The idea window of dates for your maternity session is between 32 and 36 weeks. This will give you a nice round bump to photograph, but you shouldn't be so far along that you're uncomfortable in your skin.

The best time for your newborn photos to take place are typically within the first two weeks of life. You can put a retainer down at any point to reserve a spot during the month of your baby's due date. Once your baby arrives, you'll contact us to finalize the best date and time to capture your portraits.

We LOVE to incorporate your ideas and important treasures into your portraits - we find this super important for milestone sessions like high school senior portrait sessions. If you have items that are heirloom items, represent a family hobby, or items that "just matter" please reach out to us prior to your session with some photos of these items so we can discuss the best way to incorporate your ideas.

Our newborn sessions include all the props and wraps needed to capture timeless moments of your newest little addition - so really there is no need to bring any items with you - again, unless you have something super specific that adds to the ambience and meaning to your newborn session.

Please note - IF you bring something to your session, there is no guarantee it will be photographed. Some items need to be inspected for safety and feasibility on adding it to the session.

You will potentially be photographed from HEAD to TOE to the TIPS OF YOUR FINGERS - so every bit of your outfit(s) and appearance is important. Our clients may be standing, moving, and sitting throughout the session, it is important to take into consideration everything you are wearing.

Please feel free to bring multiple outfits to choose from - multiple outfit options can help enhance different poses as well as be featured on different styles of backdrops to give you the best selection of images to choose from by the end of our time together. If you'd like to do an outfit change and we are out on location, please make sure you are wearing proper undergarments for a quick change, or we've planned in the time it takes to find a safe place to change.

We strongly suggest trying on your outfits prior to coming to the studio - clothing should be fitted for your body type and not be too loose or too tight. Please remember to dress from head to toe (yes, we will see your feet in some photos unless you're wearing a long long long gown that covers your footwear). Outfits should also be free from wrinkles and stains - we cannot photoshop creases in post production.

Some sessions we just make use of fabric to drape and pin, so it's important to be comfortable in your own skin and have nude undergarments to wear.

We do have a handful of simple maternity gowns that can be worn during our studio sessions. Please feel free to inquire about our current offerings in your size prior to your session and we can make sure we have the gown ready for you to wear.

Great question! Your family should be dressed in similar formality to your outfit. For example, if you're in a long flowy gown, your spouse should not be in shorts and a cutoff shirt. If we're in our studio doing nude-illusion photos for maternity, your spouse will also be incorporated in this style of photo and may find him/herself topless or in an open flowy shirt.

Kiddo's outfits should also reflect the formality of your outfits - you may want to have two outfits for younger kiddos, something simple and something a little more complex. Ultimately you'll want to choose the star's outfit first (or, in a family case, the pickiest/hardest to dress person first), and your entourage should compliment them. Neutral colors are flattering on everyone and you can always add a pop of color to tie everyone together. 

As a general rule - EVERYONE will be photographed from head to toes - so make sure we leave the grubby sneakers at home for your session. We're happy to coach you and your entourage on any outfit recommendations so your family looks like peas in a pod for the final images.

Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: Yes. Professional hair and makeup will enhance your best features as well as give you more confidence in front of the camera. A great makeup artist will analyze your face to create a look that is fresh, polished, and flattering - this will help downplay any blemishes or discoloration and bring out the twinkle in your eyes. One of the best parts of a professional makeup artist is they have knowledge in prepping your face for the bright flashes we use to create a professional portrait. Plus, who doesn't LOVE to be pampered?

You are of course welcome to do your own hair and makeup for your session, but please keep in mind, your normal make up routine may not look the way you expect under professional photography lights. We work with some of the industries best hair and makeup professional! When booking your session, make sure to select the hair and makeup add on.

All our portrait retouching is done in-house by Jen.

All final purchased portraits will be cropped, color-corrected, and lightly retouched. This light retouching includes us working from top to bottom on your images. Though every client and session is unique, generally we remove rogue stray hairs, whiten teeth, fix temporary blemishes (think pimples, razor burn, or marks that typically disappear after a few days), give skin a healthy glow, and enhance eyes.  Specifically for newborns, we'll work on smoothing/removing any baby ache, flaky skin, and color correcting skin tones.

Our general retouching does not include fixing wrinkles or ill-fitted clothing, removing logos, adding digital makeup or digitally adjusting hair styles, distorting natural features or digital body sculpting, removing under layer garment indentations or marks, or background replacement. Specifically for newborns, we do not remove birth marks, belly button clamps, or open or close eyes in post production.

We never say no to having you bring your doggo to our studio - especially if your furry friend is part of your family! We do require you to bring a "handler" for your furry friend that is not your significant other (a family friend works perfectly) whom is a dedicated dog watcher and wrangler - this way someone can make sure your pup has the proper amount of attention and can hold the leash while we photograph just you, you and your spouse, or any combination of entourage members present for the photo session. This also allows you to have your full attention on your photographer and instructions during your session. We will work one-on-one with your pup to get some adorable images, so your friend is literally there just to give all the treats, belly rubs (for the doggo) and hold a leash and an eyeline when needed.

No, and please be honest with us because your decision to attend under questionable health may effect the experience for others if our photography staff gets sick and we need to postpone future sessions. We're happy to accommodate a reschedule for another date within 30 days if it means keeping everyone safe and healthy. Our staff photographs many milestone events and will become unavailable if our staff needs to self quarantine - please don't put someone's "once-in-a-lifetime" event in jeopardy.

There is no product purchase requirement beyond your initial fee.

Post session, you may always add additional digitals or products. We do offer an amazing line of wall art which can be used to commemorate a fantastic moment from your session.  After your initial experience investment, our wall art starts at $1.25 per square inch and our albums begin at $750. Some individuals spend $500 highlighting their session memories in physical products, others spend $5,000, but the important thing to note is these heirloom products will outlive your lifetime to be passed onto future generations with their amazing craftsmanship and handmade beauty imported from Europe.

We understand the DIY trend is fierce, but unless you or your friend is proficient in newborn safety, posing, lighting, and retouching, we can guarantee we're going to give you a better experience and a better final product (cocky I know, but we are passionate about what we do).

A little known secret - many newborn portraits are achieved through the magic of combining multiple photos in photoshop. Newborns are incredibly flexible because their skeletons haven’t yet fused as much as an adult’s. That doesn’t mean, however, that they can be put in just any position. Your baby's safety is our number one priority during your session and we have been trained to know what poses your baby is capable of during our time together.

These moments are fleeting - your baby will only be this tiny once, your high school senior will only graduate once, and everyone deserves high quality photograph memories to pass to the newest generation.  We believe your family memories are worth more than just a snapshot or a "selfie", and you and your loved ones are worth the experience of being gussied up, posed, and fussed over.

We are experts at capturing different lighting, poses, emotions and ensuring when your portrait experience comes to an end at our studio, you will have plenty of options for a feature photo to be printed on canvas as well as have plenty to choose from to share on your social media. Our job is to take and deliver amazing photos - your job is to resist purchasing all of them 😉.

If you ultimately have gotten this far on the website searching for tips and tricks to DIY this yourself - please just remember to leave off the filter that makes your skin look like a plastic nightmare - that's not flattering on anyone.

The answer to this question is a very very very enthusiastic YES. Call me and let's make this a reality!