As a newborn photographer in the Purcellville, VA area for almost two decades, we realize that our work goes beyond taking pictures. Connecting to our clients outside of the studio or portrait sessions is important to us. So, today it is all about baby! What gear do you need for your baby during their first six weeks of life?

Here are some tips:

Changing Table: You’ll need a changing table with a changing pad. Most changing tables include a pad. Any dresser can serve as a changing table as long as you invest in a quality pad and keep in mind that changing tables come with some important items such as safety rails. Good and easily accessible storage is critical to have in a changing table.

Diapers: Two ways to go with this. The more earth-friendly way is to order a cloth diaper service. But, probably more than 80-percent of new parents opt for disposable diapers. If you want to help Mother Earth without signing up for a diaper service, you could use biodegradable diapers. Whatever kind of diaper you choose, stock up on plenty of them for those first few weeks and expect to go through approximately a dozen diapers a day!

Diaper Disposal: If you aren’t using a diaper service, you’ll need to get rid of dirty diapers in a responsible and clean manner. There are plenty of nifty diaper disposal systems available, but there’s always the good old garbage can. Remember, though, that diapers can get stinky mighty fast!

Diaper Bag: Just as you can use any dresser, you can use any bag as a diaper bag. Be sure to purchase a high-quality changing pad you can easily fold and clean as needed. A good diaper bag needs to be sturdy and washable (or wipeable) and should hold a good amount of diapers and extra items. You should also love the design because you’ll be using it a lot in the coming months and years!

Diaper cream: Most babies end up needing some diaper cream at some point to help with diaper rash. Have some on hand for when you need it.

Wipes: You’ll need a way to clean your child’s bottom and most parents go for disposable wipes. You also could use warm, soapy water and a washcloth. It’s your call.

Cribs: You can invest in a baby bassinet to keep near your bed or in another room altogether, or you could just purchase a crib. Either way, buy a good mattress and a safe, quality bassinet or crib. If you’re using a second-hand crib, keep in mind things such as lead paint and the distance between crib railings can be dangerous. You can learn more about crib safety here

Bedding: Keep it simple inside the crib. Most doctors recommend no blankets, stuffed toys, or crib bumpers for risk of SIDS. Invest in several sets of sheets (keep down on laundry) and a plastic sheet for the center area of the crib for those middle-of-the-night leaky diapers!

Bathing: A specialty baby tub for newborns will be a worthy investment to make it easier and safer to bathe your newborn.

First-aid and Supply Kit: Why not go ahead and put together a little kit before you need certain items? A bulb syringe for stuffy noses, baby clippers, a digital baby thermometer, a baby hair brush with soft bristles, and petroleum jelly are just a few things you could put in your kit. And, as newborn photographers, we would be remiss if we didn’t add that keeping a camera nearby at all times is important! You might forget about baby photography during those first few weeks, otherwise!

Transporting Baby: You’ll unquestionably need two things pretty quickly to get around with your baby: a car seat and a stroller. Do your research and purchase these items well in advance of your due date. At the very least, you’ll need a car seat when you leave the hospital. Many car seats and strollers can be purchased as part of a system. You might want to invest in a baby sling as well for when pushing a stroller isn’t convenient. Here are some tips for buying a car seat.

We have almost two decades working as a family and newborn photographer in the Purcellville, VA area. We hope we have the chance to work with your baby and you! Contact our studios today!
 

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Newborn Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near Purcellville, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Everyone has a special memory of a beloved item from their childhood. Refresh your memory. It can help you select a few items to bring for your child’s photo session. As baby photography experts in the Potomac Falls, VA and Lowes Island, VA area, we know that time is precious. It’s why childhood portraits are more valuable tomorrow than today.

Children’s Photography:
The innate beauty and power of children’s portraits are most appreciated in the future, years after they have been taken. Yes, you will instantly love your child’s portraits and enjoy them displayed in your home. However, these portraits all too soon become a symbol of something that once was – of a moment in your child’s life.

Children’s fine art portraits serve as a window into something that you can’t recapture except through your memories and those priceless portraits. This is why we encourage all parents to do professional portraits of their children. Don’t let their childhood pass without those precious years captured in print. It’s an investment you will never regret!

Select Something Special for Your Child’s Session!
Look at what is precious to your child today. It could be a toy, a blanket, even a piece of furniture like a child’s favorite rocking chair. Maybe it’s the family dog or pet if your child has a special bond with it. Or is there a special cup they use every day?

