CATEGORY newborn

Baby Gavin arrived a little bit early, so his mommy’s maternity session turned into a newborn session! That happens sometimes, and we’re just happy baby is healthy and had no NICU stay. I, however, arrived just on time as he had just fallen into a deep slumber, and allowed me to pose him like Gumby for some precious naked sleep baby poses. The white comforter did end up in the laundry, of course, as did most of our clothing. He made up for it by being very cooperative and happy the entire session by willingly rolling into a little ball most of the time. Congratulations to Jane and Gareth! Thank you for letting me get my baby fix for a few hours, he was a joy. And I am still waiting for my photographer of the year award for posing a newborn and a big puppy into one photo! A few massages should cover it.

Our friends added a last little baby to their family this week, a little sister for her three big brothers. A tiny but perfect little creature (a slightly early C-section tends to create those gems) she is dainty and delicate and girly, which cannot last growing up the smallest among all those brothers! Congratulations to Ruth and Shaun on their beautiful bundle of fluff.

Two months old, and already looks so different from a typical newborn session! While it followed the same pattern of awake, fussy, hungry, happy, tired, screaming, deep sleep that newborn sessions always have, it was odd to be able to make funny faces and kissy noises during a “newborn” session and have him actually respond with smiles and eye contact! Still, while most of the important photos were made while deep in sleep, we got more than the usual share of smiling happy shots.

I loved using mom’s crocheting and dad’s music equipment to really show some personality. Congratulations to Sam and Melissa on your first beautiful baby after so many years of waiting, and he is a beauty!

Faith Beltz and June Lamphier, midwives in Austin, TX, recently opened a new birth and women’s wellness center in south Austin, Centre Vida at 7002 Manchaca, Suite 200 Austin TX 78745 next door to the New Flower Market. It’s a beautiful facility that has already “given birth” to several new babies!
I am their new contracted photographer to display my framed maternity and newborn work in the office and design their promotional materials for print and web. These photos of the new center show not only the high-quality care received, but also the joy, life, family, and connection found there. I first met Faith when her now-retired colleague attended my first home birth in 2006, and then Faith delivered my own baby in our home in 2008. It is truly an honor to be given the opportunity to photograph these caring women in action. I am looking forward to capturing that spiriti in my designs, and I am very excited to be invited into the center during an upcoming birth to capture them at work.

Hard to believe that just a few days ago this little guy was inside mama’s belly! They seem so tiny, yet considering from whence they came, it’s one enormous miracle! Congratulations to the S family, and welcome earthside, newbie. With brothers A, B, C, D, and now 5th little son E has arrived!

When will I learn that newborn shoots are a painful marathon with the sweetest moments at the end? The general pattern seems to be arrive to a sleeping baby whom I promptly wake up while trying to photograph sleeping while mom gets her make up on because I forgot again to warn her that she’d likely be in the the photos. Then the wriggly baby gives me some weird faces and postures before turning into screaming baby who nurses despite not really being hungry. For just a bit, I get active baby who makes great eye contact with the camera, or at least the appearance of it, for the “money shot” for the birth announcement. Then wriggly baby returns and swaps place on and off with screaming baby, who finally gets very hungry, and while stressed mom lamenting that her newborn won’t “cooperate” settles in for a long nursing saying, “We should have something decent by now, maybe we should call it a day?” But I persevere and assure her this is where it finally gets good, hours 2-3. Nursed and relaxed baby falls asleep and allows all sorts of prodding and repositioning. Finally, we’re shooting nothing but net! Thanks for putting up with me hanging at your house, even if we nurse and talk as much as shoot!

An uncooperative dad and an uncooperative baby requires a creative solution: no faces! After I got him to relax a bit so he didn’t look like he was palming a basketball, this sweet shot speaks volumes, and no one can tell the baby is shrieking! And because it was my husband rather than a client, I wasn’t exactly in the most patient mood either! But patience and endurance always pays off in the end!

All packages include
sitting fee
1 hour travel
all images individually edited
up to 5 images digitally enhanced by request
$25 a la carte credit
$10 per digital file
Each a la carte or pakage print comes with the digital file

1/2-hour Mini Session $75 suitable for individual head shots or 1 location and limited poses
2-hour Standard Session $200 suitable for individuals up to 3 clothing changes and 1 location, families up to 5 with group and individual shots, group shots only, or real estate
3-hour Extended Session $300 suitable for large families up to 10 with large group and individual shots, or groups/reunions with small group shots
Newborn Sessions Having a baby is such a unique experience every single time. I should know, I have had five of them! My experience with newborns personally and professionally puts you and your newborn in capable, calm, and patient hands. There are several packages to suit your individual family. After booking an approximate date, please call as soon as you are home from the hospital, when baby is about 3-days old, to finalize the session time. Newborn sessions are for babies 5-10 days old. Newborn and Family Small $300 We spend a lot of time during these sessions at your home changing, nursing, feeding, burping, rocking, screaming, soothing, so while they last 3 hours the actual photography time totals an hour. The package includes the 3-4 hour session with 5 favorite images as digital negatives. Newborn and Family Regular $500 The same loving atmosphere with as much time as it takes to capture the images we need as the small package, but all images individually edited as digital negatives on a commemorative DVD. Maternity + Newborn and Family $800 2 sessions for the price of 1 with all images individually edited as digital negatives on a commemorative DVD. A 1-hour maternity session designed to make you feel beautiful, as well as a newborn-only session after the birth. Maternity + Birth + Newborn $1000 This package includes the Maternity + Newborn as well as my being on hand during the birth at the hospital, center, or your home to capture the arrival, day or night! All images from all 3 sessions included, individually edited as digital negatives on a commemorative DVD.

A la Carte Services

Printed Invitations (available with my photos or another photographer’s with release)

all cards include custom-designed graphics, white envelopes, identical design for each batch of 50
call for bulk pricing over 50, or wedding invitation extras like foil envelopes, double envelopes, full-color front and back design, etc

25 4×6 flat $50, 50 $85
25 4×6 folded with interior design $75, 50 $140
25 5×7 flat $100, 50 $180
25 5×7 folded with interior design $125, 50 $225
colored envelopes, add $25 each 50
return address printed envelopes, $25 each 50
recipient address printed envelopes, $50 each 50

Prints & Enlargements

4×6 $10
up to 300 4×6 proofs from session, $75 (included free in wedding packages)
5×7 $15
8×10 $25
11×14 $35, artboard $50
16×20 $45, artboard $80, canvas wrap $150

Montages and Scrapbook Layouts

8×10 or 11×14 custom photo montage $100
12×12 or 8.5×11 scrapbook page $50

Albums and Frames (available for my photos or another photographer’s with release)

4×6 proof sleeve album $10
4×6 frame album $30
4×6 keepsake box with all proofs from session, $100

5×7 bound album $45
framing $35 up to 8×10, $40 up to 16×20, $50 20×24 with 16×20 mat
10×10 10-page (20 layouts) bound, hardcover album $200

DVD’s and Keepsakes (available for my photos or another photographer’s with release)

DVD photo-music slide show $150
all images 4×6-quality high resolution on DVD $250 w/ personal reprint rights
up to 100 images enlargement-quality high resolution on DVD $350 w/ personal reprint rights
100+ images enlargement-quality high resolution on DVD $500 w/ personal reprint rights
all images enlargement-quality high resolution on DVD $1000 w/ commercial reprint rights

Sitting fee due at time of session, remainder due at ordering consultation.

Print prices are honored 90 days from portrait session. Digital negatives are stored for 90 days from portrait session, and 2 years for negatives selected for prints.