Houston newborn photographer, Lisa Carr, recently photographed this newborn baby girl in our studio. A newborn’s first photography session is recommended to be scheduled within 7-12 days of birth. We recommend calling and having a consult before your session so you can prepare in advance. We always have an assistant on set to help with baby safety, and posing. We want to make sure your baby is relaxed and in good hands during the session. We do have a variety of props such as wraps, backdrops, baskets, pants, diaper covers, tutus, hats and hair accessories in a variety of soothing colors.
We strive to create artwork for your home that can be hung in a nursery or hallway. Newborns stay this small for a short window of time. So many parents come back to us at 3 months and 6 months to document the growth of their baby. It is very important to capture this time in a baby’s life since they grow so fast.
We encourage you to view our online portfolio and to learn more about our sessions and artwork. We are a full service studio, conveniently located in the Galleria area in a commercial office building. We have a private nursing lounge so you can relax and feed your baby between sets. We can be reached at 713-461-2862 to discuss your session and help you create art for your home and family to enjoy for years to come.
When clients call us to book their maternity portrait session, they always ask: What do I need to do to prepare for the maternity portrait session?
Here are 5 helpful tips that will help you prepare and look your best for your pregnancy portraits:
1. Scheduling.
You should schedule your maternity portrait to occur sometime between weeks 32-36 if you are expecting one child, and between weeks 28-32 if you are expecting multiples. The best time of day to schedule is 10-11am or 1pm. You want to still look fresh, alert and not too tired. If you are working, some moms prefer to have their pregnancy photos in the morning and then schedule a doctor’s check up visit for the afternoon or just go into the office in the afternoon time. We have wifi in our studio so you can always work remote or login periodically if you need to.
2. Pampering.
You are taking the time to have your maternity portraits taken by a professional photographer, so you want to look your best right? Go ahead and schedule your hair and makeup to be professional done as well. Remember to also have your nails and toes pampered too! You can always schedule your mani the day before to maximize your time before your maternity session. Your nails will show during your session. Remember to wear a loose fitting dress or button front top when having your make up and hair done. You will change your clothes at the studio before your session and you do not want to risk messing up your hair or makeup. Spoiler alert: you will look and feel amazing after your glam quad session before your portrait. Remember to schedule a date night with your husband and enjoy your night on the town!
3. Rest and Hydration
In the 8-9 months of your pregnancy sleep patterns will change. As your portrait approaches, remember to take it easy and get plenty of rest. You also want to make sure you are staying hydrated in the days leading up to your session. Drink plenty of water!
4. Eat before your session
Depending upon your session time, make sure you eat a full breakfast or lunch and remember to have snacks before and during your portrait session. We do have small snacks and plenty of water for you during your session.
5. Clothing for your maternity portrait session
You are welcome to bring your own clothes for your pregnancy portraits. Most ladies opt to wear the pregnancy gowns we have in our prop closet. We have a variety of styles and colors to choose from. The gowns can easily be pinned and loosened as needed to fit you comfortably during your session.
Pregnancy is a milestone time in a woman’s life and a portrait is a wonderful way to always remember this time. As your baby grows they will love looking at your pregnancy portraits.
Belly to Baby Studios is a full service Portrait studio and offers Pregnancy, Newborn, Baby and Family Portraits. We help you and guide you all the way from Portrait session concept to Portrait completion. We love to create finished artwork for our client’s home. The artwork will appreciate over time and provide years of joy. When you view our Portraits and albums, they will take you back to a moment in time that in the end will slip by so quickly.
You can view more of our newborn portfolio here, Maternity Portraits and our Family Portraits here. Our studio is conveniently located in the Galleria area, in a professional office building. We have a private nursing lounge so you can relax and feed your baby between sets.
Call us at 713-461-2862 and we can schedule and discuss your portrait session.
Houston newborn and family portrait photographers, Belly to Baby Studios,recently photographed this newborn first portraits here in the studio. Your baby will only be this small for a short time. I love looking at portraits of our own daughter when she was this tiny and could curl up and nestle close to us. These portraits tell a story and help us remember moments in time.
For your newborn portrait sessions, we have a prop closet full of wraps, baskets, blankets and backgrounds available for your baby. You do not need to bring a thing; just your baby! For your family portraits, we will have a brief clothing consultation over the phone so we can provide suggestions for your attire so there is harmony in your portrait. We want you to view your portrait 20 years from now and it look timeless versus dated with trending clothing and fancy photoshop effects. We realize you just had a baby, and probably do not have time to shop. We always will suggest and work with clothing that is already in your closet. We want to keep the portrait session simple and easy on your part.
