Newborn Portrait Guide

Making memories of your new baby with natural to soft poses, a neutral base, and little pops of sweet color.

Newborn Photographer | A little insight | Fort Worth/Watauga, Texas | Dawn Lopez Photography

Learn more here! A Little Insight

Posted by Dawn Lopez

I’d love to be able to get to a place where I can immediately blog my newborn and other sessions after taking them, but I have not found a way to make that happen, so here are a handful of highlights from my most recent sessions! I do always post sneak peeks on Facebook and Instagram tho to help tide parents over while they wait a couple weeks to receive their edited galleries.

As you can see, I love neutral backgrounds with soft pops of color. I occasionally stray from that if I get inspired, but this is a good representation of my sessions. Bright, soft, natural colors, a sparkle or two, lots of florals and greenery, and full of my love for each and every one of these babies!

Most newborns are 6-14 days old when I photograph them. There are times when this time frame just cannot be met, and I will not turn away a baby for that. The photos may have eyes open, wide awake, all wrapped up cozy, without as many posing options, but they will still be adorable and mark this special time in your lives.

I start out with baby on a fabric backdrop for 3-5 poses. I used to photograph babies completely natural, nude for a few, but have found leaving the diaper on under their wraps or outfits still produces adorable photos and baby is more comfortable overall. I then move to prop poses. Bed, bucket, basket, bowl, are my staple choices, then hearts, moons, chairs and any specialty set up you have requested. I then move to a flat fabric backdrop where baby is posed tucked in or in a swing style.

Many ask “how many poses do I get” of this or that. I don’t like to say exactly because I am completely baby led. I am trained and skilled in snuggling and posing your new baby, keeping them feeling safe and warm, but like every soul, they have a personality, they have things they like and dislike, and no matter what I want them to do, they will do what they can and I work around that. They may not sleep or settle like we need them to do, they may have gassy tummy issues, or may be sensitive to heat or cold, some like to be wrapped, some don’t, some don’t mind a messy diaper and some absolutely hate it! Some don’t like their hands by their face, and some need their hands by their face in a little ball. I hold them and listen to them the best way they know how to tell me things, and make changes to get the most beautiful photos possible. So if you are worried about “how many” don’t. Just know that however many, they are perfect and led by what your baby was comfortable doing.

Sessions usually take a couple hours, but like I said above, I am completely baby led and we are on baby time so maybe it will be 1-1/2 hours, maybe it will be 3-1/2 hours. If siblings are involved and they cooperate, time will fly by, if they are a little younger or hesitant still about the new baby, it will be longer. Adding family poses will add on some time, but again, depends on the littles!

I offer a few different options: Photos of simply baby, photos of baby and sibling, or photos of classic baby and parents/and or siblings. I ask for a retainer at booking and that retainer goes toward the cost of your session with the balance being due the day of your session.

When you decide to book, hopefully in your second trimester, I’ll ask for some parent information and some session information about the colors or poses you’d like for your baby’s session. I love to hear how you heard about me and any inspiration you may have for your session. I’ve been known to create some whimsical set ups or recreate older siblings poses as requested if I have time to plan.

I hope this gives you a little insight into your upcoming newborn session with me! I like to keep things simple and not overwhelm families that are already going thru a big transition in their family. Always feel free to ask me anything and thank you so much for trusting me and referring me to your friends and family. That is the best compliment!

Dawn