Baby E | At Home Newborn Session | Portland, Oregon

This sweet baby girl arrived in the whirlwind of an unplanned c-section. And while her entrance may have been on the dramatic side, she is probably one of the most chill and calm baby I’ve had the pleasure of photographing over the years. And it’s always so great to be able to incorporate an adorable pup too!

Anyone else ready for Valentine’s Day?? <3

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital/birth place fresh 48 and in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities.

Baby I | In Home Newborn Session | Beaverton Oregon

When this sweet family reached out to me last year, I knew this perfect little girl would be my first newborn session of 2021! And she set the bar high for all of this year’s babies! She gave us the perfect mix of awake baby expressions as well as those dreamy sleepy portraits!

I love making every family’s vision come to life and this session was particularly fun because they were interested in creating newborn composite art (where I photoshop baby into other beautiful settings). Composites are such a wonderful way to add fun and whimsy to an in home newborn session, since there is no limit to what we can dream up and create!

Here are a few of my favorites from our newborn baby session last month!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital/birth place fresh 48 and in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities.

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Professional Newborn Photographer

Let me start this off by saying I haven’t always been a professional newborn photographer.  In fact, although I’ve been obsessed with photography my whole life, my educational background is in engineering and I was still working in that field when my first child was born.  I remember after she arrived, I wanted to capture every single moment and figured I had enough “know how” to make it work.  Sadly, I didn’t know what I didn’t know until my fourth was born, and I regret not hiring a professional newborn photographer sooner.  

Based on my experience (on both sides of the camera), here are my top 5 reasons why I think you should at least consider hiring a newborn photographer!

5. Time

Let’s face it right after your baby is born, time is a premium.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day, especially for sleep!  It takes a significant amount of time to plan, design, capture, and edit all those wonderful newborn details and moments! So take this big project off your plate and let a professional do all the work for your family so you can sit back and enjoy the final products. 

4. The right tool for the right job

I’m sure you’ve heard that saying before.  It holds true for newborn photography as well.  Besides professional camera and lighting equipment, it’s important to have the right newborn specific equipment as well.  Newborn props and backdrops are specially made for capturing newborn portraits.  It’s a significant investment as a newborn photographer, but absolutely necessary to create beautiful and timeless imagery.  While minky fabric from Joann’s may sound like a good idea, I promise it will not give you the look you desire.

Which leads me to….

3. It’s harder than it looks

There is a reason all those funny Pinterest fail posts exist!  Getting your baby safely and perfectly into that pose takes years of training and practice in addition to a deep understanding of lighting techniques.  It also takes time; a single pose can take 30+ minutes to set up depending on baby’s mood and cues. In addition to perfecting each pose during a session, editing newborn imagery is truly an art form of it’s own.

2. Safety

Newborn Posing Safety Example: Images that appear to be hanging are really laying safely, it’s the angle and editing that creates the suspended look

Have I mentioned safety…I did, but it’s important enough to be a point of its own.  You want someone who is trained in newborn photography safety as well as having years of experience handling the smallest most important person in your life!  My purpose is not to scare you, but newborn images are not always what they seem, and if you don’t know how the images are created safely (for instance - by either the trick of the eye or compositing multiple images together) you are risking serious injury!

1. Your baby is worth it!

Let’s be honest, these fleeting moments only happen once, and they deserve to be captured and celebrated for years to come.  While I may be biased as a newborn photographer, I believe these images stand the test of time, and are likely the ones that people spend the most time looking back on as their children and families continue to grow.  Even when compared to their wedding portraits (another very significant milestone!), there is nothing like reliving those foggy first few hours, weeks, months, and years.

Don’t be like me 10 years ago.  Don’t miss out on having these beautiful memories.  Find someone in your area that you trust and that shares your vision for capturing these wonderful fleeting moments.  I promise you won’t regret it!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital/birth place fresh 48 and in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities.

M Family | Downtown Waterfront Maternity Session | Portland Oregon

As I look back on this maternity session from February, before the coronavirus pandemic, I can’t help but be filled with a longing to see my wonderful clients again. The saying you don’t know what you have until it is gone, rings so true right now. I can’t tell you how much I miss capturing all these incredibly special times for families!

