I am THRILLED for the families that are welcoming little ones, but I’m sad that some of the process of having a newborn is limited right now! During the current Safer at Home orders, we’re all looking for an alternative to newborn photos so that we can capture your brand new little one, but with safety in mind! Safer at Home orders mean we photographers can’t serve our clients with wraps and props and studios or home visits, and mommas can’t celebrate their Little Teeny Tiny in the way we had all planned. So what are some alternatives to newborn photo shoots?

There are a few alternatives out there. Some photographers are putting out guides that help direct mommas on how to do their own in-home lifestyle newborn session with their “big camera.” And plenty of photographers have been kicking around other ideas to capture those Babes remotely, or later than planned. Trust me Mommas! We’re trying so hard to find ways to serve you right now!

An alternative to newborn photos- the FaceTime Photo Session

The FaceTime Photo Session is my current favorite alternative to newborn photography. These photos are from a FaceTime photo shoot that we did yesterday. Never heard of it? During a Facetime, or virtual photo session, the photographer and the client hop on a FaceTime call. The photographer looks over the space and helps direct client through the session. Then, the photographer clicks the button to take a pic during the session. And after that photographer takes those pictures and dresses them up a bit. No contact needed.

Now- are these the same as a REAL newborn photo shoots? Nope. There is a reason we photographers get picky about our camera gear! (Team Nikon here! And I adore all the fancy shmancy lenses!) When you do a Facetime photo session, the picture quality is at the mercy of the client’s phone quality. These virtual essions are also limited by your wi-fi speed, how still you can be, and the light at the location.

But personally, I think it’s kind of poetic. Because isn’t that kind of part of the story? That Sweet Baby joined our world under circumstances that leave us all a little more limited than we are used to. We are all trying to connect virtually and make the most of the tools that we have. We are finding alternatives to the way we do things is kind of a theme right now! Finding an alternative to a newborn photo shoot is kind of symbolic of this time the Bebe came into the world. It tells your story. We are making our intimate space beautiful by whatever ways are at our disposal right now- even if it’s done in new and different ways. Physically distancing yet socially connecting.