New Adventures in Cheesecloth

I've recently purchased 6 hand-dyed cheesecloths  from one of my newest vendors, Tiny Tops.  Cheesecloth is a very soft, fine thread cloth that you would use to wrap a newborn for portraits.  It can be used in several different ways not just with newborns, but also in maternity photography as well.  With longer pieces, you can create a custom newborn hammock.  The wonderful thing about cheesecloth is that it gives you a great splash of color to the image, which is something I'm really focusing on in my newborn photography.  It's also pretty affordable, so I plan to purchase many more colors in the future!  Some future colors I'd love to purchase would include eggplant, teal, turquoise, peach, and magenta, though my wishlist extends well beyond this!  I will be using these cloths in some upcoming newborn sessions and look forward to exploring my possibilities with it!

The colors listed from top to bottom:
Espresso
Lilac
Denim
Sage
Tangerine
Bubblegum

Wilber Newborn Sneak Peeks

The ultimate goal for a newborn photographer is to achieve sleepiness (in the baby, that is) so you can photograph them doing what they do best and is the best way to get those cuddly sweet posed newborn portraits.  This is best done between the ages of birth to 2 weeks of age.  But, each baby is different so you really don't know what you will encounter when you go through your session.  With all the newborns I've photographed, I've had very sleepy babies as well as babies that just did not want their picture taken!  lol  So when this happens, you take to plan B and figure out what type of portraits would be best with the newborn.  When I'm transitioning a newborn into a different pose or prop and they either fully awaken into calm alertness or into full crying mode, I will generally turn my focus to the parent/baby interaction portraits.  I find this works great, because then the baby will more than likely calm down and either fall back asleep or engage in sweet interaction with the parent as well as the camera.

Baby E woke up mid session and was as calm and content as can be!  She was a very sweet little girl with some of the greatest expressions.  Her eyes are just amazing!  I think this series of portraits featured in this post capture that interaction nicely.

 

Brooks Newborn Session Sneak Peek

I had a great time photographing 3 newborns over a span of 48 hours.  This little guy was the first of the three.  I've been really trying to accomplish new poses and techniques.  He was the first newborn that I was able to successfully pose in a head up position, which is very exciting!

 

My Style

I've been doing a ton of research lately into all aspects of newborn photography, to get an idea of what I think looks best, from depth of focus, to props, to color combinations, backdrops, and even floors.  I really want to find my style-something consistent that will make you think of DVP when you look at the image.  I'm currently going on location for my newborn work but will someday like to get a small studio either out of my home or somewhere centrally located, that will both house my growing list of props/backdrops/floors, but also offer the best in lighting as well.  I think a combination of natural and studio light works well when it comes to portraits, working with either one and/or the other to get the desired effect.

I'm currently looking into my options for portable flooring, because I think texture/color is not only important in the background, but also in the floor as well.  The majority of newborn photography takes place on the floor, usually in a prop such as a basket, bucket, chair, hammock, cocoon, scale, etc.  With my work on location, portable flooring/backdrops offer great versatility to the session and endless possibilities. 

Because of my desire to hone in on my newborn photography craft as well as build my newborn portfolio, I will frequently have specials geared towards newborn sessions.  Since I feel word of mouth is so important when it comes to photography, I will also offer incentives to those that refer new newborn/maternity clients to me.  Please be on the lookout for those specials in the near future!

My current special for newborns is focused around Spring and all the wonderful little creatures that come out to play!  I've partnered with an incredibly wonderful and talented crochet business, Calleigh's Clips (http://www.facebook.com/Calleighsclips) in starting a line of crochet newborn props called Cuddle Critter Capes.  These capes are pretty unique and include a hat and matching, detachable cape (the body) that turns tummy posing newborns into adorable creatures!  I currently have a ladybug, bumblebee, caterpillar, skunk, hedgehog, bunny, giraffe, and monkey available for shoots and will be adding to the collection! 

Since I'm interested in getting product photographs for her business as well as build my portfolio, I'm looking for newborns to model these cute, cuddly products!  If you have a newborn session with me between April and June 30th, you will receive an on location newborn session with me (3 hrs max) and 15% of any portrait print package, which includes a DVD of all edited images (minimum 20 images), both low and high resolution.  I will not only do portraits with these products, but also will do a regular newborn session featuring my props as well as anything you may want to contribute!  Like I mentioned before, if you refer a newborn client to me, you will also receive a special deal! (Deal to be announced)  

Princess on Board! Sneak Peeks

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph a couple that recently moved to the area.  We were able to capture quite a range of maternity portraits and I'm pleased with how they turned out! 

Combined Maternity/Newborn Package Now Available!

I've had several of my clients ask about combination maternity/newborn packages.  DVP now features a special package for my maternity/newborn clients that offers the flexibility of combining both sessions into one package,  allowing you to customize your prints, album, announcements, etc. to fit your needs.  For example, if you decide you only want a few maternity prints but much more prints/products from your newborn session, this package allows you to do that!  The maternity session consists of 2 hours on location while the newborn session is 3 hours on location.  Both sessions require a $50.00 session fee due at the time of each session, which is non-refundable.  (Total $100.00)  This is a $25.00 savings from the normal newborn session fee of $75.00.  The combined session fee will be credited back to your package at time of package order.

Instead of having two package review sessions, I will review both of your sessions on the same date and then we'll decide on your prints/product at that time.

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment for your session, please let me know or you can book your appointment directly at:

http://dorindavargaphotography.bookmonline.com

BELLY TO BABY ($375.00)

5	Total Hours On-Location (2 Hrs Maternity – 3 Hrs Newborn)
20	Total Sneak Peek fully edited images featured on my blog (10 per session)
25	Deluxe announcements (come in a variety of shapes and will include 2-sided UV coating.  Choice of smooth, linen, or pearl paper)
1	8 x 10 or 10 x 8 Hardcover Keepsake Album, 10 pages (20 sides)  20 different cover types/colors to choose from   **Additional pages - $2.00 per page
1	16 x 20 wall portrait, 3/4“ depth standout mount w/ black or white edging
4	8 x 10 portraits
4	5 x 7 portraits
48	Wallets
1	DVD with minimum 40 retouched high/low resolution images with print release (both sessions on DVD)
***$50 session fee is due at time of each shoot and is non-refundable. (Total session fees due for this package: $100.00)  These fees will be a credit to whichever package you choose. ****Belly to Baby package offers you the flexibility to combine your two sessions and divide the prints however you choose.  *****All prints in this package receive a lustre coating and texture finish, which adds a level of protection from fingerprints and quality to the print.

3 Brothers

I would say that the Smith family has become quite the seasoned pros in regards to modeling for me!  I've had the pleasure of photographing them while I was going through school and helped document their newest addition, baby L!  It's been sweet seeing their kids growing up so fast.  We had their session at their favorite park and the weather was perfect.