RALEIGH DURHAM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY | Baby Elena

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Adorable baby Elena was sooo absolutely perfect! That skin! Those cheeks! That hair! Oh my goodness, what a beautiful baby she is!

Elena’s family came to me a few years back for their older daughter, Liliana’s, newborn portraits. I was excited to see them again and meet their new addition. And of course Liliana came along and we did some amazing sibling photos. I absolutely love them, especially the ones where Liliana is snuggling baby Elena.

Elena’s newborn photo session was held when she was 11 days old, and it happened to be shortly before Christmas. I had fun incorporating some Christmas elements into her newborn session so the family could use the photos for their Christmas cards. I have a big selection of Christmas themed props, so I always put them to good use every November and December! If you have a baby near a holiday, please don’t hesitate to ask me what themed props I have to use during your baby’s session.

Here are some of my favorites from baby Elena’s newborn photography session in my studio in Wake Forest, NC!

Are you looking for beautiful artwork of your newborn baby? If you’re expecting, or have a new baby, and are located in the Raleigh / Durham / Wake Forest, NC area and would like to schedule a photo session, please let me know. I can be reached through e-mail, or through the contact form on my website (link directly below). Thank you so much!

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Baby Emerson | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NC NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Before we get to little Emerson’s newborn session share, I wanted to touch on the topic of family and sibling photos during newborn sessions. I currently have two different newborn session options – mini sessions and full sessions. The mini is the quick, no-fuss option. A shorter session with time for baby photos only, and just one price for the session and a digital download of the photos. The full session gives us plenty of time to get family photos and/or photos with any big brothers and sisters, as well as lots of different options for prints, digital files, or products to purchase after the session.

I get asked a lot what clients should wear for their family photo, and my preference is that folks always wear something simple. You don’t want a lot of bright colors, patterns, florals, etc. that will go out of style in a few years. A simple, neutral colored top (think cream, grey, white, black, or soft colors) with basic jeans or pants is ideal. We’ll swaddle baby in a basic wrap, or go nude for some sweet skin shots. The simpler we keep everything, the better the photo will be. Of course, this is just my personal preference for the style of your photos! You are more than welcome to wear whatever you think represents you and your family the best!

And now onto this sweet baby girl named Emerson. This is another family where I was fortunate to photograph the older sibling as a baby, and as he got older (back when I still offered family sessions). And as always, I’m so delighted to welcome back past clients into my Wake Forest, NC newborn studio for another baby session! Emerson was gorgeous, and I love all of the family and sibling photos we did that day. Here are a few of my favorites!

We can create beautiful newborn art together! If you would like to schedule your new baby for a photo session, please let me know. I can be reached through e-mail, or through the contact form on my website (link below) to book your photo session. Thank you so much!

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Baby Katherine | RALEIGH DURHAM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

I have another beautiful baby girl to feature today! But I first wanted to touch on something I get asked by parents a lot before their newborn sessions: “how should we prep the baby?” There are a few tips I give new parents to answer this question, because the goal for each session is to have a baby who is sleepy, and whose tummy is full. That’s really the secret to great newborn photos!

So, let’s tackle the sleepy issue. If a baby sleeps at home all morning before the session, then it’s more likely they’ll be rested up and awake during their session. So the trick to make sure this doesn’t happen, is simply to do what you can to keep them awake for a little while before you leave for the session! Sometimes babies can be hard to wake up (which isn’t usually something I’d call a problem, unless you’re about to come see me for a session!). If your baby is super sleepy and not easy to keep awake, you can try giving them a bath, or maybe even just undressing them and changing their diaper to stimulate them. Wipe them with a wipe on their bottom and they’re usually WIDE awake!

The second thing we want to accomplish is to have baby come with a full tummy. So this seems like a no-brainer… feed the baby right before you leave, right? Well YES! But it’s actually more than that. Some newborn babies wake every hour in need of a feed. The trick to making sure that doesn’t happen during your session is to feed them a LOT during the 24 hours before your session. For example, I recently had someone whose baby was really hungry and wide awake for most of their session. I wasn’t surprised when the mom told me her baby had slept through the night with no feedings the night before. So, wake that baby up if they’re going on more than 3 hours without a feeding. Most doctors advise to feed newborns at least every 3 hours, so make sure to follow that rule the entire day and night prior to your session. Then they’re more likely to have a longer sleepy stretch during their newborn session. And all of this ensures we can get as many poses and setups done during a session as possible. And more setups = more pictures = more cuteness!!

So that’s my two cents for getting that baby ready for his or her big photo debut!

And last but not least is baby Katherine! Such a cutie who came in for a newborn mini-session in my Wake Forest studio (more details on the mini-session available on my website!). Loved her sweet little smiles she gave me, and her amazing hair!

If you have a newborn or are expecting one soon, and you’re located in the Raleigh Durham Wake Forest, NC area and would like some beautiful art of your baby, please contact me! I can be reached through e-mail, or through my contact form on my website (link below) to book your photo session. Thank you so much!

