Newborn Photo Session in Asheville, North Carolina
Written without AI, and it breaks my heart to have to write this disclaimer.
When my first daughter, Olive, was born, I was a fairly new family photographer, although I had been a travel and adventure photographer professionally for over ten years. I somehow got it in my mind that because I was a photographer, I didn’t need to hire a newborn photographer to capture those early days with newborn Olive. I got what I deserved: a year’s worth of phone photos of my daughter’s face, taken from six inches away. There are almost zero pictures of me with my baby, which is insane to think about. I don’t think I ever put her down in the first year of her life, I nursed her on demand for even longer- and there are no pictures! Just close ups of her sweet cheeks and a few more zoomed out snaps from the very scarce times that I put her down for naps.
Click on the photo to see my family photography session offerings
I hardly picked my big camera up during that first year as my hands were literally always full. Olive was the world’s easiest baby- she never cried, never fussed, had no feeding issues and slept for six hours at a time, which for a newborn is really saying something! So it wasn’t exhaustion that kept me from making photos with my DSLR, just a logistics issue. When I wasn’t holding Olive I was wearing her, hence all the images made of her face from inches away.
When Ivy was born four years later, you’d better believe I had a newborn photo session with her! In fact, since I am lucky enough to know so many talented photographers here in Asheville, I did two photo trades and had two photographers, Eliza and Maggie, come and shoot my new family of four. Throughout Ivy’s first year, I took loads of photos with ‘the big camera’. I knew so much more about shooting newborns and infants, and I had a blast. Ivy has the most beautiful photo album filled with images from her first six months.
Beautiful baby Sloane. Click on the photo to view my portfolio!
Whenever I am lucky enough to shoot an in-home newborn lifestyle photo session here in Asheville, I try to provide my client with all the images I wish I had with Olive. This particular newborn, Sloane, was her parents first baby. She is a beautiful baby girl with a full head of dark hair. After an extremely difficult birth, the mom was worn out, so I was intentional about making the photo shoot slow, easy, and soothing. We played calming piano music and kept our voices low. I bring very even-keel energy to all my photo sessions, although I can get excited and riled up when things are going well, but particularly for newborns and sleep deprived parents, I keep it very chill.
Click the photo to reach out and book your own newborn or family photography session with Melina Coogan
Are you having a baby any time soon? Reach out and I’ll send you all the details about my sweet in-home newborn lifestyle sessions. Do you live in Asheville? Sweet! I’ll come to you. Do you live in the greater Western North Carolina region? I’ll drive! Do you live somewhere else in the country? No worries- I travel for Day in the Life and Half Day in the Life family sessions! I’ve been all over the world, including Ireland and the Netherlands, and to over half the states in the US to shoot these extended family photo sessions. These are documentary family photography- purely unposed. (Newborns don’t do much, so I do pose newborn sessions!)
Hi, dad!