The idea of the Fresh 48 Session is still a fairly new concept in the world of children and babies, but it is quickly becoming a popular and beautiful alternative to cell phone photos and formally posed newborn photos!
I offer Fresh 48 Sessions in Oahu, Hawaii and the surrounding islands. My focus is on the beautiful, small details of your newborn surrounded by family in beautiful light; I come to you!
During the session I remain unobtrusive, desiring to give you photographic evidence of this incredibly emotional and fleeting time. I schedule these sessions within the first 48 hours of a newborns life, wherever you are, with whatever is happening.
The resulting images are meant to be heartfelt and honest proof of the details, emotions, struggles, joy, and love that comes with building your beautiful and unique family.
You may be wondering why you should hire a professional birth and newborn photographer for this time; perhaps you are concerned about feeling like a mess following the actual delivery. Or perhaps you are worried that the photos won’t look good because your baby will be crying and the nurses will be in and out. . .and your other children will be cranky.
Let me tell you that these are actually some of the reasons to hire a Fresh 48 Photographer! Read on.
A Fresh 48 Session can be a great alternative to having a birth photographer
As a mom and small business owner, I completely understand when something you may want just isn’t in the cards. Birth photography is expensive; it requires hiring somebody with a lot of professionalism and expertise to be ‘on call’ and perhaps on site for hours or days at a time.
If hiring a professional birth photographer isn’t an option for you, a Fresh 48 Session can help you grab some of those same moments, without all of the expense.
During your session I will be focusing on the small details of your baby, on the relationship you have with your partner, and on the emotions of the people in the room with you. All of these same things happen during the birth, and within a week your newborn baby will have already changed so much.
Not only that, but it’s a reality that some doctors and hospitals do not allow birth photographers (yet! We are working to change that). If this is true for you and your family, a Fresh 48 Session is a perfect alternative.
If you really really love photographs and memories, of course you can hire me for both your birth photography AND your Fresh 48 session.
(Click here to get in touch and schedule your Fresh 48 Session. I offer birth and baby photography )
You won’t have much memory of this time
It is a cruel trick that some of our most important moments in life are full of the little things that we want to remember the most, but tend to forget.
During these big occasions, we are overwhelmed by all of it; the sights, the sounds, the people. . .top that off with a healthy dose of hormones and physical exhaustion and it only stands to reason that our brains have to pick and choose what little pieces to remember.
When you hire me to photograph these first moments with your newborn baby, you hire me to document the memories that your brain won’t be able to keep.
Years from now, you’ll be able to look at these photos and trigger the emotions and feelings that you have from that time. You may laugh, you may cry, but either way it’s so special that you don’t want to miss the opportunity to keep them.
Siblings meeting for the first time is one of the most special moments in the world
Most sibling and cousin sets are so close in age that they aren’t able to remember the birth of their new family member. Even if they do remember it, they suffer from the same moment-memory loss that we do; overwhelmed by the emotions, they forget that there was a precious time when their baby sister was placed on their lap. The time when the baby opened her eyes and immediately became calm as if to say ‘hey, I know you!’
It’s the first day of a lifetime friendship.
Not only that, but their reactions to meeting their sibling are priceless! Some children are curious, some are maternal. Some kids are so excited they can’t contain themselves, and some are flat out emotional.
Others drum up kid-powered comments such as ‘he is sooooo smelly!’ that cause everybody to erupt in laughter!
See more Fresh 48 Newborn Photos Here
Your baby will be in Kindergarten before you know it
It’s true. Your sweet smelling, wiggly toed, squishy, gooey, needy, squawking little creature is going to put on a backpack that is way to large and hop on a school bus in the very near future.
The most beautiful part of professional Fresh 48 photos is being able to look at an image of your baby when she was just hours or days old, and see all of the same features that make her the charismatic, sticky-fingered, bright eyed bouncy kindergartener that she has become.
You’ll hear this all of the time, but childhood happens fast. Motherhood is forever, but only a teeny tiny piece of it is spent with a newborn.
It is so insanely special; so special in fact, that it’s surprising we spend so much time on fall family portraits, and much less time on photographing moments such as this. . .the beginning of a life. Both are important and I know from experience how incredible this time is for you.
During your session I welcome visitors and relatives too!
Some of the most incredible images come from the joy a Grandmother has in holding her grand baby, or the sheer excitement that a close friend shares when coming to hug and love on you.
Your phone images are awesome, but they aren’t the whole story
Ok, I know I know. You have a cell phone camera and Aunt Dot is promising to bring her DSLR right?
I encourage you to photograph this time with your own devices, but how about this.
Three reasons having a professional photographer matters, even if you have a cell phone:
a. I know and understand light, so I can find pretty, flattering images even in a poorly lit hospital room. Photography is all about light, so this matters.
b. If you are holding the camera, you can’t be in the photo (selfies aside, of course!).
c. When you hire me, you get to be hands off.
Put your phone down and just enjoy your baby because let’s be honest, you’ve got your hands full!
I’m happy to answer your questions! Send me a note, I’d be thrilled to chat with you.
A few things to remember when preparing for your Fresh 48 Session with me
You don’t have to be done up, perfectly manicured, or even showered! I know, hard to believe, but hear me out. You *just* had a baby, so please give yourself some grace.
As a new mom, you will be naturally glowing. You don’t need to put on a show, because this truly is about living in the moment. Be comfortable, be good to yourself, wear those fuzzy slippers, and snuggle up to your sweet little one (or little ones if that’s how life happened!).
If siblings will be in the room, remember what a special and perhaps unusual time this is for them. They may smile and laugh, or they may be so overwhelmed that they don’t know what else to do but cry.
Let them experience and work through those emotions; don’t focus on making them smiley and perfect for the camera if it’s not how they are feeling. I promise one day you will look at those images with love, knowing what an amazing time this was for your family.
I can photograph Fresh 48 Sessions in hospitals, birth centers, or at home in Oahu and on the surrounding islands. This really is all about those first hours with your new baby, however and wherever that happens to be.
Lastly, keep in touch! Let me know as soon as you can that the time has come (either while in labor or soon after delivery) so that I can arrange my schedule. The session will last about 2 hours, and all you have to do is relax and enjoy your new company.
When you hire me to photograph your newborn, I will also send you information on what to expect. No stress, this really is all about you and your family.
Interested in learning more? Please send me a note and let me know when your baby is due!
I’m a birth, newborn and maternity lifestyle photographer serving Washington DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Reston, Leesburg, Manassas, Gainesville, Haymarket, Stafford County, Prince William County, and Fredericksburg. I am located in Stafford, Virginia and I’m available for travel in the Virginia, Maryland and DC areas.