I love shooting in home newborn photos. I have traveled as far north as Harford County, MD, as far south as Loudoun County, VA, and as far east as Wicomico County, MD. (Disclaimer: I far prefer to stay within about 25 miles of Burtonsville, MD – these far-flung destinations aren’t my norm).
I’ve been in business long enough now that my initial newborn clients have had at least one and sometimes two siblings by now. It’s such a pleasure to follow the same families year after year and watch their little ones grow. Not only is that passage of time super rewarding to document, it’s also amazing to develop relationships with these families and feel like I’m being welcomed in by old friends. In home newborn photos are so fulfilling to me.
This particular family is one of my faves. I met them two years ago, right before Covid hit the US. Literally…Right Before. Oliver’s Fresh 48 session happened two weeks before the world shut down. I honestly remember being surprised when I showed up to Sibley Memorial Hospital and they let me in! With all the news that was coming over from China, I felt sure they’d question me or take my temp or require me to be masked…but it was still so early that none of that happened.
His in home newborn photos happened two weeks later. By that point, our homeschool co-op had gone virtual but the governor hadn’t yet shut down nonessential businesses. Oliver’s newborn session was so perfect that I’ve used it ever since as an example to expectant moms of the type of neutral decor and natural window light that is best for my style of photography.
Fast forward two years and Oliver’s mom, Mary, contacts me again. She’s expecting baby number two and she’d like to do the same thing for this baby as for Oliver: a fresh 48 session and in home newborn photos.
The irony didn’t escape me: Oliver’s Fresh 48 session was the very last one I photographed before the shutdown. Owen’s Fresh 48 was the very first one I photographed after. How poignant. I absolutely love that it worked out this way.
The family has since moved and when Mary emailed me about their new home, she said it was a photographer’s dream, with walls made out of windows. She knew I would adore shooting in home newborn photos there and I absolutely did.
Our plan was to shoot the first half of the session while two year old Oliver was in school so that we could focus on just Owen, as Oliver’s attention span would likely be very short. We got some shots of Owen with his parents in the nursery, Owen with his grandmother (how sweet, since she wasn’t able to travel to see Oliver as a newborn, thanks again, Covid), and Owen with his parents in their (floor-to-ceiling-windowed) master.
When we heard Oliver get home, I think we all braced ourselves because Oliver is a tiny tornado. Not having seen him since his first birthday cake smash photos, I was unsure whether they meant a *happy* tornado or an *unhappy* tornado. (Spoiler alert: things went well. Mary later said, “I can’t believe this went as well as it did!”)
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Oliver cutely ran right to the bed where his parents and new little brother were, climbed up and then…he spotted me. He was unsure of who I was and why I was there so I got a cute handful of expressions ranging from pensive to lip-out-considering-tears. He then decided I was no one to be concerned about and got right to the business of being the most darling two year old alive.
He got to hold his brother for the very first time (heart-swellingly sweet) and then spent some serious time playing with his daddy, which resulted in the MOST ADORABLE smiles and antics from both of them. As Mary smiled on fondly, I internally screamed at the amazing photos that I knew were resulting. These in home newborn photos make me so happy.
Liz Viernes Photography is based near Washington, DC, and specializes in maternity, fresh 48, posed and lifestyle newborns and first year milestone portraits.
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