Independence NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | SERVING KANSAS CITY, LEE'S SUMMIT, BLUE SPRINGS, and RAYTOWN, Missouri
Hey there!
So...I've been thinking about my work and style lately, and especially when it comes to how I choose to style my newborn sessions. Today I wanted to share a little insight to my thought process, and why I design sessions the way I do. Why simplicity?
When I had my first son and we were still in the hospital, things felt so chaotic. The revolving door of nurses. The obnoxious machines in the NICU that tattled on me anytime I readjusted myself, or my son. Lactation consultants. Doctors. Someone for the birth certificate. Photographer offering photos in our hospital room. The list goes on. It wasn't until I got home that I felt some peace, and space to breathe. It was in these peaceful moments that I found myself really studying my son for the first time. I use that word because I have no other way to describe it. I would fall into this sort of trance just staring at him. I would stare at him for what felt like hours, and I studied every single detail. His little eyelashes that seemed impossibly tiny. His fuzzy nearly transparent eyebrows. Each crease in his lips. the curves of his little button nose. His tiny, slender fingers. I watched him breathe as he slept, and marveled at how incredible he was.
So how does this relate to how I style my newborn sessions? It was those dream-like moments that I wished I could memorize every minuscule detail. Time virtually stopped, distractions tuned out, and my senses seemingly hyper aware. It's these feelings and emotions that I wish I could give, even in the smallest of doses, to the families of the babies I photograph. I wish everyone could experience those moments, the way I experienced those moments. Photography is an amazing tool in which I CAN freeze time, and each characteristic, forever. With a simplistic and minimal styled approach, I feel that I can best create the vision I crave to capture.
To achieve the style that is true to my vision, I aim to eliminate distractions by keeping setups simple, and props at a minimum. I choose colors that are soft and easy on the eyes, while also complimenting skin tones. I love using textures that add dimension and bring the photo to life. These efforts help me create a timeless, beautiful, photograph of each baby, that won't be dated by use of the latest prop trends. Don't get me wrong though, I do love all the darling props, and set ups; and I have fun putting them together. However, I avoid having those images be the overarching theme of a session.
My end goal is that the newborns I photograph are the highlight, focus, and sole purpose of each image. I want each little one to stand out, and I want to capture every little detail in a way that families will cherish and memorialize forever.
Props are cute, but your baby is the real work of art.
