Due to the time sensitive nature of newborn photography, booking with Courtney in the 2nd trimester is recommended. By doing so, you guarantee a spot in the studio once baby arrives. Courtney books a limited number of newborn sessions to ensures each family’s session occurs while the baby is still in the early newborn phase… preferably between 5-14 days of age.

You will come to Courtney’s newborn studio situated comfortably in a 900 square foot studio at Courtney’s home located just a couple minutes from Newcastle Elementary School. It is very spacious complete with a private bathroom, snacks, water and a coffee bar are provided. Wi-Fi is available… and so is a comfortable couch and chairs to relax. Trust me, it’s amazing! *Updated pictures to follow soon…

Please note — 2020 has brought MANY new challenges to us all. While normally newborn sessions are scheduled by 14 days of age, Courtney is understanding of the need for many families to extend the scheduling out past the two week mark. Your comfort & safety is of utmost importance and your session will be scheduled when you’re ready.

Newborns sessions under two weeks is much easier on baby, momma, and Courtney. Courtney asks to be notified within 48 hours of the baby’s birth in order to settle on an appointment in the next week or two. Courtney prefers to have newborn sessions booked within the first 5-14 days of age if there is no medical reason to delay the session. Less than two weeks of age is ideal but Courtney believes every baby deserves newborn images and will gladly work with families who haven’t made it in the studio during that two-week window.

Newborn sessions are scheduled Monday – Friday, between 9:00am – 11:00am.  Courtney discourages parents from scheduling an afternoon or evening session due to most babies experiencing the “witching hour” as the evening approaches, where the babies are harder to soothe and more difficult to settle into the poses.

Since babies have their own agendas and there’s rarely a way to predict their arrival, Courtney asks that expectant parents stay in regular communication with her throughout the remainder of their pregnancy. Parents regularly send messages letting her know the pregnancy is still on track or if there’s any indication that baby may make an early entrance in to the world. This puts your baby’s session on Courtney’s radar so she’s able to plan accordingly.

Absolutely!! Courtney’s studio is filled with an ever evolving stock of backdrops, blankets, wraps, buckets, headbands/bows, bonnets, hats, outfits, etc to be used during your session. Everything offered in Courtney’s studio has been proved to photograph beautifully…  most of the options are handmade by talented designers who put time and effort into ensuring the item is perfect for your baby’s session.

Once you notify Courtney of baby’s arrival you’ll receive a newborn inquiry to be filled out online. This helps Courtney better prepare for your session and determines what colors you prefer to have incorporated into baby’s session.

Occasionally, clients ask to have sentimental items incorporated in their session.  This is always welcome!  We will work together to achieve the best results possible. Most parent’s choose to not bring anything with them, but some common sentimental items are a line of duty helmet, piece of jewelry, or a handmade blanket.

Great question!!  First and foremost.. dress is layers!!  The studio is very warm to keep baby cozy. If you choose to be photographed based on your package preference we will typically begin with the family poses so you’re able to change into something cooler for the remainder of the session.

Simple outfits without a busy pattern are suggested for your family portraits.  The goal is to create a timeless piece for you to remember this milestone.  Classic never goes out of style.  Trendy outfits and busy patterns can distract from the priceless memory. Colors that work very well are off whites, neutrals, tans, light browns. Grey is not a flattering color for family photos or sibling photos as it tends to wash people out and clash with baby’s skin. Courtney suggests women wear either a form fitting tank top, dress, or fitted long sleeve top to prevent distractions with baggy or wrinkled fabrics. I discourage short sleeve shirts as it usually draws attention to your mid arm, is a distracting and cuts it off in an unflattering way. When in doubt, tank tops and form fitting long sleeves work beautifully for Mothers!

Unless otherwise asked, Courtney will always photograph parent’s from the chest up during your newborn session. Please do NOT worry about your tummy, or waistline.

Very simple…

For baby:  Milk, pacifier, diapers, wipes.

For you:  Since newborn sessions are longer than most, please bring a small snack for yourself and any siblings that will be attending the session.  Water, snacks, and coffee is provided for you.  As mentioned earlier, layers of clothing is recommended to ensure you don’t become too hot in the studio.

If your older child is younger than 5 years old and is being photographed during your newborn session Courtney asks that you have another caretaker come with you at the start of your session and take your child or children home right after sibling and or family photos are complete. No child under 5 wants to be stuck in a hot room for longer than 30 minutes. As much as Courtney LOVES kids and pours her heart and soul into interacting with them for the best photos, it’s best that after sibling photos she is able to focus on just baby without sibling distractions. Caretakers ideas: friend, parent, nanny, grandparent, your sibling.  

All newborn packages include: 

• Professionally edited, high resolution, digital images

• Downloadable images from digital gallery, unlimited downloads 

• Proofing Gallery – contains between 25-40 images. Courtney sends your unedited digital gallery (aka ‘proofing gallery’) to you 4 days after your session. 

• From there, you select your favorite images and amount of images (based on your chosen package) for edits to begin

• Option to purchased additional images is always available if desired

• 2 weeks after you select your images for edits you will receive your complete newborn gallery to download

• All selected images come in Color AND Black and White conversions

• Full printing rights

• No IPS (in person sales) – Simple. Easy!

Your session will take between 1.5 – 2.5 hours based on the package you choose. Babies can’t be rushed! It’s just that simple. The majority of our time will be spent soothing, feeding, burping, and changing your baby’s diapers.  Please, be patient!  The results are always worth the time and effort put in to the session. Courtney always jokes that she spends 90% of her time changing/transitioning set ups, soothing, changing or feeding baby and 10% of her time photographing baby. 

Absolutely!  Courtney always edits out the blemishes/discolorations/flaky skin. Photoshop is her best friend when it comes to newborn photography. The camera picks up on and sees better than any human eye so there is always work bound to be done. She has seen it all and knows how to combat even the toughest of challenges.

Please note — If you do NOT want these edited out of your baby’s session, be sure to inform Courtney of your decision during the session.  

Courtney’s #1 priority is safety during your newborn session. She will never leave baby unattended and she will not force any poses if baby is showing discomfort. If you have a particular pose in mind please let Courtney know, but please have the expectation that Courtney will not do anything that compromises baby’s safety or comfort – every baby is different. Some baby’s are extremely flexible while others are not. 

Courtney stays up to date with all vaccinations including covid-19 and the flu shot. She does not require clients to be vaccinated. She does not require masks in the studio. 

Courtney always asks that you please reschedule if you or anyone attending your newborn session is showing any signs of a cold. This includes: runny nose, cough, excessive sneezing, sore throat, fever, or nausea. This allows Courtney to stay healthy for any following newborn sessions and helps prevents germs from spreading into the studio. 

Babies with full tummies sleep MUCH longer and harder than those who are feeling hungry. While it is understandable that schedules are being formed, please be prepared to feed baby as much as they need during the session. A few hours off schedule will not ruin your hard work… and your session will be MUCH easier as a result!

Pacifiers are life. Please bring one. An hour or two with one, even if your baby doesn’t ‘like’ one, is an amazing distraction and soother even if used for a few seconds. 

Siblings are absolutely encouraged to be part of your session. Please consider having one parent or extra set of hands to take the child to the playground or for a walk around the neighborhood. Several hours in a small studio is a LOT for a young child and can add stress to the parents… which of course, adds stress to the baby!

Safety is always first. If at any point during the session the baby is inconsolable or an unsafe request has been made, Courtney will immediately stop the session from progressing. Your baby’s wellbeing is top priority.