Jessica is an award winning published newborn portrait artist serving Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Brighton, and other Southeast Michigan communities and beyond. 

Nothing is more magical than welcoming a new baby into your family. The tiny, delicate fingers and toes; the precious, soft skin; the certainty that this is a love unlike any you have known. You know your life will never be the same. These moments pass so quickly. It is a privilege for me to preserve this special milestone for you and your family to remember forever.

Everyone who has been a parent knows that those early days go by in the blink of an eye. The things you treasure so much – the smell of a baby’s skin, the feel of his or her little body cuddled against yours – become distant but cherished memories as your children quickly change and grow. Let me be there at the beginning of your little one’s journey to capture this time of beauty and innocence in professional photographs that you and your loved ones will treasure.

For posed photographs, think of your newborn baby as the work of art he or she is. I will use props such as hats, blankets, baskets, wraps, and other items to carefully place your sleeping baby into poses that make him or her look like a perfect, living doll. Expect posed photographs of your little one to take a bit longer and require a bit more effort; allow at least three hours for the session. Getting your baby into those picturesque poses will take a good deal of patience, but the end result will be well worth the time.

Prepping The Morning Of Your Session

• Give your baby a full feeding immediately before leaving for your session.
• Bring baby to session in just their diaper (You may want to keep warm in car seat with blankets).  If you chose not to leave baby in just their diaper, please do NOT put them in an outfit that must be removed over their head.  The session can start smoother if I do not have to undress baby at the start of the session (babies hate being undressed).
• Keep baby awake for 2 hours before leaving for the session.  This allows baby to be nice and sleepy for the duration of the session.
• If you are nursing, please be mindful of what you are eating and drinking for 48 hours leading up to your session.  Please no coffee, lattes, or caffeine and nothing spicy.  What you eat and drink will enter your baby’s system and it WILL greatly affect the success of the session if it is anything that will upset their tummy or give them a caffeine high. 

Things To Pack

• Baby wipes
• Extra diapers
• Blanket
• Expressed breast milk or formula if you are comfortable supplementing with a bottle feeding
• Pacifier (VERY IMPORTANT) for fussy babies.  Having a pacifier on hand will be the determining factor on getting the difficult poses or not
• Any props you want incorporated

What To Expect During Your Session

• During your session my studio will be a toasty 80+ degrees. Babies like it nice and warm and it helps them stay sleepy while naked. Please wear layers as it can feel quite warm to adults.
• I will have a white noise machine playing during the entire session. This helps baby stay nice, calm, and sleepy.
• Again, to help keep baby asleep, I will be the primary person handling baby {unless baby needs to be fed/changed/etc.
• There is no rush with a newborn session. Please know that I do not mind waiting for you to nurse or change baby, or taking a break to soothe your baby.
• The session will last about 3-3.5 hours.  Please plan your time accordingly. I ask that no other appointments or obligations be scheduled the same day as your session. Newborns are unpredictable and sometimes we run over time. 
• If you (or other children) will be participating in the photo shoot, I suggest neutral colored clothing; white, cream, very pale pink, pastels etc. These work best to create timeless classic pictures with your new baby.
• You may want to consider an extra set of clothes for yourselves, just in case. It is normal for babies to relieve themselves.
• While I do not allow siblings to stay for the entire session, there may still be some waiting until their part in the session beings.  Please bring something for the older children to do while they are not being photographed (coloring books, games...)