Mar
27
I can tell brand new parents by the way they handle a newborn. And it makes sense! Brand new babies have no neck strength. So, holding them or handing them off to someone else can feel like handling a piece of fragile glass.
Newborn Photographer Long Beach
I wanted to do a quick blog post from a newborn session I recently did. The baby’s name is Sullivan and they’re going to call him Sully for short. I think that might be the most adorable nickname ever! He was perfectly round and squishy and as mellow as can be!
I’ve kind of always been a simple girl. In the 90’s my favorite color was black. That turned to brown in the early 2000’s, then white and now grey. What can I say, I love neutrals. 🙂 I’m so happy that neutral and SIMPLE is totally having a moment. Graphic design is pared down and color palettes are just basic. And I love it.
This also translates well to newborn sessions. I love a simple color palette for newborn sessions and I especially love neutral colors. It puts the focus on creamy skin tones and all the affection you have for your brand new baby.
This recent newborn photo session in Los Angeles is the perfect example of all the things I love best. Soft, simple and neutral.
Photos by Los Angeles Newborn Photographer, Kristin Eldridge
I told this mama she can’t ever stop having kids! They are just too cute. Both the girls and their little brother have the sweetest personalities too. Bravo Danielle and Joel!
Sometimes you don’t need everyone’s face in the shot. Sometimes the love is communicated through gestures and body posture. I love to include a good combination of traditional and modern crops into each photo session.
What are you drawn toward? Do you love traditional shots or do you prefer the ‘different’?
newborn photographer long beach
I had so many favorites from this session. First of all the hair. Newborn hair like this just makes you want to snuggle right up. Which is what his big brother did. Toddler siblings are unpredictable. This guy was all cuddles and careful hand-holding.
Everyone was so natural and relaxed, it was pretty much an A+ all the way around.
When we are setting up the details for a newborn session, clients often ask what they should wear. My answer is usually- something soft and neutral so as not to compete with the softness of newborn skin. But, I want to answer GRAY all the time. I realize that not everyone loves gray. I just love the way it looks against a white wall. It’s not harsh like black or navy and you can vary up the shades, unlike white.
Of course, many clients wear colors other than gray for the newborn session, and they look amazing. But my personal favorite will always be gray. 🙂
Long Beach Newborn Photographer // My favorite color (is gray). Photos by Kristin Eldridge.
Sweet little ‘L’
// Photos taken by Long Beach Newborn Photographer, Kristin Eldridge.
Babies can sense our energy. Have you noticed that calm people tend to have calm kids, in the same way high-energy people tend to have high-energy kids? When I’m doing a newborn session, I try to make sure that I create a soothing environment. Sometimes, babies are still settling in to this world. Most are under 14 days old when they see me in the studio. Isn’t that amazing! They’ve only been in this world, breathing the air, listening to the sounds and feeling the texture for a handful of days.
Here are a few things that I do to help create the right environment for a newborn photo session.
1. My studio is heated. The studio is a small guest house with central air/heating, so I’ll turn on the heat a moderate amount to create a comfortably warm space. If it’s a summer afternoon, I won’t need to turn on the heat, it’ll naturally be warm enough. If it’s a chilly day, I’ll use a space heater to direct more heat toward the baby. Why does it need to be so warm? Babies have been living in the womb for the last 9 months where the temperature was a cozy 98.7 degrees.
2. I use a white noise machine. This $20 device from Target is a life-saver. Sometimes older siblings with loud voices will be in the studio with the baby. Other times newborns are so sensitive that the sound of my shutter will startle them. The white noise machine is set on a soft heart beat sounds and it muffles all the noises to create an environment like they were used to in the womb.
3. The decor of my studio is very soft in color and pattern. I want parents to walk in and immediately feel comfortable. While I love color and pattern in my other photo sessions, a newborn session should be soft and sweet. Colors and patterns will compete with the sweet newborn baby instead of complimenting their skin tones and soft features.
4. Before the session, I make sure that I’m not running around trying to get things done. I like to come in with a calm demeanor. I’ll light a candle with a very soft scent. I like Voluspa candles in the studio. Just make sure to select a scent that’s not too over-powering. I want to make sure that I am personally in a space where I won’t get frazzled if a baby is fussy or a toddler sibling doesn’t want to cooperate. If I come from a calm place, I’ll be able to think clearly and problem solve to make sure to get the most out of every newborn photo session.
The following photos were taken by newborn photographer (long beach, ca), Kristin Eldridge.