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Baby Piper | RALEIGH DURHAM NC NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Little baby Piper was the second baby I’ve photographed for this family, and I was elated to see them again and meet their newest little one! I adore the name Piper – such a cute choice of name. And I believe this is the first baby named Piper I’ve ever photographed! Piper’s session was so amazing. She was so sleepy and curly, and we created some beautiful art for her family.

If you have a newborn or are expecting, and are in the Raleigh Durham Wake Forest, NC area and would like some beautiful art of your baby, please contact me! I can be reached through e-mail, or through my contact form on my website (link below) to book your photo session. Thank you so much!

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Baby Hannah | RALEIGH DURHAM NC BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Baby Hannah was such a sweet baby girl! I loved her precious little features, especially her amazing lashes and tiny toes! I just got a few new baby beds, and Hannah posed perfectly in one of them for me in a beautiful little outfit. She was absolutely stunning and so fun to pose. I loved meeting her family and seeing the joy she is bringing them. Loved this session!

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Baby Sutton | RALEIGH DURHAM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Oh sweet little Sutton. What a gorgeous name for a gorgeous baby! Sutton’s mommy opted for a mini newborn session – which is my newest session offering. One hour of as many poses as we can squeeze in! Little Sutton cooperated so nicely and we got SO many great photos. Yes, aaaaall of these poses (and even a bunch more than shown here) were from a mini newborn session. I find that I can usually over deliver on these sessions as long as the baby is kept awake a little before the session, and arrives with a full belly. Then they’ll sleep so soundly for the hour, and we can get in lots of setups. Sutton’s mommy sure delivered – she was out like a light! If you’d like more info on a mini newborn session, please reach out! I love doing these.

Here are my favorites! 🙂

If you’re expecting a baby in the Raleigh-Durham-Wake Forest, North Carolina area and would like some photos of your newborn, please contact me! I can be reached through e-mail, or contact me via my contact form on my website (link below) to book your photo session. Thank you so much!

Contact Melissa for a Session | View Melissa’s Portfolio | Follow Melissa on Facebook

Baby Will | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Sweet little baby Will is the second baby I’ve photographed for this lovely family. I was so happy for them – adding another little one to their clan. I met little Will when he was just seven days old. How lucky am I that I get to encounter these babies so fresh and new to the world? I truly love it! Will was tiny and adorable, and so fun to pose. I loved catching up with his Mommy, and was happy that she shared him with me. I wouldn’t mind if they just go ahead and have another. 😉

Here are a few shots from Will’s first photo session!

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Baby Lochlan | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

I have a stunning family full of little boys to share with you today! Their boy’s ages and their family dynamic is so similar to mine, it just blew my mind! They were a family of five, with three boys with unique personalities, who are loved so much. It was really sweet to see. We got some great photos of all three boys that I found so sweet and touching. And of course lots of great photos of little Lochlan by himself. This family just melted my heart! Here are all of my favorites from Lochlan’s first baby session!

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Baby Sid | RALEIGH DURHAM BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

I can’t get over what a beautiful baby little Sid is! And his name totally matches him! Sid’s daddy is in the Army and they requested camouflage and some Army shots, and they brought along some of Dad’s Army hats and dog tags. The result was adorable on him. There is just so much cuteness in this session! I loved every minute with this family, and I was thrilled to personalize this session for Daddy. The photo where Sid is smiling with Daddy’s hat and dog tags is my favorite. And the cute little teddy bear shots are precious too – I get requested to do those almost every session and they’re always favorites of mine and the parents. Too many favorites to even mention them all! So here are some of the highlights from Sid’s Raleigh newborn photo session.

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Baby Jase | RALEIGH DURHAM NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Baby Jase was such a tiny one for being 14 days old. He was so sleepy and cute too! I had met his Mommy a few times before, so I was excited to see her and catch up with her! I’m excited for her on this journey into motherhood. Tiring, but so rewarding! And for Jase’s newborn session, she requested red, which isn’t a color I use very often, so it was fun to switch things up. And I really loved the red! I think it’s just so stunning.

I wanted to also mention that I’ve started offering a newborn “mini” session. I get asked SO often by parents to just take a few photos, but my full newborn sessions are usually 3 hours of shooting, plus lots of setups and props and variety. So I figured I’d give a try to something just a little shorter and it’s working really well so far. The mini sessions are one hour long, and I can usually fit in one prop setup (in a bucket, basket, etc.), along with a few poses on a blanket. And then there are lots of different angles, lots of different hats switched out, wraps switched out, etc. so we can still get some variety. And these sessions result in about 15 photos (or more). For now I’m trying it out as an all-inclusive session – where you pay a certain price and it includes a download of all of the digital files. So if this is something you think might work for you, don’t hesitate to ask me more questions! (melissadevoephotography@gmail.com)

And here is cutie little Jase for you!