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family several times, including this “big boy’s” maternity and newborn session, as well as for his first birthday. When I found out they were expecting again, I couldn’t have been happier for them!!! And as always, this mom knows how to pick a session date! The farmer’s almanac could probably learn a thing or 2 from her! You may not remember, but February was full of rain, and in January, she picked a seemingly random Thursday for our urban outdoor maternity session…I probably commented a dozen times that we may have to be flexible on dates, or consider moving to an in home maternity session if needed. But for the third time in a row, she picks a date that is beyond perfect weather wise!

We had so much fun and were able to capture so many wonderful memories as they get ready to welcome little sister! Here are just a few of my favorites!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is a maternity, in hospital (or birth location) fresh 48, and in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities.

Baby S | Fresh 48 Hospital Newborn Session | Salmon Creek

When this family reached out about scheduling a hospital fresh 48 newborn session I was so excited to capture their beautiful large family <3 Baby S would be their 7th child and I can’t tell you how excited they all were to meet her!! When she arrived, everyone came to welcome her into the family, and give her all sorts of loves and snuggles. And of course, baby S knew she would really win them all over by bringing gifts, which all the kids opened as I was leaving. So many excited shrieks and smiles! I seriously can’t get enough of this sweet family and their fresh 48 images really showcase their love and very special bonds!

Here are just a few of my favorites!

Baby E | Fresh 48 Hospital Newborn Session | Clackamas, Oregon

There is absolutely nothing better than capturing the newness of a little one that is only hours old. Their instant connection with their family and those tiny features that seem to change almost by the minute are beautiful memories that are meant to be cherished. This darling little girl was born on the most quintessential fall days in Oregon; one of those foggy and rainy days that make you want to curl up inside by a fire and read a good book. It was a long labor, but she arrived perfect, like a gorgeous baby doll with a beautiful head of hair.

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital Fresh 48 photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities. 

Baby E | Lake Oswego Newborn Photography Session

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I was contacted about Baby E’s upcoming arrival!! I photographed his now big brother, as a newborn, almost exactly 2 years earlier. This family is just so sweet, and I couldn’t be happier to document these very special moments for them a second time! I remember big brother was an alert baby, but this little one may be the most alert newborn I have ever photographed! Most of his “sleepy” images are mostly blinks :)

It’s always a little bittersweet for me when I deliver their final artwork, but luckily I’ll be seeing them again for a one year family session!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local cities. 

Baby G | In Home Newborn Session | Oregon City

This family was another wonderful referral from a May newborn session client!! I knew right from the start we would be fast friends as we spent over an hour on the phone creating a vision for her daughter’s newborn session and lots of other little “mom” topics that came up! When I arrived for the session, their 3 year old son automatically became my assistant and was a helpful hand the entire time!! I wish I had a behind the scenes image of him getting his stool out of the bathroom and setting up right next to me!

Here are just a few of my favorite images we captured together!

And a couple cell phone images of the gallery wall we designed (can’t wait to see the delivered prints framed and all the wall!!) and brother playing with his new picture puzzle!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in home newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Oregon City, and other local towns. 

Baby E | Newborn Session | Oregon City, Oregon

I always love it when I connect with a wonderful new family through past client referrals.  It seems like I say that all the time, but it's so true!!  And this darling family was no exception!  I feel so fortunate to have been able to document the arrival of their second son in their home late last month.  These brothers are just shy of 3 years apart and beyond sweet and adorable!  With a beautiful mix of lifestyle and posed newborn images, I know this family will cherish these memories for generations.

And last but not least, cutie big brother posing with the beautiful wooden wall art I delivered today <3

Baby R | Newborn Session | Hillsboro Oregon

It was such a pleasure documenting the arrival of this little guy.  At 6 days new he was absolutely perfect and slept like a dream the entire session!!  Everyone was so excited for his birth, especially big brother!  At 11 years old, baby R fit all curled up in his hands <3 There is no doubt he'll be a great role model and they'll always share a very special bond.