THE BIG FIVE
Having a new baby can be overwhelming, so why add more pressure trying to capture every new experience in your baby’s life?
These are a few highlights I think every parent can capture, even with a cell phone. I've kept the list short and attainable, and please have grace on yourself if it doesn't happen. Goodness knows, there will be no shortage of great pictures of your baby, even if you missed an “all important first.”
1). Meeting the siblings:
This is a “first” you are absolutely going to want to capture. These images are so intimate and so, so beautiful. My friend Kathy Spanski loves to accompany families to the hospital or birthing center to capture these precious moments. Please reach out to her if you are interested in this documentary style of photography.
2). First car seat ride:
This is a picture you must have because she will never look so tiny again—not even a week later when you take her back out for her first appointment. Also, it’s a fun comparison shot for other siblings, maybe in the same car seat and maybe looking very similar.
3). First time you’re alone with your baby:
Especially if there is an older sibling, you are likely to have a few hours alone together during your newborn’s first week. This is a great time to relax, soak in her personality, and get a few quality, focused pictures of just her without any distractions.
4). Your Newborn’s growth month to month:
This was something I did pretty well with my first baby and completely failed to do with with my second. It can be fun to lay her next to a teddy bear or on a certain blanket to show her growth relative to that object. It only takes a moment, but also...it takes a moment. We just don’t always have the time. Again, have grace on yourself and do your best. Don’t give up if you miss a month or can’t find the special teddy bear, etc. Capture what you can, you will value it in the end.
5). Your Newborn with her grandparents:
This one is personal, as we lost both my father and my father-in-law after my first was born and before my second arrived. I am so, so grateful for the pictures we have and sad for the ones never taken. Capture those moments—we just don’t know how much time we have.