Maternity and Newborn Session Guide

MATERNITY + NEWBORN session guide

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HELLO THERE! Thank you for your booking your session with The Captured Life Photography. We are excited about the possibility of working with you. We feel it is such an honor to be chosen to document this very special time in the life of your family. Every single detail of a new life is inspiring. The tiny fingers and toes, the furry hair and soft skin, the brand new belly buttons are all so fresh ... each one unique.

Babies this age grow and change so quickly. It is our goal to create portraits of this stage that you will cherish for a lifetime.

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Maternity Session If you choose to do a maternity session we recommend photographing this event around 32-36 weeks. We want you to choose a time when you feel the most comfortable and the most beautiful. The session can be done with just mom, or with both mom and dad and older siblings.

Some good things to bring along to a maternity session are tank tops, cardigan or button down dress shirt, nude colored bra, scarf, sundress, jeans (real ones with a button and zipper even if they don’t fit!) well manicured hands (they show up in lots of the photos!), and a sonogram picture.

Weather permitting, it is always fun to try some outdoor shots for variety as well. You can get more maternity session inspiration by visiting the maternity + newborn gallery on our website. We will also talke in depth about the vision and style of your maternity session to better customize the session to suit your needs.

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Newborn Session

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We recommend that your baby is photographed when they are between 5-14 days old. There are a couple of reasons for this. If they come in earlier, the mother’s milk may not have come in, and your baby could be a bit harder to satisfy. In addition, little boys who have just had circumcisions are usually a little tender and uncomfortable for a few days. After two weeks old, some babies begin experiencing colic and newborn acne. As the days pass, newborns also gradually become more alert. While they may still sleep for long periods of time at home while fully clothed, swaddled and undisturbed, it typically becomes more challenging to keep the baby in a deep enough sleep for detailed posing as they grow older. Once you book your newborn session, we will email you more information about how to prepare for your newborn session and what to expect.

Siblings

If your newborn has older siblings, you are welcome to bring them along and we will make sure to fit in some sibling shots during the session. We usually try and do them right away so that they are able to leave when we are done with the group photos. Newborn sessions often get long and hot for busy toddlers so it is best if there is someone who can bring them home when they are done. Because of the time and energy, set-up and temperature requirments each newborn sessions takes, I will not do a full children’s session for an older sibling at the same time as a newborn session.

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Frequently Asked Questions?

What are the two types of sessions?

Our most popular session by far is the custom, signature session, and it is the session most clients have experienced through the years. We also offer our popular Baby and Belly session. This session includes a maternity session and a newborn photo session to be done within the first two weeks of birth. You will receive a set of custom designed birth announcements.

What happens when I schedule a session?

After booking and holding a date with your session fee, you will receive a brief questionnaire where I’ll get to know a bit about you, your family, your ideal session, and more. What do you enjoy doing together as a family? What details of “ordinary” life feel extraordinary to you and worthy of capturing forever? For instance, I had a client communicate how much the family enjoys “backyard adventures,” with the boys exploring while mom gardens, so we tailored the session to reflect this love. Maybe we’ll document the fun that ensues when Fifi gets a bath, when dad puts down the Blackberry to join a very important tea party, or when everyone pauses for storytime in the master bedroom.

Where does the session take place?

Most sessions take place at your home or another location that is meaningful to you. Clients often say, “but my home doesn’t look like the ones on your website!” and feel that everything must be perfectly decorated and, well, perfect. Please know that just outside the frame in many of my images were toys that didn’t get put away, a patch of lawn in the midst of being landscaped, or a pile of laundry that understandably didn’t quite find its way into a drawer the first week baby arrived. If your session takes place at the studio, I’ll take special care to make sure that the children are comfortable in their new surroundings.

What should I wear?

When you book you’ll receive a {what to wear} style guide that offers wardrobe inspiration and I’m always happy to help you choose outfits from among your favorites, whether they are brought along to a studio session or we delve into the closet together at home. The biggest rule to remember is to be yourself and to be comfortable! Also, ideally, the wardrobe choices will look at home in the rooms where wall portraits will be displayed.

How much time should I plan for the session?

Most often sessions last around 1 to 1 1/2 hours, with a bit longer for newborns. This gives us plenty of time to get to know each other, to have a snack if needed, to “play” instead of merely “pose and smile,” and in the middle of it all to capture a beautiful variety of images. For studio sessions we’ll also spend around 1 to 1 1/2 hours and capture both indoor and outdoor settings. It’s best not to overshedule session day whenever possible so that kids feel fresh and no one is anxious or rushed.

