Great items to start with your newborn photography business

It’s hard not to fall in love with newborn photography. Who doesn’t want to take photos of squishy little newborn babies for a living? And yet, starting your own business can seem like a daunting task. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to start your own photography business.

Of course you will need to learn how to operate a camera and how to pose a baby safely (that is the most important part of your job!) But once you’re familiar with your camera, lighting and have some experience handling newborn babies and posing them safely, there are just a few essential items to get you started.

1. A posing beanbag or something similar to lay baby on. You will need somewhere soft and safe to put baby on. There are specific beanbags out there that are made for photographers. These are easy to clean and easy to stuff to your liking. I have been photographing babies for almost 14 years and have had the same beanbag for all these years. It’s an investment into your photography business that will serve you well. Unfortunately I don’t remember where I purchased mine (it was so long ago!) but it looks something like this link.

2. A posing fabric or blanket. There are many lovely photography vendors out there that sell posing fabrics. But if that’s out of your budget, all you need is to go to a fabric store and get 2 yards of a stretchy, soft fabric for baby to lay on. You can even cut a piece of it to use as a matching wrap! Another option is to use a soft blanket that is long enough to cover the space. Just keep in mind that you want something soft that won’t be prickly on baby’s skin.

3. A backdrop stand. You will need something to clip your fabric to. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a stand. When I photograph newborns in client’s homes, a lot of time I will use the back of their chairs to clamp the fabric so it looks nice and smooth. There are photographers that will skip this step and fix it in Photoshop later. But if you’re new at photography, this step will help you save time when editing.

4. A basket or two! Just like with posing fabrics, there are many vendors that sell beautiful baskets/bowls to pose baby in. The good thing about buying through a vendor is that you know it will be the perfect size to pose a newborn baby safely in. That being said, you can also find some cute boxes/bowls in local stores that will work. The main thing is to make sure that these are safe and that they don’t have any sharp edges that could harm baby.

5. Wraps. As I mentioned above, if you purchase fabric at your local fabric store you can always cut a piece of that fabric to wrap baby in. Newborn babies love being swaddled. It makes them feel safe and comforted and it’s always my go to when babies are awake or not very content. Once you have a few wraps, there are many ways to wrap baby in order to get a large variety of photos.

Besides your camera, lighting (natural or not) and knowing how to pose babies safely, these are some of the basic items that will help you get started. If you’d like to learn more, we offer newborn photography classes that you can find here. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions!

Newborn Photography Safety Tips – Ottawa Photographer

Newborn Photography Safety Tips – Ottawa Photographer. When it comes to photographing newborns, there are some basic safety tips that should be used in every newborn photo shoot. Photographing newborns has become such a popular thing but it’s super important to hire someone who is trained in these safety techniques and has experience in the field. Here are some basic tips when photographing newborn babies:

1 – Back to the basics: wash your hands! For me, not only do I wash my hands but I usually also use clean gloves when handling baby. Having a hand sanitizer close by is also a great idea.

2 – Wash any blankets/wraps that have been used and clean any props. Every baby that comes in for a session should be using clean, sanitized props/fabrics. No germs allowed! 😉

3 – Having a set of extra hands: there are certain poses such as the froggy pose and the potato sack pose where it is always best and necessary to have an extra set of hands to help you with baby. Most of these poses are usually composites that are finalized in Photoshop. Baby’s safety should always come first and Photographers should never jeopardize safety for a specific pose.

4 – Posing: not every pose will work for every newborn baby. Don’t force baby into a pose he/she is not liking and move on to something that works best for him/her. Not only will it make baby happier, but it will also make it for a more natural photo.

5 – Siblings: personally, in my Ottawa studio, I usually do photos of siblings laying down with baby. This tends to be the safest, especially when siblings are still toddlers. Older kids can usually hold baby but you should once again have mom/dad close by to the child to ensure everyone’s safety.

6 – Illness: If anyone in your family or their family is sick, it might be a good idea to re-schedule that newborn photo session! Newborns are still so fragile that extra care should always be taken.

7 – Camera Strap: Always have your camera strap on and wear it around your neck when taking photos from above. That is a must for me!

