With so many talented newborn photographers in San Diego, CA it can be hard to pick the right one.
That is why it’s so important to do your research, look at the photographer’s portfolio and also understand their experience and safety measures prior to booking. One part of doing your research to find the right newborn photographer in San Diego for you and your family is understanding the different types of newborn sessions. Yes you read that right, there are actually a few different types of newborn sessions you can sign up for. And not all newborn photographers offer all of these sessions. Below is a list of the most common newborn photography sessions you can book throughout San Diego. Once you’ve found the style that fits you and your family you can dig further into your research to fin the right photographer.
Fresh 48
A Fresh 48 session is basically what it sounds like. These sessions take place in the hospital, birth center or at home (if you did a home birth) within 48 hours of your infant being born. A Fresh 48 session aims at capturing your newborn baby right as they’ve entered the world. They are lifestyle in nature and include no posing. Your baby will most likely be wrapped in the hospital swaddle, maybe with a cute hat. Laying in their little bassinet with their hospital plaque showcasing their name (if chosen), newborn weight, height and time. Some hospitals and birth centers work exclusively with just a handful of trusted photographers. So if you are interested in a Fresh 48 session, talk to your hospital first to see if they have photographers they recommend. Or if you are able to hire an outside photographer to come in and document the beginning hours of your baby’s life.
Lifestyle Newborn Session
A lifestyle newborn session will take place in your home within the first 2 weeks of your baby’s birth. These sessions include un-posed picture of your baby and your family. It can include images of your infant in their crib, of the family hanging out on the living room couch, or going about everyday activities with an infant. The main thing is that that photographer utilizes the light and settings of your home, and capturing your family in your everyday life. Being a true lifestyle photographer is a skill in and off itself as it’s about knowing how to utilize your light and settings to capture professional pictures as snapshots of your new life as parents.
In-Home Newborn Session
An In-Home newborn session is a mix of a Lifestyle Newborn Session and a Posed Studio Newborn Session. Just like a lifestyle newborn session it takes place in your home within the first 2 weeks of birth. It primarily focuses on using your home as the backdrop. However, your photographer may also bring some blankets, props, and posing surfaces to provide you with some more posed work. These sessions are perfect if you like the candid shots, but still want some more fine-art images of your newborn baby. However, because your photographer will bring more equipment to an off-site are than they normally would, some photographers do charge a surcharge for in-home newborn sessions.
Posed Studio Newborn Session
a Posed Studio Newborn Session is the type of work you see all over my website. While I do offer in-home newborn sessions as well, the studio work is my specialty. Being a type A person I love being able to control my light, my workflow and the temperature of the room. All of which helps control the result of a newborn portrait session. The ideal age for a posed newborn studio session is 5-14 days of age. This is when you can still capture the newness of their little bodies, and still be able to pose them in curled up little poses as their bodies are still used to being in the womb. Most sessions are centered around the newborn baby, but you’re also able to get some fine-art parent and sibling portraits out of the session. These are images meant to be printed large and hung all over your house as beautiful art. If you want to learn more about a newborn session in my studio please feel free to reach out using the contact form on this page.
Who knew you needed to do that much research!
Doing proper research to find the newborn photographer that is right for you is very important. Doing the research early in your pregnancy is also important as most photographers book only unlimited newborns per month to account for early and late births. It’s also a fun idea to do a maternity session. It allows you to capture your pregnancy in beautiful art as well as getting to know your photographers before your newborn session. It’s a win-win situation! And if you want to find some more useful information on finding the right newborn photographer in San Diego, CA then head on over to www.newbornphotography.com and read their great page about questions to ask.