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Frequently Asked Questions?

How many people are included in the session?

Sessions are for your immediate family. While the impulse to include cousins and other family members is understandable and a lovely thought, what’s less obvious is that this decision truly turns the session into something completely different and by its very nature less intimate.

Babies and children also find having so many people around distracting and capturing them at their best becomes considerably more challenging.

When will we see our images?

About 2-3 weeks following your session you will receive word that your images are ready for viewing. We’ll decide the one week in person ordering period together and you’ll receive a lovely online slideshow during that week to share with friends. I select the best images from your session to show, typically around 40-50. As one mother laughingly said at her ordering appointment, “Thank you so much for not letting those images where I blinked or looked bad even exist in the universe!” I’d love to help you discuss your favorites, plan a wall gallery, or choose a swatch for your handmade album.

We simply cannot wait to receive our portraits and albums! When will they arrive?

Print and digital orders arrive in about 2-3 weeks. Albums are handmade and arrive around 4-6 weeks after your order is received.

Do you archive session image files?

Purchased images are archived and available for re-order for one year. Unordered images are removed from the system six weeks after your session to make room for new clients. While I completely understand that life is busy, timely orders are essential for keeping the studio running smoothly and allowing me to devote time to each client.

I love all of the images. How will I ever decide?

This is by far the number one question clients ask, and most decide simply NOT to decide at all! Instead they select first a “have them all” option, whether a printed set of 5x7s or a modern or keepsake album. While you then may choose a few more favorites for wall displays or gift prints for grandparents, the “hard work” of choosing that we, as busy people, seldom find time for, will already be done.

What is the investment?

Clients generally reserve anywhere between $800 to $1800 for their session. This amount allows them to have each of the images from their gallery in an exquisite handmade album as well as wall art including gallery wrap canvases and high-resolution digital images with reprinting rights. I realize that custom portraiture is an investment and am honored when clients choose me to create artwork for their family. After all, our portraits are one of the few significant purchases we make that will someday be owned and cherished by the very subjects in them! In other words, my daughter will likely never own my much-loved Miele vacuum, but she will adore the portraits of our family all the days of her life, as will her children’s children.

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CountryLife

UrbanLife

Studio/Home Life Page 9 | www.thecapturedlife.com

Locations

CityLife

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What to What to Wear?

Wear? {Maternity}

{Newbies}

The simplest wardrobe choice for your maternity session is . . . none at all! Moms-to-be are often stunned at the elegant images that result from creative posing and camera angles that show “just enough.” If you’re not inclined to bare all, there are many options that result in the gorgeous bare belly shots everyone wants. Try a fitted tank top and low-waisted yoga pants (black looks especially sleek). The “fitted” part for any wardrobe choice is key. A few fun shots with hip tees with clever proclamations on them are always nice as well! Be sure to keep tightly-fitted elastic waistbands and socks far far away for a few hours before your shoot so that we avoid indentations in your skin. Wristwatches are also best left off for the session.

For newborn sessions, two key wardrobe questions significantly affect your resulting images. First, what will the baby wear? And second, what will we wear? That’s right, mom and dad . . . you’ll be in some of the photos as well, even if just as a “backdrop” to the star of the show.

Newborns are absolute perfection when they wear nothing at all! For variety and some fun pops of color, I also like to use the swaddling blankets you have at home--that also gives the images a personal touch.

There are few things as stunning as skin-on-skin shots of a newborn and the proud parents. Dad can be shirtless for some shots, as can Mom, or she could wear a strapless bra or tank top. Images for this type of shot are generally closely cropped.

Also, long-sleeved black shirts for Mom and Dad provide a sophisticated, dramatic “backdrop.”

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{Families}

{Star of the Show}

Flowing white shirts and khakis on the beach. Navy polos and yet more khakis all around. We’ve all seen those photos--heck, most of us have been in those photos. But did you know that coordinated but not “uniform” looks for families create a much more pleasing photograph? Moreover, it is not nearly as difficult as you think it is! The cardinal rule of family dressing for portraits is simple: choose items for the entire family as if you were creating one outfit. If all of your choices were somehow on one person, would the result be pleasing, colorwise? A handy trick for those who are hesitant to break away from the monochrome madness is to choose one patterned item (for example a print dress for your daughter) and then select the rest of the family’s clothing from colors within that pattern.

