Not every newborn session goes exactly as planned—and that’s perfectly okay. When sweet baby Camille came into the studio, we were all set for a full posed session, complete with our carefully selected wraps, props, and backdrops. Before every session, I provide parents with detailed instructions to help things run smoothly, and Camille’s mom and dad followed them beautifully. They did everything right—but as we all know, babies have their own ideas. From the moment we started, it was clear Camille wasn’t feeling the idea of being posed. What she did want was to be held, snuggled, and close to her parents.
Thankfully, we always stay flexible and baby-led in our studio. Even with 11 years of experience posing newborns, I know there are a few little ones who just aren’t into it—and that’s totally fine. When Camille made it clear she wasn’t in the mood for traditional poses, we rolled with the punches. We shifted gears from a full posed session to a newborn mini session, which allows us to adjust the session and the budget when things don’t go as expected. Despite the change in plans, we captured some incredibly sweet family portraits, with Camille in her favorite place—her parents’ arms. And even better, we did manage to sneak in a few gently posed shots of Camille that turned out just lovely.
When mom received the gallery, she had a tough time choosing her seven included digital images—because it turned out we had more beautiful moments than any of us expected! She loved them so much she ended up purchasing extra photos. It just goes to show that even when a session doesn’t follow the script, there’s still so much beauty to be found. Camille reminded us that sometimes the most meaningful images come from letting go of expectations and simply honoring what baby needs in the moment.