Top Newborn Baby Photographer 2021 Recap | Portland Oregon

2021 was another different year on so many levels as covid continued to impact the world around us. But thankfully, as a newborn photographer my work focuses on all the joy, love, and connection as families welcomed their newest and sweetest family members. This made it easier for me to keep a positive view and spread happiness as I captured the best memories for families over the last year.

Below is a quick overview of what 2021 looked like for my clients <3 All of these images were captured in their homes in Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Milwaukie, and Oregon City!

I was also super excited to be ranked as one of Portland’s best Newborn Baby Photographers!

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.

Baby P | In Home Newborn Session | Boring Oregon

While I always recommend families reserve their Fresh 48 or in home newborn session before baby arrives, sometimes it works out perfectly with my schedule to plan a session after baby is born. I do my best to plan ahead for sessions based on due dates, but as we all know babies arrive on their own “perfect” schedule! This can often lead to back to back newborns, but then a little break, which works out great for those who didn’t get around to reserving their session in advance! I can’t tell you how happy I am that all the pieces fell into place with this sweet family and their 3 week old daughter <3

I knew from our first phone call that this family would be an absolute delight to photograph and of course loved when they mentioned including their fur-baby (now a big sister dog) in the session as well. Although typically posed newborn photography takes place in the first 2 weeks after birth, some of my absolute best (read - sleepiest) babies have been closer to the 3 week mark. One of many reasons why I love capturing older newborns and always do my best squeeze in those after birth inquires.

And a couple quick snaps of this sweet family when I delivered their gorgeous heirloom album that was hand made in Italy. Love those smiles <3

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital 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 P | Lake Oswego In Home Newborn Session

Sometimes when I’m getting to know a family on our first phone call, I just know we’ll be a perfect fit. I can say this without a doubt about this sweet family! We were laughing and getting really excited as we started planning an in home baby session for their little girl! It’s very common for families to want a neutral set up and also a splash of color! We went with mauve and cream, and the mauve matched her baby blankets and newborn hospital gown perfectly! She was a little angel and a dream to photograph at exactly 14 days new!

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. 

S Family Newborn Twins | Hospital Fresh 48 | In home Newborn Session | Portland, Oregon

I absolutely love photographing newborn twins! It always takes me back in time to when my twins were born, it’s truly a surreal experience bringing more than one life into the world at a time. This family is just the absolute sweetest and I have no doubt they are still rocking the twin parenting!

We did both an in hospital fresh 48 session and an in home newborn session. Several of the images were submitted and placed in the 2019 international shoot and share contest. Here are just a few of my favorite captures from our sessions together. I really loved how they just kept doing their “twin thing” right out of the womb!

Based in Portland Oregon, Danielle of Four Jays Photography is an in hospital 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 B | In Home Newborn Session | SW Portland Oregon

Capturing the arrival of a new family member is so incredibly special. Each family is different, and each baby is different, but the love that surrounds them is always familiar. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this family before they were a family, and I’ve watched them grow both in numbers and in heart. They are a family that is always fun to be around and who can be counted on if you ever need anything. Seeing them complete their family with the arrival of their son was truly a blessing.

Baby B was welcomed home not only by his loving parents, but also by 2 adoring big sisters. While I’m sure they’ll have normal sibling scuffles later, no one could get enough of baby B and I can totally see why. Right from the start he was happy and content, and rocked his newborn session. He adores mom snuggles and no doubt has dad’s talent for music. I’m so excited that I’ll get to be a part of this little guys life and watch him as he passes every wonderful milestone <3

Baby E | In Home Newborn Session | Portland Oregon

After E’s in hospital Fresh 48 session, I couldn’t wait to see her again and capture even more of her beautiful newborn stage. The difference in even just 10 days is astounding. It’s amazing to watch newborn features change so quickly as they really start to grow into their little personalities. It was such a pleasure and honor to be able to document both of these special milestones.

There is so much behind the scenes planning that goes into every in home newborn session. I just love working with parents beforehand to define their vision to match their style and decor. This family loves neutrals but also wanted to incorporate mints and teals. What a wonderful color palette to work with!! Little E slept beautifully for most of the session, but also gave us some gorgeous alert images as well.

I’m so excited to see this family again next year for a one year family session! I can only imagine how much little E will have changed. She’ll be full of smiles, maybe walking, chubby little hands, and have her own little personality shining through!

And of course my absolute favorite part is delivering wall art, albums, and gifts after their session.

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.