Belly to Baby Studios is located in the Galleria area, in a professional office building, 77057. We specialize in Maternity and Newborn portrait photography. We recommend scheduling your baby’s session actually before your delivery date, if at all possible. In some cases, this is not always possible and we understand that. We do have Moms call us that have already had their baby, and their baby is a few weeks old. That is ok, we do not turn babies away when they are outside of the ideal 12 day old window. The important thing is to get your baby photographed when they are still tiny and a newborn. After all, the newborn phase is a short window of time. You can reach us at 713-461-2862 , or visit our site to learn more: www.bellytobabystudios.com
Your newborn’s portraits are a lifetime treasure that will be cherished for generations to come. It is so important to document your child’s life at every stage, because they just grow up so fast, newborns especially. Newborns are so delicate, so tiny, so sleepy and all curled up and so small. You have one chance to capture that moment before it passes you by at warp speed. So, who do you hire to photograph your newborn? You can call and hire anyone you want, really. Why you should hire a photographer that specializes in newborn photography is simple. Newborn photography is not for every photographer even if they do offer it. Most people do not realize all the behind the scenes and effort that goes into a newborn session; they just see the beautiful portraits and the final outcome. The beautiful portraits you see require more than a nice camera and a pretty website, so just remember that when you are deciding on your photographer.
Style. Style is a big part of why you should choose who you choose for your newborn photographer. What caught your eye to make you look at their social media pages or website should be close to your style and who you are. If you like simplicity, then you are not going to choose a photographer that likes to use a ton of props, and vice versa. You should be able to hire your photographer and trust them to style your session accordingly without having to plan the whole session for them. Also look at their color tones and accessories that are used in their newborn portraits. Make sure you like what you are seeing in their online portfolio. Do you need to supply your own props and wraps or does your photographer have a full selection of props for you to use.
Experience and knowledge. Everyone has to start somewhere. But just keep that in mind when searching for your photographer. Someone who offers you a portfolio building session probably may not produce the high quality, perfectly posed images that you see on other photographer’s websites. Ask your photographer not only how long they have been in business, but how long they have been specializing in newborns. It takes experience and knowledge to properly and safely pose a newborn. You can always tell the amateur photographer from the professional that has been doing it for a while. An experienced newborn photographer will not force your baby into a pose and should be able to read your baby’s cues. Your photographer should be patient with your baby during the session.
Baby safety is a crucial factor to look at when choosing your newborn photographer. Do not be afraid to ask them questions on how certain poses are achieved to make sure your baby is never put in harm’s way. There are several poses you see these days that are created using multiple images so that baby is safe and secure the whole time. Thanks to Photoshop, the general consumer never knows it was a composited image.
Your baby’s immune system is delicate. I do keep up to date with my whooping cough vaccination for extra protection as well as all recommended vaccines. When interviewing photographers do not be afraid to ask this question as well. We also wash all our studio props after each newborn session so germs are not passed baby to baby. On the business end of photography, ask if your photographer has insurance. If something were to ever happen during your photoshoot, you want to make sure you are protected.
Last, but not least, price! Price is always the forefront of every consumers mind when choosing a photographer. Just remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for”. Going with the least expensive or whomever offers the “best deal” might not be the best decision when choosing your photographer for your newborn portraits. Remember you only have a small window to capture those first days of life so if you choose a photographer that you end up not being happy with, you cannot get those days back. It is very similar to wedding photography in that you really only get one opportunity or moment. Newborn sessions are more costly than other portrait sessions because they take a lot of session time to photograph and in editing. I might only be present in the session for 2-3 hours but I spend at least 10 more additional hours between all the editing, contact with the client and creating and ordering products for you. It is more that the image you are paying for; it is art and lifetime memories for you and your family. I find it very hard to believe that anyone charging you $100 for all images on a CD is making any money from the session when it is all said and done. I know clients who book me do so because they appreciate my work and are willing to pay for it, not because they are hunting for the best deal.
Everyone deserves classic, timeless photos captured of their new bundle. Spending a little extra time researching Houston Newborn Photographers and photographer’s work, and possibly spending a little extra money than your friend who has a nice camera would charge you is well worth the outcome for your newborn photos.
Belly to Baby Studios offers a variety of newborn photography in Houston. We are introducing some new additions to our newborn sets here in our studio. We recently created this artwork for our client’s nursery. This portrait will initially hang in her baby’s nursery and later on be moved to a niche outside of the nursery.
We believe in creating timeless artwork for families to enjoy for years to come. In a day and age when digital imagery is all around us, it is nice to have artwork hanging in a home. Printed artwork will last well beyond the limited life of technology. Printed artwork is not dependent upon IOS updates, compatibility issues, and does not need to be backed up in the cloud. You can also find your printed artwork and look at it quicker than the time it takes to unlock your phone.
We have all the backgrounds, baskets, hats and diaper covers so all you need to do is arrive with your baby! You can view our Prop Closet here. Just remember to bring plenty of formula or milk with you, and extra diapers. You can relax in a private room during your newborn’s session and get some much needed rest. You are also welcome to peek into the camera room during the session so you can see your baby’s session in real time.
Lisa Carr, of Belly to Baby Studios, is a Houston based full time newborn and family photographer. Our studio photographs maternity portraits, newborn portraits, baby portraits and family portraits. We help you and guide you all the way from Portrait session concept to Portrait completion. We love to create finished artwork for our client’s home. The artwork will appreciate over time and provide years of joy. When you view our Portraits and albums, they will take you back to a moment in time that in the end will slip by so quickly.
