You only get one newborn photo shoot for your baby, and it’s an opportunity to capture the magic of these first days with your little one before that newborn stage ends in the blink of an eye. So of course, you want that photoshoot to be the best it can be! That starts with hiring the right newborn photographer for your growing family. As a newborn photographer myself, I’m happy to share some insights and tips about what types of questions to ask a newborn photographer that you’re considering.

As both a mom and a photographer, I can sympathize with all the moms who are stressed about family portraits. A family photo session is a big deal! You want it to be a great experience for your family and you want to love your portraits. The first step to a successful photo session is hiring a photographer who’s the right fit for your family, and knowing what questions to ask can go a long way. So, to make it easier to book your next photo shoot, here are the top questions you want to ask.

Sometimes when I show clients their portraits, they say something like, “Wow, I can’t believe that shot turned out like that!” or “That pose felt awkward at the time but it looks great on camera!” Trust me, I always have a vision for the image I want to create and a plan for how to make it happen! It’s all about trusting the process and knowing that you’ve hired a professional photographer who has a few tricks up her sleeve. One of the tricks I use for some sessions is composite photography.

If you have a boudoir photo shoot on the schedule or if you’re thinking about booking one, congratulations on taking that leap of faith and investing in yourself! Now you get to have the fun of planning. As you’re dreaming up your ideal boudoir session, here are some quick tips for what you might want to bring with you (and what you don’t have to bring if you book with me).

So many things in our day-to-day lives are digital. We communicate over text and social media, we shop online, a lot of us work online…and yes, online platforms are great for sharing photos with your loved ones and for storing backups of your images. But as a photographer who creates portraits of beautiful families and special milestones in life that can’t be re-created, I firmly believe in the value of good, old-fashioned, printed portraits too. Here’s why.

You’ve heard people talk about it, you’ve seen some boudoir photos, and maybe you’ve even wondered if you should book a boudoir photo session. But all too often, I talk to women who hold themselves back from making that call because of common myths and misunderstandings about boudoir and what the experience is like. To help you get past those hang-ups, I’m here to bust some of the most common myths about boudoir photography as a Seattle area photographer.

Your maternity portraits should be relics that you treasure for a lifetime! At the risk of sounding too alarmist, though, you only really get one chance at maternity photos for each pregnancy. There’s a specific time frame in your pregnancy that’s perfect for maternity photography and if you book a session and aren’t happy with your photos, chances are you won’t be able to get another session before your baby’s born or before you’re too uncomfortable to enjoy your photo shoot. As a Seattle area maternity photographer, these are the questions I recommend asking to make sure the photographer you’re booking is the right fit for you.