Newborn photos were not something we did with her older brother (here he is at his 9 month photo session), but this time around her mom wanted to be sure we captured the brand new and tiny stage. And we did- her session took place when she was just 8 days old, and she couldn’t have been a better baby model. She started out wide awake, but once she was swaddled she was as calm as could be, and I just can’t get enough of these big dark eyes looking at me!

then,  since she was so cozy, she slept soundly while we got to play with some curled-up newborn poses and some cute baby hats and headbands (hat by Lily and Lime, one of my favorites). I’m loving the combination of gray and yellow lately, and it looked so pretty on her with her olive complexion (even newborns have certain colors that look great on them- so much fun to see what they are!)

Be a part of your baby’s newborn photos…

While she was still dozing, we added mom and dad in for a few pictures of each of them with Anya. I think it’s so important to include family in newborn photos- the baby is the star of the show, of course, but it will mean so much to them in the future to see what you looked like when they were little! It’s also one of the best ways to see how tiny they are in those first days. Some of my favorite images are of dads holding their little ones- the contrast of those big strong hands holding a wee little baby is so touching and powerful.

I’m also a sucker for back wrinkles, and she’s got great ones!

then it was time to get her brother to join her- toddlers and preschoolers aren’t always eager to be a part of newborn photos, but with patience, they can usually be sweet talked into a few images. I had to pull out a few more stops than usual- the question Liam found funniest was, ‘Do you want me to go home?’ Ha! But I love the results: