Precious Moments: The Best Newborn Photography Tips from Little Wagon

Welcome to Little Wagon Photography, your trusted partner in preserving the most precious moments of your little one’s life. As a premier newborn photography studio based in Ottawa, Canada, we understand the importance of capturing the magic of your baby’s first month and have some great newborn photography tips to share. From tiny toes to adorable yawns, every moment is worth cherishing.

Navigating the first month with your newborn can be both exhilarating and challenging for new parents. To help you make the most of this special time, here are some newborn photography tips:

1. Embrace the Natural Beauty: Newborns are at their most angelic state during the first few weeks of life. Embrace their natural beauty by opting for simple, timeless setups that highlight their innocence. At Little Wagon Photography, we specialize in creating heartwarming setups that focus on your baby’s delicate features.
2. Timing is Key: The ideal time to schedule your newborn photo session is within the first 7-21 days of birth. During this period, babies are more likely to sleep soundly and curl up into those adorable poses that make for stunning photographs. Don’t worry if your little one is older; we can still capture beautiful moments at any age.
3. Comfort is Essential: Your baby’s comfort and safety are our top priorities. Our studio is equipped with cozy props and a warm environment to ensure your little one feels relaxed throughout the session. We take the time to soothe and settle your baby, allowing for a stress-free experience for both parents and baby.
4. Personalize Your Session: Every family is unique, and we believe your newborn photos should reflect that. Whether you prefer classic black and white portraits or vibrant, playful setups, we tailor each session to suit your style and preferences. Let us know your vision, and we’ll bring it to life.
5. Capture Milestone Moments: The first month of your baby’s life is filled with milestone moments worth capturing. From their first smile to those adorable yawns and stretches, we’ll preserve these precious memories for you to treasure for years to come.

Now, you might be wondering, why choose Little Wagon Photography for your newborn photos?

1. Expertise and Experience: With 14 years of experience in newborn photography, we have perfected the art of capturing timeless portraits that melt hearts.
2. Attention to Detail: We pay attention to every little detail, from the placement of tiny fingers to the angle of each shot, ensuring that every photograph is a work of art.
3. Safety First: As parents ourselves, we understand the importance of safety when handling newborns. Rest assured, your baby is in good hands with us.
4. State-of-the-Art Studio: Our studio is equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and props to ensure stunning results every time.
5. Unmatched Customer Service: From the initial consultation to the final delivery of your photos, we strive to provide unparalleled customer service and a memorable experience.

Ready to capture the fleeting moments of your baby’s first month? Contact Little Wagon Photography today to schedule your newborn photo session. Don’t let these precious moments slip away—let us preserve them for a lifetime of cherished memories.

Whether you’re a first-time parent or adding a new member to your growing family, let Little Wagon Photography be your partner in creating beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.

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 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!

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 – sweet baby Sophie

This season has been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to keep up with social media, let alone blogging! I’m hoping to make up for it in the New Year but for now, I just wanted to post a few sneak peaks of this sweet newborn baby girl who I recently photographed in my Ottawa studio.

Please feel free to contact us for more information and click here for more newborn photos or here for more baby photos. Thanks for stopping by!

Ottawa Newborn Photographer – baby Miya

Here are a few sneak peaks from a recent newborn photography session that took place in my Ottawa studio. This baby girl was not much of a sleeper at first but I managed to get her into some comfy poses for her to relax and enjoy her session. 😉 Isn’t she such a sweet baby?!

Please visit our gallery page to see more samples of photos and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!