The best time to shoot a newborn session is in the first three weeks after birth, and right before/at the 2 week mark is my favorite.  The less time they’ve spend out of the womb, the more flexible and comfortable in curled up poses they are. They also sleep undisturbed for longer periods of time in those early days. That being said, I will do a newborn session up to about 6 weeks for babies born near their due date or 10 weeks for babies born significantly prematurely depending on the situation. In sessions with “older” newborns, we will do more swaddled poses and fewer naked/outfit poses. 

The best time for a maternity session is at about 30-35 weeks into your pregnancy. 

The fall is my busiest season, so my turnaround time can go up a bit. I recommend booking a family session before mid November in order to ensure we’ll be able to schedule your viewing and ordering session in time to order, receive and send holiday cards. 

The more notice, the better, especially for newborn sessions. While I always try to squeeze in a last minute session when I can, it’s better if you reserve a date at least 2 weeks in advance for a family session and milestone sessions, and at least a month in advance for newborn sessions.  This allows me to reserve the perfect date in the ideal time frame for those time sensitive sessions. It also gives me some time to shop for any special new props we might need if you have a custom set-up in mind.  Another thing to note is that weekends tends to book up rather quickly, so if you are hoping to shoot on a weekend, more notice is better. 

My regular turnaround time is about 2-3 weeks. Occasionally in the fall it can get a bit longer, however I will let you know at your session what to expect. 

Yes I do! I send all of my clients a newborn session guide full of tips for preparing for a sucessful newborn session. 

Due to scheduling obligations, I don’t currently offer birth photography, however, my Fresh 48 sessions are a great way to capture your time together in the hospital in the first few days after birth. 

I recommend putting together outfits that coordinate but aren’t too “matchy-matchy” for your session. One way to do this is to pick a color family such as jewel tones, pastels, neutrals, etc. and let everyone choose an outfit within that family. It’s important that each person feel comfortable and confident in what they are wearing, so allowing for personal style choices is great when possible. Avoid neon colors, clothing with writing on it, and loud patterns. Remember that shoes are a part of your overall look and will appear in many of the photos, so don’t leave them out of your planning! I have a Pinterest board of inspiration to aid your family portrait fashion decisions that I will send to you once our session is booked, and I’m happy to look at pictures of the outfits you’re considering and give you my feedback.

There are so many beautiful locations in the Los Angeles area we can choose from! I love shooting in the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu for more rustic looking shoots. There are also, of course, many great beach locations (Venice, Santa Monica, South Bay, Malibu). And let’s not forget parks and urban locations local to your neighborhood. It’s great to shoot at a place that is significant to your family in some way. I’m willing to travel to the San Fernando Valley for no additional cost, and further destinations such as Joshua Tree are an option with an additional travel fee. Since some locations do require obtaining a permit before shooting there, we need to make sure we plan with enough time to accommodate this process if you are interested in these locations. So whether you’re interested in capturing your family as they stroll down the streets of Beverly Hills or wade through the tall grass at Malibu Creek State Park, we can plan a perfect session at the location that works for you!