Newborn

Your Babies Story Is About to Begin!

A sweet tiny little babe all curled up in a basket of soft wool with a sweet headband or hat. Perched in a rustic basket or wrapped snug on a bed of fur is simplistic yet still replicating their position in the womb just a few days before.

You will never forget the first time you laid eyes on your daughter or the first time your son cried. These are truly magical moments. Those first few weeks seem to fly by  and each moment becomes a fleeting memory. Newborn photographers, like myself, photograph newborns between 9-28 days of age. Older babies up to 8 weeks are available however a wrapped or lifestyle session may be the best option.

Newborn Photography is an investment in your memories. The concept of newborn photography is similar to the concept of wedding photography. You have one chance to capture that moment before it passes you by.

BOOKING IN ADVANCE – Click here to book your session or view our packages

Custom photography is simply that… a custom experience tailored to suit you, your style, your personality and your needs. When I am contacted for a newborn photography session far enough in advance of your due date, I have the luxury of ordering props such as custom hats, headbands, blankets and props suited to your entire session.

Custom photographers spend many hours perfecting your images to create a unique gallery that truly makes our clients personalities shine through; a gallery that will preserve and incredibly important memory in your lifetime.

Most women book their newborn sessions in their 2nd trimester to ensure availability.

** Because of the on call nature of Newborn Photography I only take a limited amount of sessions per month.
You book for the month you are due and then once baby arrives we set up an actual session date within the first 28 days. **

Info about NEWBORN SESSION 

Those first few weeks after your child is born are life changing. It’s as if your whole world has opened up and you’ve discovered that life wasn’t as bright or colourful before your baby entered the world.

I want to capture what you’re feeling. I want to document the looks exchanged between mother, father and baby. Those are moments so precious that you can’t even describe them with the letters of the alphabet. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I contend that a picture is worth far more. A picture captures impalpable essence.

 Once you are booked into my schedule for your due date you are entered into my newborn roster for that month and it ensures your spot! One less thing you have to remember to book and can put that aside. I wont need you to contact me until baby is earth side. I will have you email or text me 519 761 8161 ASAP whichever is easier for you to let me know baby is born and we will pick a session date within the first month  (usually between week 2-3) at that time only.

As for scheduling your newborn photos, when we take them is your decision and how you’re feeling after birth. I suggest the best time is day 9-18.

If you have had a C section or complications take it easy theres no rush. 
Because that “newborn look” tends to fade quickly we will book you in within the first month however if we need to I have done babies up to 6 weeks old .

 Usually the first week is a write off. Its unknown how many days you will stay
in hospital or if you have to go back up for jaundice issues.

Also  your milk usually doesn’t come in until day 3 …
Then we give baby a few days to figure out how to nurse and get a proper
 schedule going.

By then its usually day 7 and so hits the growth spurt .
Usually day 6-7-8 babies have their first growth spurt that they just
want to be held and fed so I try to avoid those times. 

My sweet spot for sessions is usually babies age Day 9 -21. That being said all babies are different and I cant really pin point a great day to do them .

 Another thing to remember that is if you are having a boy and plan to have him circumcized that we get your session in before  that is done.  If your circumcision  is booked before your photography session we will have to wait at least a week for baby to heal. This usually isn’t an issue as they tend to not do these procedures until baby is a month old but some times scheduling conflicts arise and I just want it to be transparent before you book it .  

Now, I know you’re going to be exhausted after all that pushing. The best part about a newborn session, though, is the fact that you don’t have to do anything but show up. I have ALL the Props, the wraps , the headbands, the layers, the wool etc needed to do your session. Currently we don’t accept any outside props in the studio however if there is a item of significance  to your family you would like to use please reach out ASAP and ask if it is doable. Not all requests are in-fact able to be executed as items outside the studio do not photograph well. This includes the use of for example … antlers , jerseys, fire helmets and jackets , “newborn” knitted outfits and hats, tutus or other newborn marketed products you find commercially.  For the most part the outfits you buy are too big for babies and require your baby to pose in certain positions.  Also we do not replicate any images that have been taken from social media or pintrest from other photographers. Its best not to have a “Newborn photo shoot inspiration board” as not all babies will do certain things and it avoids disappointment. If there are some images that you have seen on our website or instagram/ facebook that you would like to do please reach out to us with a screen shot and I can tell you if its doable or not. We may no longer have the prop in studio or it was a digital composite. 

Remember, the emphasis here is on your newborn, so your little one will be the star of the day.  Here at Stella Ella Ola Photography we do BABY Led posing . There is an industry standard for poses for example hands flat, fingers visible, mouth closed etc. However if your baby wants to have their hands by their face or clenched in a fist or their mouth open and tongue out there is nothing I can do . I will attempt 2-3 times to fix it but if baby is fussy and goes back to what they want then we proceed with that.  Crazy how a newborn thats under a month old already know what they want and what they don’t want !!

Once we book you in for your newborn session you will be sent a PREP GUIDE with a couple of things you need to do before your session to prep baby . This ensures we have a happy sleepy baby.

Session information

I shoot newborn sessions in my studio Monday – Friday at 10:30am only. Theres a specific reason for this time as its usually when babies are most sleepy and least stimulated. If you have booked a newborn session with sibling / parent or family images please note this time.  My workflow is the same for every sessions. After photographing over a 1000 newborns this is what i find works the best . Sometimes dads will have to take the morning off work or keep the kids home from school in the morning or pick them up  from school  around
1130am.

There is also the option to split your newborn session up into two
parts.  You can come for your newborn session with baby and we will do
all the newborn portraits  during the week and then we can do your
family portion of your newborn session on the weekend ( pending
availability) for an additional  session fee of $113 .

One parent ( usually mom) will come with baby to the studio. At this time only one parent is allowed in the studio for the duration of the newborn session . If you are doing sibling images you will  have to arrange to have  your partner or grandparent wait with sibling in the car until it’s time for their portraits. The best thing to do is get dropped off with baby and have them go for a car ride to a Tim Hortons and get an treat for after or session OR drive separately and we will text them when to come back for their portraits which usually takes around 30-40 mins after we start shooting baby .  

We will start our session by getting baby to settle and sleep while we  wrap baby up this can take up to 30 minutes sometime. Once baby is settled and wrapped we will start our session usually photographing baby on a flokati rug . At this time I will have you call or text for the other parent or the siblings to come in the studio for their portraits. Once they are done getting their pictures done they are free to leave and we will finish up our session with just baby.

If  you are interested in both  the looks of a  Studio Posed session for your newborn portraits and then would like to add on a lifestyle session in your home where its not posed and more documentary we can defiantly arrange that. You would just pay for your newborn in studio digital collection and you would get a $100 discount off your lifestyle newborn session.

I know I have just bombarded you with a-lot of information but these are usually all of the questions that come up before our session and I love to send out this information to keep you in the know of what is going on WHEN… WHERE and WHY.

I cant wait to meet you and your squishy little baby.

Sending you all the love light and positive energy. I hope to hear from you and see you in studio very soon!

You got this !!

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Cheers,

Kayla