Baby B | At Home Newborn Session | St. John's | Portland Oregon

It’s not very common for me to have a baby that sleeps super soundly through his whole session! Typically babies fuss a little, get hungry, need a diaper change, etc. But this little guy was the sleepiest baby I think I’ve ever had in the last 6 years! He even slept through diaper and clothes changes! I like to get at least a few pictures of newborns while they are awake too, so even using cold baby wipes only worked for a few minutes and then he was back out again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, this is every newborn baby photographer’s dream client! Just not something I’m used to :)

It was also great to be able to capture extended family members as well. It’s such a special time and generational images are truly a blessing this day in age with people more spread out across the country.

This whole family was the absolute sweetest (I see where baby boy gets it) and such an honor to photograph. Enjoy some of my favorite images from our session together!

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.

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 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.

What should I budget for newborn photography? | Portland, Oregon

This is often one of the first questions I get from expecting families. And while I wish there was a one size fits all answer, there simply isn’t. Every family’s vision, style, needs, wants, and wishes are different.

I’d like to start off by saying I know without a doubt that there is a newborn photographer for every budget in the Portland metro area. Newborn photography can range anywhere between $0 (yes I said free - generally those learning the craft) to well over $10,000. Now that’s a huge range….so what exactly should you consider as your looking for a newborn photographer and setting your budget.

1) Years of experience and consistency of work - newborn photography is a highly specialized field of photography that requires training and practice, lots and lots of practice.

2) Reviews - we all love reviews right? If you read reviews before checking out on amazon, it’s probably a good idea to research your photographer and learn about their past customers’ experiences.

3) Style of Portfolio - photography is an art, and every photographer is a unique artist. Make sure your photographer’s style matches your vision because you want these captured moments to make your heart sing!

4) Products offered - most high end photographers offer luxury products. Why? Because they want their work to look even more beautiful in person (on walls and/or in an album) than they do digitally on a phone. They also want their clients to enjoy their investment daily instead of having a couple memories pop up on facebook each year.

5) Convenience - life is busy with a newborn (or newborns) in the house. Let your photographer take care of all the planning, procurement, details and overall make the session easy and enjoyable for the whole family (I’m looking at you Dads and toddlers, lol)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but a full service newborn photographer with experience, a beautiful and consistent style, as well as high end products is going to be more expensive than the person just starting out with a brand new camera. Does that mean it’s out of the budget? Not always. Many photographers, myself included, offer smaller packages and payment plans so families with varying budgets can still have the newborn experience they desire as well as the lifelong memories and images to cherish. Your investment into your newborn session will only continue to appreciate over time as these moments can not be recreated. Life changes, people change and circumstances change, being able to remember and celebrate our life story is priceless.

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 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. 

The benefits of an in home newborn session

As I talk with new clients frequently about the extra services I provide as an in home newborn photographer, I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts here as well for others who are looking into what would work best for their family when welcoming a new baby (or 2, or more!).  Of course, this is not to say there are not benefits for a studio session, it's very much a personal choice for every family, and the most important thing is that you have decided to capture these fleeting newborn moments.

1) Convenience!
Right after the birth of a baby, it can be a lot of work and honestly just overwhelming trying to get everyone ready and out the door...never mind packing up all that baby gear!  Instead, with an in home session you can wake up, get yourself ready at your own pace while I work on capturing the baby alone or with siblings.  Speaking of siblings, it's nice to have them in their own environment too, playing with their own toys, watching a movie, enjoying their favorite snack, all the while I'm photographing around their schedule and comfort level.

2) Variety of Images
I literally fill my van to the brim to become a traveling studio!  It adds hours to prep, pack, and unpack but it's worth it!  Depending on each clients vision I spend the appropriate amount of time doing in home posed studio work.  When baby gets hungry or needs changed, we break from the posed shots and I work on capturing the in between lifestyle moments.   These are the moments that can be lost in the blur of a bringing a new baby home, but are full of beautiful and natural connection - mom nursing/feeding baby, dad changing diapers, snuggles on the couch, rocking baby, a sibling/furbaby observing this new tiny person in their home, the list goes on and on.  What makes these memories even sweeter is that they are set against the background of your home, where baby was brought first after birth.  

3) Wardrobe options and accidents
Being in your own home allows you the option to change clothes as you wish.  Perhaps you'd like something super casual but also a images that are more formal.  Or maybe you have a special outfit that you'd like all the children to wear for Grandma.  Enter clothes change :)  It's also nice to have the option just in case the baby spits up, big brother spills juice, or a nude pose gets messy.  We have the time and ability to accommodate all of these circumstances during an in home newborn session.

4) Complimentary Wall Gallery Design
By the time I arrive for your newborn session, we've had the opportunity to discuss what you'd like to do with your images.  These memories are such a gift to have and it's sad to think they could be hidden away on a computer hard drive never to be seen again (or pop up every couple of years as a "on this day" reminder).  There are many ways to display and enjoy your portraits.  Some families prefer an album to snuggle up with their children and look through, being able to relive the whole story within it's pages.  While not necessarily a benefit to an in home session, I do provide album design as a complimentary service as well :) Other families enjoy their images as wall art to view each day as they move around their home.  Both are wonderful options!!  If you are interested in wall art, during your session we can discuss different areas of interest, I'll take some pictures of the potential walls, and then create custom wall gallery options with your images.  This way you'll know the exact sizes and image combinations that work best for your home and style.
 

Please contact danielle@fourjaysphotography.com for more information on in home newborn sessions in Portland Oregon and surrounding areas!