Our Newborn Studio Set Up

It's Day 3 of National Newborn Safety Week!!! Here we go...

Our Newborn Studio Set Up includes the following:

1.) Lights...we use lights to illuminate baby for better photos

2.) a space heater...this keeps baby warm (ps it will be warm, so don't come wearing a sweater) and the white noise helps keep baby asleep...yes, even in the warm weather!

3.) props...we have lots of props to work with for both genders, this includes blankets, hats, hair, head pieces, wings, jewelry, background props, positioning props, toys, etc

4.) an assistant...we always have at least one assistant to help the photographer, help position baby, and make sure baby is safe (since I, your lovely photog, has to be a few feet away to take photo and can't hold baby and take photos at the same time)

5.) space for mommy (and sometimes daddy) to relax and take a break from baby duty while we are working with baby...usually there is even somewhere comfy to sit and maybe even take a little nap haha j/k

Check back tomorrow for more info on what to expect after your photo shoot

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How to Get Ready for Your Newborn Session

1.) A few months before baby is due, email us and book a session. Obviously the date is flexible since we don't know when baby will arrive for sure, but we need an idea of when they are due.

2.) Immediately after baby arrives, let us know and set up the date you wish to come. Please note, newborn sessions are held within the first twelve days of life.

3.) Most newborn sessions are done just in baby's diaper, but you are welcome to bring a special outfit if you like. If you want photos with any of our hats/diaper covers/cocoons/hair pieces/tutus/other accessories, etc be sure to let us know so you can take a look at what we have available. We also do custom orders, so if you have ideas we can accommodate that too! We will need to know this information at the very least, two weeks before the session.

4.) On the day of the session, make sure baby is well fed and diaper has been changed. The car ride should keep them calm and put them to sleep. These sessions work best when they are asleep!

5.) Come on in and settle in...it's time for your session and we're working on baby's schedule now!!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more info on how your newborn session will work!!

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How We Keep Baby Safe

It's newborn safety week!! Check back all week long to learn the behind the scenes of your baby's first photo shoot!!

Here's how we take care of your newborn when you come for your photo shoot:

**We never put your child in a position where they could get hurt. We usually have them laying on a table covered in several layers of blankets so it is nice and soft for them.

**We always have an assistant right next to the baby so if they start moving around they do not get hurt

**When baby needs a break, we take a break. We always guess the session will run longer than planned because often times baby needs a break. We always put baby's needs first!

**We make sure they can not get hurt on any of the props

**We only do what mommy is comfortable with

**We have special equipment to prop baby up on when we need baby raised up a bit (like in the photo below...her shoulders and head are just slightly raised up)

**We never do anything that even comes close to being potentially dangerous when posing baby, even if mommy is okay with it--baby's safety comes first! We will never put anyone in danger just for a photo!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for another post about what you can expect from a newborn session!!

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Why You Can't Take Your Own Photo

Here's one of the photos from the session I am working on tonight.

This is why you should always go to a professional photog to get your photos done. You can't do this yourself and a chain photography store (like JC Pennys or Sears) can't live up to this or even come close:

This is the before and after photos. Pay special attention to his ears. Notice how red they were from the sun? Once I finished retouching they weren't red anymore. Notice all the blemishes are fixed, the color is enhanced, the picture is sharper and stands out more?

I spend about twenty minutes on each photo retouching, cropping if necessary, enhancing the color, sharpening the image, making it more vibrant, and making it stand out more.

Photography is not just about having a good eye and setting up a great shot, but knowing how to work with the image and make it even better!!

This photo was taken with the sun directly behind him, making him look dark and shadowy and the coloring is kind of muddy...but we wanted that background and he did not want to face the sun at all because he would shut his eyes. In order to get the background without him being blinded, we had to take the photo like this. Then I went in, touched it up, and now his family has this gorgeous photo to hang up above the piano (assuming they have a piano lol) Please note, most photos are not usually this muddy looking, it's simply because we wanted that background and had to shoot into the sun, knowing I could fix it in editing.

How cool is that difference?!?! I'm sooo loving those colors! It's even better than how it looked in person! (and seriously, the color change in those ears is AMAZING)

Final note: hire a REAL professional photog, not a chain store and not a friend of the family who has a nice camera. Trust your professional photog...they know what they are doing and will make you and your family look fabulous!!

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When You Look Up...

..sometimes you find unexpected things. Creepy things. Giant spiders to be exact.

This evening we went out to walk the puppies and we looked up and saw a huge spider hanging high above out heads from a tree branch. I rushed back inside, grabbed my camera, ran back outside and photographed it.

This is the close up:

And a farther away (can you spot him?):

There he is. And he looked even bigger in person. Ick!

Not my usual subject, but he'll work! Enjoy!

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Sneak Peek: Cole

Today I met 14 year old Cole. While not thrilled to have his picture taken, he obliged and smiled at my lens while I clicked away unendingly. He was a good sport and we got some great shots! Here is one of them:

Cole, I hope you enjoyed your photo shoot! I enjoyed meeting you and your mama!! PS Your mom's sunglasses are awesome!

More from this session coming after the family's View and Choose Session in a few weeks!!

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What is a stylized kid session?

I recently photographed a few stylized kid photo shoots. These are not the typical photo shoots of kids playing and hanging out with their siblings and parents. Stylized sessions require more work to prepare, involve the use of tailored scenery and lots of props and hair pieces. A stylized kids session is inspired by something related to childhood and brings that child into a fantasy world for their photo shoot.

I recently did a photo shoot of two little girls where we did a session inspired by Beauty and the Beast. We took elements from the story and incorporated them into the session but didn’t over do it. For example, I brought out a large antique clock and set it on a blanket with the girls among other things. It looked nothing like the one in the movie. I had them take the key and pretend to unlock the clock. That never happened in the movie, but it’s not that it’s copying a movie or story but rather using elements from the well known story within the photo shoot.

In that same session I took the girls down by the water and they “read” a book. I set up books all around them and then gave them one to “read”. In the story Belle is obsessed with reading. She goes to the book store, reads by the fountain, and the Beast even gives her a library. Instead of putting the girls by a fountain, I put them on a rock down by the pond and got the most incredible shots of them reading by the water (umm…which I actually used to do when I was young…take a book down by the pond and red on the rocks…I had forgotten about that until just now <3)

One of the other stylized kid sessions I did last week involved a little girl in a blue dress, wearing a gorgeous hairpiece from Top It Off! By Dazzling Diamond Designs new hairpiece collection (premiering soon), holding balloons…in the water. Yes, IN the water. My lovely model walked out into the water, dress on, and posed for photos. We created this lovely dream world for her to play in. The sky was bright blue, the waves were crashing against the shore, the wind tossed the balloons around…it was lovely. We weighted balloons and threw them out in the water around my model. The wind was so strong the balloons kept coming into shore and we had to throw them back out every two photos or so. It was the ultimate girly session. At the end of the session she even went under the water which gave some of the photos a mermaid edge to it. It was an incredible session!

Stylized kid sessions are some of my favorite to photograph. I’m always planning new stylized kid sessions to do and I’m just waiting for clients to book a stylized session. Right now I’m working on an incredible Neverland/Peter Pan/Tinkerbell inspired session, a little mermaid inspired session, and mad hater tea party inspired session, a circus inspired session, and several others. If you are interested in booking a stylized kids session for your little prince or princess, email us at katie@kmrobinsonphotography.com

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