Maternity Session For Maria -South Jersey Photographer

Another gorgeous mama came into my studio last week! Maria came in ready for all my crazy ideas! We got super creative and tried some new techniques!

We started off in the studio and then made our way down the shore to capture some images of Maria and her husband together on the beach! Did you know that your maternity session can include both studio and outdoor portraits in one?!

I love being able to capture the beauty and strength of the woman’s body during pregnancy. Take a look at some more of my favorite images from this session and reach out if you’re ready to schedule your own maternity session!

Studio Maternity Session-South Jersey Photographer

Studio Maternity Session

Tiffany came into the studio recently for her maternity session and absolutely crushed it! I love photographing women during this time in their lives because it is SO important to feel powerful/sexy/beautiful while creating and carrying life. Its important to remember these moments and look back at just how beautiful you truly are!

Tiffany LOVED this green color I had set out for her, but also wanted some neutrals and blues to represent her baby boy coming in just a few months. The best part about these sessions, is that they are completely customizable and unique to ensure you get the portraits of your dreams.

I had so much fun with Tiffany and love how these final images came out! I can’t wait to meet her baby boy soon!

Take a look at some of my favorite images from her gallery!

Are you interested in booking your own maternity session? Let's Chat!

Why Golden Hour is My Favorite Time to Shoot

If you’ve been around for a while-or even if you’re new here- you’ll notice that the majority of my images are shot at Golden Hour.

What’s golden you might ask? Golden hour is the hour or so before sunset where the sun/sky gives off that gorgeous golden glow! It is my favorite time to start a session!

While, yes— it is 100% possible to still get beautiful images mid day, if done properly—you will get an entirely different look and very different colors as opposed to shooting later in the evening.

A lot of parents are hesitant this time of year to shoot at golden hour now that the sun is setting so late—trust me mamas, I GET it— but let me put a few little notes in your head to ease that anxiousness....

• Kids LOVE being outside and there's so much to explore! Even if they get a little fussy, which I 100% expect past bedtime and it is 100% normal, it's usually an easy fix with a few distractions and some silly noises

• You cannot, cannot, cannot recreate that amazing light. Period. The golden colors are something you just can't replicate during the day. If you’re hiring me, I assume it’s because you LOVE my work, so trust me!

• CANDIDS. Candid images are my GO-TO. If I was a little kid, I wouldn’t want to sit and smile at a random person with a camera either. Let me help east the stress of “posing” and just enjoy your family. Playing together, snuggling and laughing make for the perfect photos, and help your little ones feel less stressed. Also, when all else fails—I brring snacks. Snacks always win.

Trust me when I say it is WORTH IT. If all of this still doesn’t ease your mind, and you’re still unsure about letting the kiddos stay up late for photo day, I would definitely suggest considering a fall family session instead of summer! The sun sets around 5pm in the fall, so golden hour occurs a lot earlier—allowing you to get the look you want AND get those kiddos to bed on time!

What Type of Newborn Photography is Best for You? | Lifestyle vs. Posed

Congrats! You’re expecting a new little babe and are over the moon! You definitely want to capture this time together, but you’re not sure what style you’re looking for. That’s the best thing about photography, there’s something for everyone. A newborn is only a newborn for about 3 weeks, so with such a limited amount of time, you’ll want to start planning as soon as possible-I always suggest to start looking before your 3rd trimester-you only have small window once that little babes is born! Now… let’s get into it.

What IS the difference between a lifestyle session and a posed session

Posed/Studio Newborn Photography

Posed newborn photography is exactly how it sounds. Posing your sweet baby on different props and backdrops to capture those sweet little features. The photographer will control all lighting and use tons of props such as buckets/baskets and wraps. We love to get that sweet babe all curled up and sleepy!!

