fresh 48 session welcome guide

Hello! I am so excited for our Fresh 48 session! I look forward to photographing your family and baby’s first moments! Our session will be baby-led which will allow us to have a laid-back, documentary approach during our session.

your images:

My goal during our session is to capture your new family and your beauty in a naturalistic way with light posing. I will be using different perspectives and variety to tell the story of your beautiful baby’s arrival. I will be photographing your baby alone in the bassinet as well as with your family, in a way that documents this special time of caring and being with your fresh, new, beautiful baby.

location:

Fresh 48 sessions take place at the child’s birth place, often the hospital or in the family’s home. For hospital sessions, we will use the available window light in your hospital room and I will use different elements and perspectives to tell the story of your baby’s first few moments. I will likely move items in the hospital room that do not add to the story, however, I suggest leaving items that are related to your newborn such as flowers and gifts and I aim to include them in the image frame. For in home sessions, we will use available window light in your home that best help to tell the story of your baby’s first few days.

time:

The natural light is usually best during late morning around 10:00 am. We will turn off overhead and fluorescent light and work with window light. If your baby is born in the evening, I can come as soon as the following morning, depending on your comfort level.

temperature:

Please turn up the temperature in your room about 30 minutes before our session and keep the temperature a little warmer than you typically would. Some of the images of your Fresh 48 session include your baby wearing just a diaper so we want your baby to be warm, relaxed and comfortable.

feeding:

Please plan to feed your baby about 30 minutes prior to our session, while they are in a white hospital shirt and swaddled in a hospital blanket. A full and sleepy baby will help the baby stay relaxed for our session. Having your baby fall asleep warm and comfortable will be helpful when we are moving around and using different areas of the room to tell the story.

length of session:

We will allocate about 1 hour for the fresh 48 session, which should give us enough time for a variety of images of the baby alone and baby with family. Once we get family shots and shots of the baby wrapped in the hospital blanket, we till take off layers to aim to get baby in a simple diaper or onesie set up. If baby gets hungry again during the session we can take a feeding break, having the baby lead the session.

what to wear:

for the baby: we will focus on shots of the baby wrapped in a hospital shirt, blankets, and/or hats at the beginning of the session so please have your baby already in this clothing once I arrive, in order to keep the baby warm and settled. Once we change baby out of the hospital clothes and blankets, this will be a good time to change him or her into clothing you would like the baby to wear. When choosing your baby’s outfit, fitted newborn clothing tends to photograph better than baggy, loose clothing.

for you: If you are able to move around, pick an outfit that allows you to remain comfortable and feels natural to you. It's helpful to pick 2-3 colors and coordinate outfits around those colors, without being "matchy matchy". It might be best to stay away from too many textures or patterns and clothing with large logos or distracting photos-remember we want the focus to be on your baby. Feel free to add pops of color, however be mindful that bold colors may color cast onto the baby. I would encourage you to not all dress the same (i.e., white shirt and khaki pants) because you are your own and we want that to show in these photos!

Head over to my Pinterest Board for complimenting outfit ideas.

props:

I will not be posing your newborn baby in unnatural positions and I do not bring props to my sessions. I am happy to use available blankets, hospital items, and your hospital room as the “props”. I am there to photograph your baby and family during your fresh 48 session, so your baby will likely be the “prop” in some of the images.

your children (if applicable):

It might be a good idea to let your child(ren) know that a friend will be coming to take some photos and play so that they are not surprised when I get there. We will aim to photograph the larger family photos at the beginning of the session, to ensure the sibling is interested. I have found that the best photos happen when natural moments unfold, so if the sibling needs to leave the area, we will allow them to leave and come back when he or she is ready. Please be mindful of your older child’s eating and nap schedule when planning for our session. If your older child does get hungry during the session, dry and non-messy snacks are ideal and a little easier to keep those faces clean.

please plan to be ready to start on time:

It is important that we start on time because we will be working with available light.

I am excited to capture you and your loved ones!

Helpful links:

Fresh 48 Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions

Please let me know if there are any additional questions you may have.

See you soon!

-Tabitha
678-961-4986