When I was younger I was obsessed with the world-renowned newborn photography of Anne Geddes. I loved how she captured the precious, peaceful images of sleeping newborns while integrating creative and artistic props and backgrounds to elevate baby portraits to beautiful works of art. It wasn’t until I became a mother that I realized just how difficult capturing such a peaceful photo of a newborn actually was.
I remember attempting to recreate some of Anne Geddes’ shots with my first born, and while in my mind I thought I had nailed it, in reality…not so much.
While I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, and have valued the importance of capturing special moments in my life, I hadn’t really considered leaving the newborn photography to the experts.
When I was approached by Rachel of Rachel Yoon Photography with the opportunity to photograph my newly-born third child, I was both nervous and excited about having the opportunity to have a professional photographer take photos of my newest baby girl. I was more than impressed by the beautiful photos she had captured and shared on her website, but I wasn’t sure if my baby would cooperate. Would she cry the whole time? Would she stay awake and twist and wiggle her way out of the adorable props? Would I be a nervous wreck in the process?
My trip to Rachel’s studio was my first outing with my third newborn. I felt tired, nervous, and hesitant as I approached her home studio and knocked on the door, but as she greeted me, her quiet and calming demeanour quickly dissolved my worried feelings and I was excited to get to work.
I was all ready to roll up my sleeves and follow her direction, assuming I’d have to do most of the work so she could prepare with camera in hand, but instead I was offered tea and snacks and a comfortable place to sit, and she told me to just sit back and relax.
Rachel’s studio was quaint and peaceful. As I settled into my seat, Rachel gently lifted my baby girl out of my arms and sat down on her couch. She grabbed a stuffed monkey and flipped a switch which turned on the rhythmic sound of a heart beat – a sound that played quietly in the background throughout the session. She then gently stroked my girl’s face, and began making a steady sh-sh-shhhh sound. She patiently rocked and cooed my baby and I watched in awe as she worked her magic.
As I watched Rachel work, I realized just how much of an art it is to photograph newborns. While I believe that it takes true talent to work as a photographer – that the skill requires the right mix of technique, passion, and natural aptitude, newborn photography seemed to take it all to another level. It required all that, plus an added abundance of patience.
I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Rachel was very careful to not put my baby in any awkward or uncomfortable positions. I had wondered how she had captured some of the shots on her site with newborn babies with their heads in upright positions (how was this even possible with their fragile, rubber necks?). Well it’s all in the editing my friends. Here’s a little behind-the-scenes peek at how it’s done:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The shoot took 3 full hours. And while I worried that my stirring baby – who eventually awoke in a fuss and needed to feed, who took what felt like forever to fall back asleep, and who at one point peed on the set – would frustrate Rachel, her calm demeanor and unwavering patience held strong. She just sat quietly and continued to stroke and shush my baby until she fell peacefully back to sleep.
The experience was eye-opening and stress-free, and the results were beautiful:
I love every single picture and can’t wait to add some of the shots to my baby girl’s bedroom walls.
Check out Rachel’s website to learn more about her unique and affordable packages: Rachel Yoon Photography.
