TAYNEE MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Utah Wedding and Family Photographer

utah newborn

Derek & Jacqueline Maternity | Albion Basin

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Every summer the mountains of Little Cottonwood Canyon Albion Basin bloom with stunning wildflowers. They are breathtaking and only last for a few short weeks. I was so excited when Jacqueline wanted to do her maternity session at this beautiful location.

Maternity sessions are one of my favorite type of sessions and something I highly recommend people do. This season of your life is one that will go by quickly and capturing this time in your life truly is something you will never regret.

Often times women can feel drastically one way or the other. Sometimes they can feel like they are huge and look so different and someone love the body shift and change that is happening. If you fall in the category of not loving your body, focus on the memory of what you are celebrating.

When deciding what to wear for your session think about the season, the location, and what the mood will be. For something soft and romantic think flowey and lightly colored. For a more upbeat look, think of some brighter jewel tones and a pop of color! Both are beautiful and it truly is just up to you!

Do I Need a Newborn Shoot?

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I am so excited to talk about this topic, because it truly is so subjective on what timing is best for a newborn session. I have heard people say over and over that you will only like a newborn shoot but the reality is, capturing your baby at anytime truly is what is worth it. I have had multiple clients who have had NICU babies or have been concerned about exposure and for those babies we didn’t do any sessions until they were 10-16 weeks old.

What’s the difference?

If you want to have those tiny little details and how they look as a brand new baby, then you would want to consider doing the newborn shoot. This will allow us to get the tiny details such as fingers, toes, the little foldable body, but they will probably sleep the whole time and all babies always grow into their bodies in those first few months.

If you do a session at 10-16 weeks you are going to have a much more alert baby, still able to get those little details but also won’t be as tiny or delicate. You will get your baby smiling and more alert which is such a fun time to capture also. This is why I always say you will not regret either time, they just are different.

Where Should I do Them?

Newborn sessions can be so sweet in home or in a studio. You really want it to just be neutral and simple to focus on the little details of the baby. If you do a 3 month session it could be done at the same places, but you could be more interactive so you could make it more playful. Bring a little toy, or let the siblings play and make the baby smile. There is lots of variety with each type!

I hope this helps to give you some perspective on what timing would be best. At the end of the day it is up to you and your family, whatever is best for you.

Evelyn Newborn Session | Utah Photographer

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Shelby wanted a beautiful space so we chose White Space Studios in Bountiful Utah. They have a bed and crib setup and beautiful lighting that make it easy to capture beautiful images. I am so glad we have locations like White Space that make it easy for clients who don’t want the shoot in their home or need something with even light.

This was their second baby and it was so cute to see the big brother cuddle up next to her and give her kisses. He was so young but yet so gentle and sweet I was so shocked and impressed. We focused a lot on details so that they could always remember Evelyn’s little features. It was such a great shoot. Newborns can be so unpredictable but I was so happy we were able to get all of the shots we needed to remember sweet Evelyn.

Elise Newborn Lifestyle Session Utah Photographer | Taynee Miller

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It’s always an honor when another photographer asks you to do their photos. In this case Kelsey is great friend of mine, and a photographer with a great eye for detail! Her baby Elise was born during Covid and she wanted to wait a few months to do newborns to let things settle down, and have a more interactive and alert baby! We did her photos at 3 months when she was awake, smiling, and still in that sweet cuddly stage!

For baby Elise we did her photos at their home in California. It was so fun to capture her with her siblings and getting those special moments with their family. We focused on more of a journalistic approach, which was so special and you still saw the ups and downs of motherhood and bringing a new baby into your home! 

Throughout my time there I was able to get intimate moments with their new baby as well as mom consoling her other children and a lot of genuine connections. During the shoot, one of the older kids got hurt, and I was able to capture mom spending some one on one time with them also, which I know as a mother I would love to have that imagery as well. With both parents there I also got to see some of dad with the babies. I loved watch Dad dancing with Emaline, it was such a special moment to watch them interact together! 

I love all newborn shoots but this one really felt special to me! I hope you love getting to see a glimpse into their session! 🙂 

Baby Chloe Croft | Newborn Photography

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I got to photograph this beautiful family and their new addition. I love getting to know my couples and how their stories began so I wanted share a little bit of their backstory. 

