When should my newborn session take place? Lifestyle newborn sessions typically take place when the baby is between 2 and 8 weeks old, but can be as late as 12 weeks. Until 2 weeks, the newborn is typically sleeping most of the time. After 2 weeks, we can capture the newborn while they are both sleeping and awake. At 8 weeks and afterwards, the baby is typically smiling and more alert; this is my favorite time to photograph babies.

It is never too late for a newborn session! If your baby is older than 12 weeks and you would still like to schedule a photo session, you can schedule a “newborn” session if you prefer a longer (2 hour) session, which allows for more feeding and break time. This is highly recommended when the newborn has older siblings. Or, you can schedule a shorter (closer to one hour) session, which is considered a “family” session (more information here).

When should I contact you to schedule my session? If you are interested in scheduling a session for the first 8 weeks after your baby is born, I recommend that you reach out to me two months or more before you due date, so that we can set a tentative date for the session. My schedule books up quickly, and I want to be sure to accommodate your preferred session time. Of course, we can change it if your baby arrives earlier or later than expected. If you are interested in scheduling a session for when the baby is older than 8 weeks, you can reach out to me after the baby arrives and we can schedule the session then.

Where will the session be located? Sessions most often take place within your home. Lifestyle newborn shoots are all about capturing the natural relationship between the baby and their new family, within the comfort of their home environment. Please Note: For locations outside of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, there is an additional $175 travel fee. I offer sessions outside of Manhattan, Brooklyn and parts of Queens from January - August.

What time will the session take place? We will decide together the best time for your shoot. I typically do newborn shoots in the late morning (from around 10am-12pm) - it is a good time for both the newborn, and often for the indoor light (although it may depend on which direction the windows face in your home).

How do we prepare for the session? Before your session, I will ask you to please send me photos and/or videos of your home, so that I can plan where the light will be best for our shoot. I most often photograph clients in their living rooms, in the nursery and in the primary bedroom. For photographs in the primary bedroom, it is preferable for you to have a blanket or duvet that is white, ivory or pastel. We will want to remove clutter in the spaces in your home where we will be photographing. If it's possible to do this in advance of the shoot, that's great, but I am more than happy to help do this when I arrive at your home. You have a LOT going on!

For newborn sessions with toddler siblings, it can be helpful for you to have your toddler practice holding their new sibling in advance of the session. I can send you some poses to practice (i.e. toddler holding newborn on the bed, toddler lying next to newborn on the bed, toddler, kissing the newborn on the bed).

What should we wear to the session? After you book your session, I will send you my style guide with ten tips to help you prepare coordinated outfits for you and your family. The guide includes color palettes, numerous images from sessions with me, recommendations for where you can buy or rent clothing and links to some specific recommended items.

I also encourage you to consult with me about clothing at any point between the time that you book your session and our session date. Feel free to email me photographs of clothes that you are considering for you or your family members - I love helping you to make decisions! You can either send me links to the clothing you’re considering purchasing or renting online, or photos you’ve taken on your phone of clothing you already have.

When do I pay the session fee? When we have set a date for your shoot, I will send you a link requesting that you pay the $300 session fee required to secure your session date and time. You can pay for the session fee via credit card or Venmo. At the same time, I will send you a link to sign my standard client agreement. Both the session fee and signed agreement are required to book. There is a $200 rebooking fee for sessions that are rescheduled within less than 24 hours notice. For sessions cancelled within 24 hours, the $300 session fee is nonrefundable.

When do I pay for Collection 1 or Collection 2? When I send you your proof gallery within 2-4 weeks of your session, you will then decide whether you would like to purchase Collection 1 ($595) or Collection 2 ($795). The payment for your Collection is due within 3 days (72 hours) of receiving your gallery. If you purchase Collection 1, you must select your 25 images within 7 days. I will then apply final edits to the 25 proofs you select (Collection 1) or to the full gallery (Collection 2).

If I purchase Collection 1, do I have to choose from the color edited version and black and white version of the 25 files I am selecting? Yes. If you purchase Collection 1, you select a total of 25 files. This can be either 25 color files, 25 black and white files, or a combination of the 2. Many clients who purchase Collection 1 select approximately 15-20 color files and 5-10 black and white files for their final gallery.

If I purchase Collection 2, how do I select the 10 5x7 prints included in the Collection? I will provide instructions to you via email. You can select 10 different images, or, you can decide to print 10 copies of the same favorite image - perhaps you would like one for your home, one for your office, and the rest for gifts for family, for example.

What edits do you make? For your proof gallery, edits include color toning, cropping, and may include head swaps if I think that a composite of two images would be preferable. After you decide on the Collection you would like, I may make additional edits, including, for example, removing stray hairs on faces, removing lint, removing distractions in the background of an image (like, for example, a parking sign), and light skin retouching (ex. removing a pimple). Edits do NOT include (but may be requested for an additional fee), body shaping and removing tan lines, for example.

When will I receive my final gallery? Within one week of your selecting your Collection, I will send you your final gallery. All files can be downloaded in both a high-resolution JPG file version (best for printing) and low-resolution JPG file version (best for sharing on social media and emailing). The timeline is as follows: Within 2-4 weeks of your session date, I send you your proof gallery -> Within 1 Week after I send your proof gallery, you make your final selections -> Within 1 Week of your making your final selections, I send you your final gallery of edited images for you to download via a Shootproof.com link. Your gallery will then be live for 30 days, during which time you can download your files and purchase prints and products, if you wish. Please make sure to save and back up your images. I clean out my client files every three months and cannot guarantee that I will have your files after three months.

Will my session be cancelled for bad weather? In the event of inclement weather, the session may need to be postponed. When this happens, you and I will work together to determine a new date for the shoot.

What if I need to cancel my shoot? You may reschedule a session once without charge as long as it is no less than seven days before the shoot. In this case, your session fee will be transferred towards the new session date. If you reschedule a second time, your session fee will not be refunded, and you will need to pay a new session fee if you would still like to shoot.