Parent shots are always included in these as well, but are also “posed.” I usually use a solid backdrop for parent shots and a flokati rug/ backdrop for siblings! Studio newborn sessions take place around 10-15 days old while your baby is still sleepy and “bendy” as I like to say. Scheduling these UNDER a week is also a bit tricky, as we try to avoid cluster feeding and want to give you, mom, some time to recover and get into somewhat of a schedule. The session take about 2-3 hours depending on how sleepy baby is. Parents are able to sit back and relax, trusting their photographer to handle the session from start to finish (your babe is in GREAT hands).

Lifestyle Newborn Photography

A lifestyle session is a lot more “laid back” and takes place in the client’s home. It tends me a lot more candid, just capturing your family and your day to day lives. Think snuggles and giggles!! The timeframe for these are also a bit more flexible, as we don’t need to do as much posing. I would say to try and get these scheduled within the first 4-6 weeks. These typically use natural light as opposed to studio light and use very little to no props. This type of photography is best for parents who may not want to travel with their new babe or who want a more “candid” look for their images. Lifestyle photography is great for those intimate family moments that you want captured and typically last about 1-1.5 hours. Documenting real life and moments that may otherwise be overlooked.

Now that you know the differences between the two, hopefully this helps makes your decision a bit easier! There’s no right or wrong answer, just whatever works best for your vision and your family!

The Bucket Pose-Southern New Jersey Newborn Photographer

Ahh- the most requested pose- The Bucket Pose! Every parent receives a styling questionnaire when booking, where they can select their preferred colors, props, poses etc, and almost every single time, I get the bucket request! I mean…It’s just so cute-what’s not to love about a snuggly little baby in a bucket?!

While this pose used to scare the living poop out of me, it’s because I never really knew how to SAFELY execute this pose until I took the time to learn. Now, it’s one of my favorites- I absolutely love styling these bucket sets, giving them each a unique look.

I often get asked how I achieve this pose, and I’m a really big fan of community over competition in the photography world, so I’m happy to share some tips below!

Please note- if you are NOT a professional photographer, please do not attempt this at home,

Tips for the bucket pose and how I style it

• Baby must be SUPER sleepy. For most of the “posed” images you see online, baby is in a very deep sleep in order for me to pose them without any resistance. I keep my studio at 78 degrees and constantly play white noise in order to help keep the baby feel warm and comfortable. Providing clients with gorgeous images, starts within the studio and keeping your baby nice and calm and happy.

• Place a weight or something heavy at the bottom of the bucket. The LAST thing you need is that bucket getting top heavy and falling over. You want to make sure baby stays in place the entire time, even after you take your arms away.

• Keep Baby WRAPPED. This pose gives off the illusion that baby is fully naked, however, I always keep their feet nice and wrapped to avoid any kicking or pushing out and launching themselves forward. Newborns are so much stronger than we think, and this of course could be a danger to them, so to keep your baby safe, I always keep their feet wrapped up nice and take their arms out.

• Pay attention to baby’s size. While I pretty much use the same bucket base for every session, the size of baby plays a big part. If I am photographing a smaller baby, I will need more posers and/or blankets inside my bucket so that they fit better, and visa versa for a bigger baby. I do also have a few bigger buckets that I occasionally like to use as well.

• Baby needs to always be fully supported. Sometimes, baby is able to keep their head up by themselves if your beans and posers are placed correctly. Always make sure they are nice and snug in the bucket before stepping away. If baby still seems to be tilting their head or leaning, have an assistant keep one finger on their head for some extra support.

• Pose the arms before placing them in the bucket. This makes for an easier transition. You want to move and maneuver the baby as little as possible once they are in the prop. Pose their arms, while the baby is in your lap, and then move them into the bucket. This keeps their head supported through the whole transition and you're not grabbing their fragile limbs too much.

• Hook the elbows. This means that you have to hook their elbows over the rim of the bucket so baby does not slip downward or start to sink. This is why it's ever so important to place weights inside of the bucket so it will not be top heavy once the elbows are placed.

Well, that’s all I have for today! Remember mamas, these tips are for my photographers who have newborn posing experience and background safety training. Please, again, do not attempt any of these poses at home!

Take a look at some of my favorite bucket sets!