While newborn photos are beautiful to capture and it’s something you can treasure forever, it’s important to take all the precautions to have a smooth, safe session. Newborns are tiny and fragile and their well-being should be the most important thing in every photo shoot.

I hope these help and thank you for stopping by! Please feel free to take a peek at some of my work here.

Newborn Photography Ottawa – sweet baby Aria

Another sweet baby girl is on the blog! Baby Aria came to the studio at a few days new and it was so fun to meet her and see her family again. She’s got one of the sweetest families out there. 🙂

Did you know that newborn photo sessions will last anywhere between 1-3 hours depending on which package you choose to go with? It may seem like newborn photos are effortless but it can take quite a bit of time to transition baby from on pose to the other. I really take my time transitioning baby in a soothing and gentle manner so that she/he stays sleepy and comfy through the whole thing.

Throughout my newborn photography sessions, I do a variety of poses in the beanbag as well as newborn photos in props. Usually, there are about 5-6 poses that I do of the newborn baby on the beanbag. It may seem a like a lot more but the great thing about newborn photography is that you can take such a variety of photos from just one pose by just switching the angle you photograph baby from and adding a few props in between! When parents receive their gallery, there are usually around 70 photos to choose from (with the newborn mini session there are usually about 30-40 photos or so). The gallery is filled with the best of the best photos of your newborn baby session, including family and sibling photos. Many times, parents end up purchasing extra photos or upgrading to the bigger package. I think it’s always a great problem to have when you have too many beautiful photos to choose from. 😉

Please visit the rest of our website and make sure to browse through our galleries! Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Thanks for stopping by!

Newborn Photography – serving Ottawa and surrounding areas

It’s been so nice taking some time to enjoy this beautiful Summer weather with my boys! The sun is shining, the heat is real and thank goodness for swimming pools and ice cream. 🙂

I met this family a few years back and it was so nice seeing them again as they welcomed their new baby girl! Their kids were seriously the sweetest and most well behaved kids ever. And this baby girl… I could have kept her all day here with me. 😀

Most newborn sessions last somewhere between 2-3 hours. What you see here are just a few photos to give you a tiny sample of the goodness that we captured. Newborn photography sessions are usually a mix of photos of baby on his/her own (on the beanbag as well as props such as baskets), family photos, photos of each parent with baby as well as sibling photos. We take time to feed and sooth baby whenever needed. Sessions are never rushed, so you can be assured that you will leave with some beautiful memories that will last you a lifetime (because all of our packages include high resolution digital photos!).

There are lots of tips on how to prepare for a newborn photo session beforehand. I always send clients some guidelines prior to their baby session with suggestions on how to prepare, what to bring, when to feed their newborn baby, what to avoid, etc. That way we can work towards having the newborn photo session go as smooth as possible.

Please feel free to browse through our galleries and take a peek at the different packages that we offer. Thanks for stopping by!

Newborn Photographers – Ottawa Little Wagon Photography

It’s been a while since I sat down to do some blogging and some social media posting! With this beautiful weather and the business that comes with Spring photo sessions, it’s been hard to find a time to sit and do “computer” work for a bit. 😉

This adorable family recently came in to capture some photos of their sweet new baby boy. It is so much fun to include older siblings in these newborn photo sessions. Although it is not always easy to capture those newborn and sibling photos (and I always warn parents that they may not happen if older sibling doesn’t want to cooperate), it is so priceless when we get photos like these.

There are three different packages that I offer for newborn sessions. The first one is a mini session and includes photos of baby only. The other two both includes family photos as well as sibling photos. Some parents choose to have the main focus of the session be on newborn photos and just want to capture a few of the family ones. Some parents prefer capturing mostly photos of the family with just a few of the baby on his/her own. However, the far majority of my clients end up with exactly half and half! Even when parents come to the session with the focus being mainly on one or the other, they end up loving them all. And that makes me so happy… 🙂

After just giving birth, there are many moms who don’t feel their best and feel they should skip any photos with them. With a little encouragement I usually get them to take at least a few photos with their babies. They are sooo precious to have and to keep! Knowing how to angle the camera to capture the best look for momma and baby is key. I absolutely love capturing those sweet tender moments between a mom or a dad and their newborn baby. And the three or four of them is even better!