A wildly-patterned pair of cargo pants and a hipster tee. Her funky hot pink tutu and cowboy boots. His “superhero” cape. Individual shots give your child a chance to show his or her personality through fashion like no other. Without the concern of clashing or competing patterns that exists in a family shot, the possibilities are limitless! So break out your daughter’s bright, crazy Oilily ensemble--the one that gives your Strasburg-loving mother-in-law fits--or your son’s beloved rain boots, and let’s capture something bold, memorable, and no-holdsbarred fun!

{Tip: Let Pinterest inspire you. Pin outfits that you would like to recreate for you and/or your family}

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ClientSpotlight

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Photos as Art

We want you to love your images so much that they are displayed on the walls of your home for years to come.

During your personal ordering consultaion we can discuss your space and help you select the perfect products and groupings for your home.

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Gallery Wraps Printed on canvas and ready to hang, gallery wraps instantly turn your images into works of art. The printed canvas is stretched and wrapped a wood frame andhave a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Available in any custom size, gallery wraps are perfect for creating large wall groupings, or as a statement piece when hung all alone.

24x36 $525 10x20 $325

20x24 $450 11x14 $275

16x20 $350 8x10 $200

Standouts With your print mounted on this 3/4 inch lightweight board, your image becomes a sleek and modern display piece. A hole is included on the back of the standout for easy hanging.

Standouts are only available in standard sizes. A black edge comes standard; white, silver, and birch edges are available for an extra charge.

24x36 $415 10x20 $200

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20x24 $325 11x14 $175

16x20 $260 8x10 $150

Mini Wraps A mini version of the gallery wrap canvases, these adorable little pieces come in a minimum set of three. At just 6x6, they can be hung in just about any small space in your home.

These come with a wrapped edge in the color of your choice.

Set of (3) $300 Set of (4) $400 Set of (6) $500

Fine Art Prints Your portraits are printed at the highest quality professional photo lab and finished with an archival UV coating in a pearl or matte finish. Portraits sized II x 14 and larger will arrive mounted on a firm styrene material to protect against rolling, cracking or bending.

24x36 $350 10x20 $150

20x24 $355 11x14 $105

16x20 $190 8x10 $40

gift prints [5x7 and smaller] $30 set of [8] wallets $30

[All collections and products are subject to 6% MD sales tax]

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Can’t Miss the Goodies After you select your wall grouping, you will have the opportunity to choose from our diverse selection of specialty prouducts. From custom designed keepsake boxes to sterling silver jewelry, each item will be a treasure to own.

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Coffee Table Book Flush-mount albums (lay flat) with custom photo covers and thick pages for a more substantial feel. Albums include 20 pages or 10 spreads and can include text (i.e. baby’s birth stats, Bible verses, favorite quotes) and different layouts of images, including fullbleed pages or pages with multiple images.The modern books have a luxurious look and feel and are sure to be a conversation piece in the home!

$500

Luxary Keepsake Album

Our luxary keepsake session album is our signature album. 10x10 Handbound album holds 30 printed images with your choice of linen, leather or acrylic coverings in an array of colors, milk core matted images and finished with a cover image. It’s a modern classic.

$700

Keepsake Box

This includes your favorite 20 images in 5x7 matted prints OR 5x7 prints of all of your images from the session (not matted).

Packaged in a beautiful custom box with your favorite image on the cover

$625

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Mini Albums

These accordian-style albums are perfect for proud parents and grandparents to carry along with them to show ofTphotos from baby’s first photo shoot. They come in sets of 3 and hold 8· I I photos.

$125

High-Res. Digital Images

Clients may purchase high-resolution digital images on disk.

Images are professionally retouched in both color and black & white. Clients may print any size 16x20 and smaller. Clients receive a “permission to print” pamphlet to produce unlimited prints for non-commercial use as well as tips and recommendations for how to use and protect their precious memories. The disk or jump drive is enclosed in a customized case.

$1200

Birth Announcements

Custom designed by Tosha, each announcement is a unique work of art. Ordered as sets of25, birth announcements are available in one, two or four-sided as well as a selection of paper finishes.

$75 per set of 25

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Portrait Collections Having a hard time deciding?

We understand ... each of the images in your gallery is precious and you don’t want to leave out any of these cherished memories. We have designed groups of our most popular products that when ordered together help save you money. We have also tried to save you time by making the decisions for you so that you can spend these moments doting on your new baby.

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202.257.3458 tosha@thecapturedlife.com www.thecapturedlife.com

Refer your friends!

Receive a $50 gift card for you and your friend once they book their session.

It’s our way of saying THANKS!

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