Are you looking for a photographer to provide a newborn photo session? When looking for a photographer for your new baby, it is recommended that you look for someone with experience. A photographer who has worked with many newborns will provide a safe experience for your baby and will be well versed in posing newborns for the cute curled up images that you will love. I have specialized in the art of newborn photography in the Raleigh and Triangle area since 2004. My studio has provided beautiful newborn images to well over a thousand mommies and daddies. The fairy gardens outside give my studio a unique feature as well. Fairy Garden images are taken when the weather is appropriate and during the warm months of the year.
My studio is located in Fuquay Varina North Carolina. It’s location has easy access from Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Apex, Willow Spring and Garner. With pride I share that I have been recognized by Expertise as one of the best newborn photographers in Raleigh for three consecutive years. Click below on the 2019 to read their review about my studio. Thank you so much Expertise.
While you are waiting for your new baby you may want to consider a maternity session. My mini session is perfect for documenting this special time in your life. See the bottom of the page for tips on preparing for your maternity session with Michelle Studios in Raleigh NC.
When possible I love to consult with new parents before the baby is born. Newborn images are best taken in the first three weeks of a baby’s life. If you have already had your baby please contact me as soon as possible. Newborns are my favorites so I will do my best to get you in quickly. We can consult about your session over the phone. Planning the right time for your baby’s session is important and I will let you know how I like to do that when we speak. Many years of experience has put a few tricks in my pocket for planning.
My style is simple, meaning the focus is always on the baby. However, I do have many baskets, backgrounds, wraps, tiny outfits, headbands and hats. This satisfies the varying tastes of many new parents who may want to add props to the images. You may bring props but I generally recommend that you consider using my props. Part of me keeping up to date in the industry means I buy from very talented vendors. Those vendors make items specially for newborn portrait work. They fit well; most are knit and they enhance the look of your images.
Getting ready for your newborn session at Michelle’s Fuquay Varina Portrait Studio
All parents should dress lightly for the newborn experience because it is necessary to keep the studio very warm for the comfort of the newborn while they are undressed. I also highly recommended that mom and dad bring a set of changing clothes with them as accidents are unavoidable. If you have started your new baby with a pacifier, the simple one pictured below does not leave lines around a baby’s mouth. Pacifiers are very helpful for soothing your baby while posing. It is best to give your baby a warm bath the morning of your session. Warm water helps to dislodge some of the flaking skin. It also helps to unclog and clean up around the eyes if that happens to be a problem. The warm water also removes oils from the hair and gets them spruced up and ready for their first photo shoot. It can be helpful with some babies to keep them awake for an hour or so prior to the session so they are sleeping while we shoot. I take safety of your newborn very seriously and sleeping is the best way to pose them in any prop. Babies photograph much better while sleeping so that they can be posed.
If you have your baby in a warm month I also provides customers with an outside studio to capture images like the ones below. I call these areas the fairy gardens. The babies sleep so nicely outside. The images are are very unique.
Even though I have been photographing newborns since 2004 I am super excited about each new little person that comes into the studio. I am devoted to providing you with a unique experience and artistic images of your new baby. Newborns photograph best in the mornings. My gardens were build with my camera in my hand. They are set up to be out of direct sunlight in the morning. If you desire fairy garden images the appointment will be in the morning. Follow THIS LINK to see many examples of newborns in my fairy gardens.
Parents who wish to be photographed with the newborn may do so during any newborn package. I recommend doing parent pictures first because you will get hot and sweaty or wet. This usually takes about 20 minutes and then we do the individual newborn images. My new studio in Fuquay Varina has the best outside light very early in the morning. Sometimes parents forgo family images in order to get in the outside images. Parents are generally a bit wet from dew and morning fog after shooting outside. We talk ahead of time to help you make the best choices for your session. If the garden images are your priority images, that is my suggestion. A better time to get family images is at a child’s sitter session, generally around 8 months of age.
My pricing structure includes a package for incorporating siblings into the newborn photo shoot. Siblings are best shot at the end of a newborn session. Because I have a small studio I ask parents to make arrangements to have any siblings 5 years or younger to be brought in at the end of our newborn session by a family member or friend. The sessions are too long for a toddler age child to sit in on and they compromise the safety of the newborn with sudden noises.
A great time to schedule your maternity photo shoot is generally in the seventh month. I shoot maternity images in studio as well as on location. Some of my favorite locations are in Raleigh, Cary, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs area. When you are preparing for a maternity shoot you may order a special outfit or dress. It is important to try it on right before your session since your body is changing quickly. Make sure to turn and look in the mirror at every angle to make sure it fits properly and that you love it. Avoid undergarments that are too tight if you have a figure fitted maternity dress. Those are the ones that I love; let’s show the bump. Most maternity sessions show some skin, especially the belly. It’s best to remove all undergarments at least 2 hours prior to the photo session. This will eliminate lines and indentations on your skin caused by elastic waist bands. It is also recommended that you avoid tan lines right before your session or cover them with clothing. My studios is very private. I feel you will be very comfortable doing maternity images in any state of dress or undress. I love creating art out of something as wonderful as pregnancy.
After your newborn session when is the next best time to take photos of a baby?
When helping parents plan great times for portraits I am pulling from her 30 years of experience working with children of all ages. The nature of the child suggests that babies who are still not mobile ARE content to sit and interact with people. It’s what they are used to doing. This is great for photos. They still have the cute rolls from being less mobile and it’s super cute. Babies this age generally love getting attention from anyone. Again, considering the nature of the new walker suggests that they love to run and explore. They will not be as content to stay in a designated area in a studio or in nice light outside at that stage in their development. I generally get a lot more variety and better images of babies who are sitting but not walking. Once can be fun, so I don’t want to discourage a birthday session. I just want to say that if you have to choose between 9 months and one year you will get more variety and possibly more smiles at 9 months. My favorite two sessions in any child’s life are the newborn and the sitters. Sitters are what we photographers call the babies who are sitting but not walking yet.
Photographers own the copy rights for the images that they take during a photo session. Images may be used for advertising, publications, social media and printing. Clients who purchase copy rights may print images but may not alter in any way or enter in photography contests without informing me. This is to ensure that I receive photo credit for my work, particularly in publications. It is my hope that the information here helped you to understand some key points about your newborn session if you choose to book a session with me. Thank you
Parents who wish to be photographed with the newborn may do so during any newborn package. I recommend doing parent pictures first because you will get hot and sweaty or wet. This usually takes about 20 minutes and then we do the individual newborn images. My new studio in Fuquay Varina has the best outside light very early in the morning. Sometimes parents forgo family images in order to get in the outside images. Parents are generally a bit wet from dew and morning fog after shooting outside. We talk ahead of time to help you make the best choices for your session. If the garden images are your priority images, that is my suggestion. A better time to get family images is at a child’s sitter session, generally around 8 months of age. 
Photographers own the copy rights for the images that they take during a photo session. Images may be used for advertising, publications, social media and printing. Clients who purchase copy rights may print images but may not alter in any way or enter in photography contests without informing me. This is to ensure that I receive photo credit for my work, particularly in publications. It is my hope that the information here helped you to understand some key points about your newborn session if you choose to book a session with me. Thank you