If we are doing newborn portrait sessions, some parents decide to include a family heirloom item they love. It connects today with yesterday – one generation to another. It could be a grandmother’s prized teddy bear or a favorite childhood doll. Maybe it’s an heirloom rattle passed down through your family from mother to mother.

Portraits are like a time capsule. We capture something today for tomorrow. Our portrait photography studio recommends that you think of your children’s portraits as something you’ll enjoy and treasure today, but cherish even more tomorrow when they are grown. Therein lies the beauty of children’s photography!

If you would like to work with us for your baby photography sessions, please contact us! Our studios and private, outdoor portrait park are within easy distance of most Northern Virginia towns, including Potomac Falls, VA and Lowes Island, VA.
 

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in Potomac Falls, VA, near Lowes Island, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Hiring a professional newborn photographer is an excellent idea but something you can’t do on a 24/7 basis! As a Purcellville, VA area photographer, we can offer you several lighting tips to help you take better baby pictures at home. Correct lighting can transform an image from an ordinary snapshot into a frameable picture.

Outdoor Lighting:

When possible, let Mother Nature work in your favor for pictures of babies. Shoot the photos in your yard or a local park. The best times for natural lighting are very early in the morning (just after sunrise) or just before sunset.

Avoid the middle of the day sun! No one likes a squinting baby, and the harsh glare of the midday sun can wash out an otherwise great picture. However, if you must shoot during the middle of the day, do your pictures in the shade and use the flash if necessary. Remember that any light which shines behind your subject will leave the subject’s face in the dark. That’s where your flash can balance out the light. You will need to set your flash on manual to shoot despite the bright light.

Indoor Lighting:

If you’re shooting indoors, then you will likely have to do some test shots while looking for the best natural light. Try not to use a flash which can leave dark shadows – not to mention that babies don’t like sudden bright lights. If at all possible, shoot near (but not directly in front of) a window or open doorway where natural light casts inside.

If needed, move a lamp (halogen works great for this!) near and in front of the baby to cast a soft glow. Keep a few feet between the light and the baby. The effect you’re looking for is a soft light, not a harsh glare which will wash out the baby in the image. Watch for shadows created by the lamp! Sometimes angling the light source can help avoid unsightly shadows.

If you feel that one light isn’t enough, we recommend adding a second light source. Position one on each side with one being closer than the other which helps “highlight” the baby.

Lighting can be very tricky. We recommend practice, practice, and more practice! With digital photography, you can instantly see the results and make adjustments.

We love to share these tips with you and we hope they’re helpful! As a Purcellville, VA newborn photographer, we are always happy to professionally photograph your baby. Contact us for an appointment!
 

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Newborn Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near Purcellville, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

As a baby photography mother-daughter team in the Potomac Falls, VA area, we value “Mommy time”! Let’s face it: Being a mom is hard work which is why we believe in the importance of taking the time for ourselves. “Mommy time” is important, and studies have found it’s not just good for our health but just as important for the health of our children.

Recent studies have found – yes, we love to cite studies – that it’s not about how much time you spend with your children, it’s the quality of that time. In 2015, The Washington Post reported on one such groundbreaking study. The prevailing belief in recent years that spending a lot of time with our children is better for them could be wrong, according to researchers at the University of Toronto and Bowling Green State University.

The study found that how much time parents spend with their kids between the ages of 3 and 11 has almost no relationship to how the children turn out, and it has a minimal effect on adolescents. The study also found that “stressed, sleep-deprived, guilty and anxious” mothers could have an adverse effect on their children.

We don’t think it takes a researcher to tell us that if we’re stressed, a child is likely to know it or feel it. As mothers, we can’t avoid all stress, of course, but taking time for ourselves can make a big difference to our families. Happy Mommy, happy family!

As owners of a busy portrait photography studio, we can’t always take several days off and run off to a pricey spa. Busy mommies can’t either! But sometimes just taking a few hours for ourselves is all it takes. Whether you head out for a mani-pedi, a walk, or a few hours of gardening or a movie, it’s important to do something for yourself.

Even a portrait session can be a getaway for a busy mom. Whether it is a maternity, mother and daughter, or family portrait, it’s something focused on you with no work involved for you. We’ve had clients at the end of a session tell us how much fun they had and how easy it was to do their portraits. It was an easy escape with tangible results – beautiful, fine art portraits.

Whatever you decide to do for yourself away from your daily schedule, pick something relaxing and enjoyable!

As a mother-daughter team working with family and baby photography in the Potomac Falls, VA area, we know how important it is for us to take at least a few hours away from our work and everyday home life. We hope you take some time for yourself as well – and do it soon!
 

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in Potomac Falls, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby portraits. Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits