Best Newborn Photographer

No, I am not claiming to be the best newborn photographer – though I might be the best one in Burtonsville, hee (self-deprecation is my M.O.). No, my goal with the title of this blog is for Google to send you to me so that I can show you why I am the best newborn photographer for you. I think there are a number of things that can make a photographer “the best” to their clients and I feel I have a lot to offer in the field of newborn photography.

Best Newborn Photographer | Knowledge

I shot an in-home newborn session yesterday and one of the things the mom said to me, when I asked if they were swaddling their baby, was, “No, he hates to be swaddled.” Mic drop. This was a moment where I got to take off my photographer’s hat and put on my nurse’s hat and dole out a little education. Not because I wanted to show off how much I know but because I genuinely wanted to help this family get the sleep they so desperately needed – and the best way to do that – right now, in the newborn stage – is to swaddle their baby.

Her rationale behind thinking that her baby hated being swaddled was her son’s propensity to work his arms out of the swaddle then flail around and cry. I got to dispel this mis-information (newborns actually crave the security and comfort of having their limbs bundled closely – mimicking the atmosphere of the womb – and feel out of control when they’re left to flail around in the middle of an an undefined space) and educate how to properly swaddle so that they could learn how to do it well and buy themselves 2-3 hours of sleep at a time.

This ability to teach – from a background of clinical nursing knowledge – as well as use my photography skills to provide them with heart-tuggingly emotional photos from this brief stage in their baby’s life – is one of the things that draws my clients to me. We ended the session with me showing them how to double swaddle and you can learn how to do it too, from this highlight on my Instagram.

Best Newborn Photographer | Education

So, while I definitely don’t claim to be the BEST, I will argue that I try really hard to stay up to date on all the latest in newborn photography trends, posing, styling, editing, and all the components that are important to newborn photography. I subscribe to a platform of newborn photography educators that are constantly providing new material for me to consume. My kids will be watching Encanto for the 93rd time in a week (ha, they wish) and I’ll be elbows deep in a tutorial, gathering ideas and inspiration for my next shoot.

I believe that staying up-to-date in the field of newborn photography is one of the best things I can do for my clients who are paying me good money for heirloom quality art that they are going to hang in their home for generations. The least I can do is be as knowledgable and informed as possible, right??

Best Newborn Photographer | Heart

Ok, so maybe heart has nothing to do with skill but it sure does have a lot to do with a parent’s comfort in handing their newborn baby over to a virtual stranger. I pray that my heart for newborn babies is evident from the very first email we exchange to the consult phone call where I share my process right over to the day we shoot the session and through to the conclusion where you view your photos and choose the collection that will memorialize your baby’s newborn days for a lifetime.

Newborn photography isn’t a *job* for me. It’s a passion. It occupies my thoughts during the day and often my dreams at night. It takes me away from my own family on weekdays and (sometimes, depending on the situation) weekends and holidays and I search for tiny snatches of time when my kiddos are occupied to edit as much as I can. I do this because it’s not just a way to earn an income. It is something that fills me up and excites me.

Every new inquiry makes my heart brim with anticipation. When my phone dings with a text that a new baby has been born, I immediately begin thinking about what the session is going to be like and planning for the set-ups and dreaming about delivering a series of photos that will make a new parent’s eye swell with happy tears.

I do what I do because I love it and I want to be the best for every client who trusts me with the heart that beats outside of their body. The day I stop hitting that goal is the day I should hang up my camera and move aside for the next crop of best newborn photographers.

Liz Viernes Photography is based near Glenelg, Maryland, and specializes in maternity, fresh 48, posed and lifestyle newborns and first year milestone portraits.

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