“Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes”
—”Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles
The first days and weeks with a newborn at home can feel like a dream. One day flows into another and hours can pass just staring at this tiny person. Her needs are few, but they are relentless, so you find yourself completely absorbed in fulfilling them. She wakes you constantly — contributing to the dream-like feeling of this phase of life — but even in your sleep-deprived state, love streams out of you in a way you’ve never experienced before. Especially when it’s your first child, there’s a sense of wonder and magic that you share with your partner… this awe and reverence for the fact that you created something so inexplicably beautiful together.
It’s why I adore in-home newborn sessions. Getting to peek into those precious moments with new parents and their tiny creation is an honor. Being tasked with documenting that ephemeral time in photographic proof is even more of a privilege.
Newborn sessions lend themselves really well to documentary work because the moments that I want to capture are happening whether I’m there or not. Diaper changes, nursing or feeding sessions, swaddles, and snuggles, are all on the agenda. Those moments might seem mundane when you’re on the 8th diaper change of the day, but I promise that you’ll want to remember them sooner than you think.
This lovely little baby is Lucy. She and her parents were a complete joy to be with and to photograph.
It’s so nice when the parents are as relaxed as Lucy’s mama and daddy were. As is typical of a newborn session with me, I gave barely any direction, and instead followed their lead to create the flow of our time together. We hung out mostly in the beautiful nursery which had gorgeous light pouring through the large windows. Lucy wanted to nurse a lot, so that’s what she did. Mom and dad worked on perfecting the swaddle and gave her some time in her crib. She needed a diaper and outfit change, so dad was up to bat. Some sweet alert time was spent in dad’s arms and I was grateful to capture them adoring each other. Then the whole family moved to mom and dad’s bed for some snuggle time together. It was all so real and so beautiful, and I hope that these photos will forever transport these parents directly back to that hazy, magical time in their lives.
If the laid-back, cozy vibe of this newborn photography sounds and looks like what you are hoping for when it’s time to document your own family growing by one, let’s chat! I serve the entire St. Louis Metro area, but I’m always happy to discuss travel, too.