perfect fingers, ten perfect toes, and every cute and squishy feature you could hope for. And I was lucky enough to be trusted to capture them all!
Baby Charlee was welcomed home by Faith, Jack, and happily promoted to big brother Eli. Not to be left out, she also has her own set of four paws on security detail in the form of Monty.
When it comes to newborn lifestyle sessions, baby is in the driver’s (car)seat. We operate on their schedule and pace, taking breaks for diapers and feedings whenever needed. For that reason, it’s always best to plan to spend some time together day of session! This particular newborn session lasted two hours to give us time to capture tiny details, special moments, family portraits, and lots of snuggles with mom and dad.
If you’re preparing to welcome a bundle of joy to your family and hoping to be able to capture this special moment with a portrait session, here are some helpful tips for planning!
1) A session in that first two weeks of a newborn’s life is usually suggested for timeline. Getting their sleepy, curled up poses is easiest during this time and with how quickly they grow and change, you don’t want to miss out on those first moments! However, from a mama perspective, photos at any moment in time are just as special. When I first became a mama, our first few weeks were rough and we didn’t end up having anyone come to capture family photos for us until our son was one month old. And that’s ok! That’s what worked for our family and our journey.
2) A well fed baby is the easiest to capture! Try to get a great feeding in right before your session so that baby is happy and sleepy.
3) Keep the room(s) that you will have photos in warm to help keep that baby cozy and sleepy!
4) Wherever the most natural light flows into your house is ideal, but there’s flexibility in this, whether that’s a living room or your bedroom or baby’s bedroom or a foyer. Baby doesn’t have to be in a Pinterest worthy nursery for beautiful images. But baby should be well lit so we don’t miss out on every precious detail!
5) I will debate to the end of time that the cutest thing a baby can wear is a white onesie. So please do not panic about what baby should be dressed in! If you have a cute outfit you’re excited about, that’s great! Have no idea what to dress them in? A white onesie. I promise it’s perfect.
6) What about the rest of the family’s wardrobe? Neutral and soft colors in a home lifestyle session always look great. I’m also a fan of barefeet in home lifestyle sessions :) If you plan on printing an image to hang in your home, you can also consider what room it will hang in if you would like to coordinate colors to the decor of that room.
7) And what about props and accessories? Is there something that was given to baby that you want to include, like a gift from a grandparent? Is there an heirloom being passed down? Those are great items to include. Bows and booties are always adorable. Beyond that, just having a stack of blanket options and a cute newborn is more than enough!
Baby Charlee, it was an honor to capture this exciting start to your journey and blessed chapter in your family’s life. I can’t wait to watch you grow and explore this great, big world. You’ll move mountains, baby girl!
