What to Expect at Your Newborn Photography Session

You're figuring out everything at once, and the last thing you want is to show up to your newborn session unsure of what's about to happen. So here's the honest version: what an in-home newborn session in Grand Rapids actually looks like, how to prepare, and why you really don't need to stress about it.

When to Schedule

The sweet spot is somewhere between 3 and 8 weeks old. That window exists for good reasons on both ends. Much earlier than 3 weeks and the early fog of new parenthood hasn't lifted yet — the logistics alone are a lot. Much later than 8 weeks and babies are more alert, more opinionated, and a little less inclined to curl up and settle. That newness fades faster than you think.

The key thing: book before baby arrives. Reach out during your third trimester and we'll put a date on the calendar for that 3–8 week window. The window is wide enough that it works out just fine.

Where It Happens

Your home. You don't pack a bag, you don't strap a newborn into a car seat, you don't worry about timing everything around a drive. I come to you.

And no — you don't need to deep clean your house. If you can clear some surface clutter, that does help keep the background simple. But I'm not photographing your countertops. I'm there to capture your family in the space where your real life is happening, and that's exactly what these images should look like.

Natural light matters, so I'll work in the rooms where the light is good — the master bedroom, the nursery, and the family room tend to be the spaces we end up in most. If you want more detail on what a session includes, the newborn sessions page has everything.

Real homes, real light, real life — that's what these sessions are made of.

How Long It Takes

Plan for 1–2 hours. That's enough time to work through baby solo shots, family groupings, and sibling moments without anyone feeling rushed — and with room for a feeding or a fussy stretch in the middle.

There's no rigid order to how I work. I follow what the baby is doing. If baby is sleepy, we lean into that. If baby is alert and fussy, we shift. If there's a toddler who needs to be done with photos in the first 20 minutes so they can go watch a show and decompress, we do sibling shots first. If dad has to be somewhere, we work around that. Sessions flex — that's just how it goes.

What Baby Should Wear

Keep it simple. A neutral-colored onesie is always a safe choice. A knit romper or a little pants-and-sweater set can be really sweet. A thinner blanket that coordinates with the outfit works well for swaddling — something bulky makes it harder to get a good wrap, and swaddling is sometimes exactly what settles a baby mid-session.

One honest note on hair bows: they're cute in theory, but in practice they require constant adjusting. There can be a perfect expression happening and the bow is sideways — and that's what you see in the photo. We can absolutely include a bow, just know we'll spend some time fussing with it.

Simple outfits and soft swaddles photograph beautifully — and they let baby be the focus.

What You and Your Family Should Wear

Casual is completely fine. Outfits that feel comfortable and don't need a lot of adjusting — that's the goal. If mom wants to wear a dress, that's a beautiful choice. If mom wants to wear jeans and a casual shirt, that's a beautiful choice too. What works best is when everyone's outfits feel like they belong together without being overly coordinated.

The Fussy Baby Question

Here's the real answer: babies fuss. That is not an emergency. The less you stress about it, the better — your baby picks up on your energy. I've been in a lot of homes with a lot of newborns, and I have a few baby whisperer tricks I can try. Sometimes they work beautifully. Sometimes we just wait it out together.

Alert babies make for some of the most memorable shots. This look? Worth every minute of waiting for it.

Some sessions are smooth start to finish. Some sessions feel a little chaotic. Both kinds produce beautiful images. I've never left a session without something worth keeping — and neither will you.

Toddlers, for what it's worth, often act out a little during newborn sessions. They sense that something unusual is happening and respond accordingly. Don't worry about it. We'll work with whatever they give us.

The One Thing That Helps the Most

The more you interact naturally — with baby, with each other, with your older kids — the more I have to work with. Talk to your baby. Talk to each other. Let your toddler show me their toy. The candid moments happen when something is actually going on — so just be together and let me catch what's already there.

The quiet moments. The ones you'll want to remember forever — that's what we're here for.