Conroe in-home newborn photography | Life begins with Aubrey

Welcoming a princess in a beautiful Conroe newborn photo session

Just a few days after Christmas, I met Jessica and her sweet family to celebrate brand new baby Aubrey! She is the sweetest girl with a gorgeous pink floral-themed nursery. We spent a peaceful Tuesday morning making priceless memories of this family of three.

A sweet bundle of love!

When I arrived at Jessica’s home for her newborn photo session, Aubrey was snoozing peacefully in her bassinet. I jumped right in with some detail shots of her tiny features. These photos are easiest to get while babies are asleep and not moving much, if at all.

Once mama Jessica had changed into my signature ivory lace gown, we began with a few mommy and me photos in Aubrey’s pink and white nursery. I loved all of the pink flower accents! Her room was such a lovely backdrop for the majority of the session.

Jessica requested a very natural newborn photo session with only a few traditional shots of she and her husband looking at the camera. This is my most favorite way to photograph newborn sessions. There is such genuine joy in both parent’s faces as they gaze down at their daughter. I sprinkled in a few of the “everyone smile at me photos” since that’s usually what grandparents and other loved ones want; but the majority of the photos showcase two happy parents enjoying authentic moments with their new daughter.

Lace and flower crowns

Like most mamas, Jessica fell in love with my tiny flower crowns, which looked so precious on her sweet baby girl! The flower crowns are especially gorgeous on baby next to the lace gown Jessica wore for her newborn photo session.

Josh joined his two girls for photos in Aubrey’s beautiful nursery for several gorgeous family photos!

I love to photograph family newborn sessions in baby’s nursery. Usually it’s a peaceful, sentimental place where mom and dad spent lots of time getting ready for baby. Nurseries are typically not used much the first few weeks after coming home from the hospital, which means they usually ready for photos with minimal effort before the session.

Snuggles with daddy

While Jessica has a dazzling new mama smile in almost every photo with her daughter, new dad Josh was a little more reserved, but no less proud, of his little girl. This happens in almost every newborn session! Moms are full of smiles and tenderness, while dads often show quiet strength and pride. At Jessica’s request, we also worked in Josh’s Marine Corps blouse and dog tags.

What pulls this entire session together so beautifully is the neutral wardrobe worn by Jessica and Josh. The delicate ivory lace on her and Josh’s soft gray button up shirt ensure that nothing distracts from their beautiful girl, and these tones also look amazing in the nursery.

Don’t miss Jessica’s sneak peek custom video:

I always urge new parents to select earth-toned shades like these when they are planning outfits for newborn photos. Even if Jessica and Josh had selected a bolder color scheme for the nursery, they would still look amazing because soft neutrals don’t distract from your surroundings. Ivory and gray photograph beautifully together and separately, especially with tiny Aubrey wrapped in an ivory swaddle.

A gorgeous mama-daughter duo

After we wrapped up in Aubrey’s pink floral nursery, I wanted to work in a few more photos of mama and baby before moving on to images of just Aubrey. Fortunately, Jessica and Josh also had a beautiful guest bedroom with absolutely stunning natural light and neutral tones that served as a perfect backdrop for mama-daughter newborn photos. The shot of them on the bed is one of my favorites of the entire photo session!

I also loved the intimacy of these shots of Jessica with Aubrey cuddled on the bed, as if you’re peeking in on her just enjoying a moment with her daughter. You’ll also note Jessica and Josh’s engagement photos hanging above the bed, which is a sweet detail.

Newborn baby smiles!

Little miss Aubrey absolutely saved the best for last in this beautiful at-home newborn photo session – newborn baby smiles! She’s cuddled in my Moses basket, on a soft gray flokati, for this series of images. Some mamas love sleeping shots of baby in the Moses basket, while others hope for some shots of baby awake. I think both are equally precious – especially when you have a baby with such adorable facial expressions like Aubrey!

Which option is best for newborn photos: an “older” newborn or a brand new baby?

When it comes to newborn photography, every parent wants to know when is the best time to schedule a session.

Honestly, it mostly comes down to personal preference and what you have in mind when you think about your newborn photos.

There are some benefits to having newborn photos taken within the first couple of weeks. Babies often sleep longer and deeper, which means there’s a great chance they’ll snooze through the entire session. They won’t be disturbed by the handoff between mom and dad, or by the soft click of my camera shutter. Once you swaddle a tiny new baby who has just been fed, burped and changed, it usually takes quite a bit to wake them during photos. I find that brand new moms are often most relaxed for photos when baby sleeps the entire time.

If you’re dreaming of a session where baby looks “fresh” and sleeps deeply during your photo session, I suggest scheduling within the first two weeks after birth.

If your baby is about four weeks or older, they’re considered an “older” newborn. By this point, you might be getting slightly longer stretches of sleep at night. You might have some semblance of a routine down, which means you’ll have an idea of how long baby will sleep and when they’ll need to eat again. Baby is much more likely to be awake at least part of the session at this age, and they might even pay lots of attention to the camera.

These sessions are often best for parents who want to be past the early days of adjusting to parenthood before photos. If you’re looking forward to photos of baby awake and perhaps even interacting a bit (like Aubrey did with her baby smiles), I suggest scheduling a session for about five weeks or later.

Whether you’re ready to plan a newborn session for immediately after birth or a few weeks later, I’d love to capture these moments for you! Take a peek at the rest of Aubrey’s gorgeous in-home newborn session below, and then hop over to the Contact page and tell me more about you!