Meet Maeve—who apparently did not get the memo that newborn sessions are supposed to involve sleeping. 🤍
This sweet girl arrived wide awake, bright-eyed, and very interested in everything happening around her. And while we did eventually convince her that sleeping through a few pictures might not be such a bad idea, I absolutely love the awake images we captured along the way.
Those big, beautiful eyes looking straight toward the camera? Sometimes babies give us something even better than what we had planned.
What If My Baby Won’t Sleep During Newborn Pictures?
This is actually something parents ask about, and Maeve’s session is the perfect reminder: your baby does not have to sleep through the entire session to create beautiful newborn portraits.
As a Richmond, VA newborn photographer, I take a baby-led approach to every session. Some newborns sleep almost immediately, while others need a little more time to eat, settle, look around, and figure out exactly what we're up to.
We follow their lead.
After photographing more than 1,300 newborns, I’ve learned that patience is one of the most important things I can bring to a newborn session. There’s no need to rush. If baby is content and awake, we can capture beautiful open-eyed portraits. And when those little eyelids finally get heavy, we move into the sleepy poses parents love.
Maeve gave us a little of both.
Simple, Timeless Newborn Photography
For Maeve’s portraits, we kept the styling soft and neutral with creamy whites, beautiful texture, and delicate feminine details. The simplicity lets her gorgeous dark hair, tiny features, and—of course—those incredible eyes take center stage.
My newborn photography style is intentionally clean and timeless. I want the images hanging in your home years from now to still feel beautiful rather than tied to a particular trend.
All 11 Sixteen Photography newborn sessions take place in my Richmond-area studio, where everything needed for your baby's session is ready when you arrive. Most importantly, sessions are designed around your baby, with safety and comfort always coming first.
And yes, Maeve did finally fall asleep. 😂 But I have to admit, I’m awfully glad she made us wait a little while.
Welcome to the world, sweet girl. 🤍