Mateo - Newborn Session

I absolutely love photographing newborn sessions. Newborns are so cute, cuddling, and all around adorable. Mateo's newborn session had a bit of a hiccup though. I normally schedule newborns when they are 2-3 weeks old. Unfortunately, Mateo was under the weather during that timeframe, so his newborn session was closer to 5-6 weeks. But he still rocked it!

We started the session out with my Holiday Mini Set-Up, as Izzy and Mateo agreed to be my models for my promo pics. Mateo was dressed in the cutest green newborn romper, but he was not a fan of the little sleepy cap that went along with it.

I was quite nervous that Mateo was going to be too big and/or too alert for some of the newborn poses that we had planned. He was so strong and loved holding his head up! He also struggled to call into that super deep sleep that is necessary for some of the newborn poses. On the flip side, he was so awake, and alert and I was able to get so many shots with his eyes wide open. I have photographed a lot of babies, and Mateo is absolutely gorgeous.

Moving along. we jumped into some poses with Mateo's mom, Izzy, I love photographing family wearing black clothing on a black background. I think the monochronic look is very classic looking and the focus is on the connection between the family and the newborn. I attempted a new shot--the backlit image of Izzy and Mateo. I am still unsure if I like it and if I want to incorporate it into my regular newborn workflow. Let me know your thoughts!

We kept Mateo wrapped up in the black swaddle and gingerly placed him in the basket with a black fur and a lace spiderweb. Although the spiderweb fabric is very difficult to see, it does give a nod to Halloween--since Mateo's session was during the midst of Spooky Season (October).

I love the next few images. I wanted to wrap Mateo with his little toes peeking out, but he decided he did not want to stay asleep. He kept stretching his arms and making all sorts of funny faces during this set. I loved the custom jelly roll rug made by a local creator. With so many colors in the rug, we had lots of options for coordinating colors to choose from but settled on a red swaddle with the red bonnet.

This sweet boy was exhausted by the time we moved him into the Everlasting Bucket pose. I loved how these images turned out though--from the jut rope to the sea themed bucket hugger. Mateo made the perfect little seaside baby. During the newborn session pre-consultation, Izzy mentioned she loved all colors, but though blue looked good on Mateo. I agree! But honestly, Mateo is such a stunning baby, all colors look good on him!

We ended the session by trying to get a few more table poses in. Mateo was just too big and wiggly to get my favorite--bum up pose. I attempted some mug shots and macros, but he was 100% over me at this point. For being an incredibly strong and alert 6-week-old, I was very satisfied with the diversity in the gallery that we did capture though.

I had so much fun photographing Mateo and I hope he comes back into my studio for milestone sessions and his first-year birthday photos. It's always so fun to see how newborns change over the course of a year.