Please feel free to visit my gallery page and contact me with any questions that you may have. I hope you enjoy scrolling through the blog to see more samples of my work!

Newborn Photography Ottawa – Spring Baby!

It seems like the weather is finally deciding to cooperate with us and Spring is in the air!! Spring brings in so many new beginnings, including a lot of newborn babies! And that means we get a lot of newborn photography in our little Ottawa studio (yay!). 🙂

Back when I started doing photography, newborn photography was the trickiest type of photography session of them all! Although I had already had my two babies by then, it is very different posing them and getting those adorable photos that you see in my gallery. It took me many years and a ton of practice to finally get all of those little details in place. And I’m still constantly taking newborn photography classes, watching newborn photographers’ videos, etc. Always trying to improve and grow my newborn photography skills.

When talking about newborn photography, it is important to talk more about how to pose newborns. Although the photos seem so effortless, it can take a bit of time to get newborn babies to pose just the way I want. This is why newborn sessions can take so long. I never rush a newborn into doing anything he/she doesn’t want to. And we always take a break if baby needs to feed or settle before we keep taking those beautiful baby photos. In my Ottawa studio, I only do the poses that feel most comfortable to baby. Not every newborn will want to settle into every single pose. But thankfully most babies settle quite easily into the most popular poses.

There is also another little trick when it comes to newborn photography. Not every photo you see was taken exactly as is! Newborn safety is so important when it comes to newborn photography in my Ottawa studio. One pose in particular (the famous “froggy” pose), is completely Photoshoped. Baby is being held my mom’s or dad’s hands at all times. Isn’t that so interesting!

Now let’s move on to some photos of this sweet baby girl who has such a sweet family and one of the most adorable big brothers ever! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to book a spot. Thank you for visiting my website!

Ottawa Newborn Photographer – Smiley baby boy

This sweet little man gave me so many smiles during his newborn photography session in our Ottawa studio! Mr. Adorable came in at about 3 weeks of age for his mini photo session. For those clients who are only looking for a few photos of their newborn baby, the newborn mini session is a great option! With the newborn mini session clients get 10 photos of baby alone. I can tell you that these parents absolutely loved all the smiles we got to capture during their baby photo shoot! I also offer other photography packages that include 20 or 30 photos as well as photos of baby with mom, dad, siblings and family photos. I absolutely love those photos that show the connection between baby and mom/dad. It’s really priceless…

I have been photographing newborns for 7 years now and I am so very grateful and beyond amazed that this is my job! It has taken me years to get to where I am. Learning how to pose baby properly and safely, how to use the right lighting, how to photograph baby from different angles and how to get those perfect details right takes time and practice! But every time I am editing photos from my newborn photo sessions in my Ottawa studio, I have a big smile on my face. 🙂

I always recommend that clients book their newborn photography session a couple of months in advance. However, from time to time I will have last minute availability so it’s never too late to check. Please contact me if you have any questions and feel free to take a look at my newborn gallery by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to hear from you soon!

Newborn Photography – Baby Nora

This sweet baby girl was such a darling baby to photograph. One of my farourite type of photos to take during a newborn session are the photos with mom & dad. There’s just so much love in that interaction. Makes me feel blessed to have this job every day. 🙂

Please visit our gallery for more photos of little ones and contact us if you have any questions. You can find all of our packages here. Thanks for stopping by!

Ottawa Newborn Photography – Sweet baby Ella & her big brothers

I was so happy to photograph this sweet family and their adorable new addition. She will be well taken care of with her two big brothers to protect her!

Please visit our gallery to see more of our work. You can see the newborn gallery by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by!

Newborn Photography – Ottawa’s Best Newborn Photographer – sweet baby girl

This little sweetie pie was such a darling to work with (look at those cheeks and eyelashes!). Her session took place at our Ottawa studio but did you know that we also offer newborn sessions at the comfort of your home? Extra fee does apply so please contact us if that is something that interests you and we can give you all of the details.

Please visit our newborn gallery for more samples of our newborn work and thank you for stopping by!