“Chase and I met a little over a year ago when the Covid pandemic started and it has been a wonderful whirlwind full of adventure and love since then. While dating we spent most of our time together in the mountains whether hiking, mountain biking, or snowboarding together. We found out we were pregnant with Chloe in January. We had our dream wedding in April of this year at Blue Sky Ranch in Park City with our closet friends and family there. We bought our first home together in July. We had baby girl on October 4th. It’s been a dream come true for both of us and we feel so grateful and blessed for the journey we’ve had together as a family so far.” 

I love hearing how your stories began. They truly make our sessions so special seeing the beautiful distance you have come! 

5 Tips for Preparing for Lifestyle Newborns

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Lifestyle Newborn photos 

Having a baby is such magical time for you and your family. It’s the start of new life and something you have looked forward to for 9 months. When you have your baby, time flies by, and they grow up so quickly. It is so important to have a plan if you want to do some type of newborn photos.

Often in the photography world you will hear about two different styles, lifestyle and posed.

Posed is done by a professionally trained photographer in a studio who has props and backgrounds, they pose them, and these are typically done in the first 14 days of a babies life.

Lifestyle is described when your photographer comes into your home and they capture your family in a more natural way. It is a great time to capture images with the kids with new siblings and a fun way that you could incorporate the nursery or your room for the images. For these sessions the photographer is focusing on capturing the love within the family and not just the baby. I specialize in this type of lifestyle photography.

TIP 1

PLAN AHEAD. Do your best to find a date in advance and contact a photographer at least in that second trimester to secure time around your due date or when you want photos done and to pay any deposits needed to secure that time frame. This also gives you time to talk to them about images at the hospital if that is what you are interested in. I tell clients to plan for newborns in between the ages of 0-3 months, depending on the stage you want them taken in. If you want the fresh tiny stage you will want to book your photographer within the first 3 weeks. There are times that this doesn’t work out, but having a plan at least can keep it on your radar and in communication with your photographer if you need to push the timing. I am very understanding with my clients in the event of hospital stay for baby or for mom so that you can feel your best and feel comfortable.

TIP 2

Watch the light in your house. When it is the brightest is when we want to book your shoot! This is something I will be asking you about early on even before baby is born to get the best idea of when we would need to book you. If your nursery is brightest at about 2 PM, then we want to schedule your session for 2 PM. An additional thing to watch for is that the light is not harsh on the bed or the crib during that time frame. The light is dependent on where your windows face, but I often tell people to watch around noon to get a good idea.  

TIP 3

Prepare for your shoot by planning your outfits out at least a week in advance. This is the time to decide do you want a casual or dressier look. I personally pick a dressier look to help create magic and ambience for your photos. Although that is my preference, I have many clients who prefer casual. When picking clothing, colors are such a big part of what will help your images. I always recommend whites or neutrals pieces because they are soft and flattering often. Lighter colors also typically don’t effect skin tones. Heather brown is a great color for accents pieces through out your clothing. 

TIP 4

Get the house ready! I don’t mean deep clean the house, but rather have the areas set up so that when the day arrives you will easily be able to set the rooms up for the shoot. Decluttering should be your main focus. Remove the tissue boxes, the plugs, and any additional items that just are piling up that you’d see in images. Simplify the space so that the images have no distractions in the images. Minimalistic is the idea! If you have a carpet or space that shows a lot of dirt, then vacuum those spots but overall don’t stress yourself out. I will always recommend having a white bedspread for your shoot. White bedspreads bounce light, this also means you won’t have any weird colors casting light on your face. I do have some I can bring to your shoot, as long as you request it.

TIP 5

Last and not least, make sure your newborn has a great nap prior to photos. This is huge for the photo shoot! Don’t over-plan the day before, so that they are not exhausted. Often getting out of routine even this early on, can cause a fussy baby the next day, which in turn causes more stress for everyone involved. A reason I love lifestyle sessions is your don’t have to stress about feeding, because we will have time through the shoot to do that and keep baby happy. A normal shoot is 1-3 hours depending on what baby needs and how many feedings we do have to include.

I hope these tips help you prepare and that you will feel calm and ready for your newborn shoot. I have loved all the babies I have been able to capture and can’t wait for more this year!