About Maternity and Newborn Sessions

“Take care of all your memories … for you cannot relive them.”

-Bob Dylan

I’m thrilled that you’re here, and I hope that you will choose me as your photographer!

Kelli Dease Photography is a full-service custom photography studio, specializing in maternity, newborn, and family portraiture. We pride ourselves on offering top-notch customer service, and high-quality images and products that clients will be proud to display in their homes.

Below you will find an overview of what to expect as well as the answers to many frequently asked questions.

Custom photography is a very personal experience, and the photographer you choose depends very much on how important the photographs are to you.

If you are new to Kelli Dease Photography, the first step in this process is making sure that you and I will be a good fit.

Photographers are not interchangeable. There are several things to evaluate that go beyond simply comparing session fees and print prices. Style, technique, level of service, skill, and expertise can vary wildly from one photographer to the next, so I hope that you’ve arrived here after taking the time to do some research.

To find out if we are a good fit, take a minute to ask yourself the following questions:

Do you value photography?

Do the images on my website match the vision you have for your own images?

Is it important for you to build a relationship with a photographer so that he or she can continue to document your family as it grows?

Do the following words describe your sense of style?: Classic, timeless, natural, unadorned, and detail-oriented.

If the majority of your answers are “yes” then I think we will work great together!

If the majority of your answers are “no”, that’s ok! As much as I would love to be chosen to document your family, I realize that I am not the photographer for everyone. Whether or not you choose me, I want you to have the best photography experience possible. If your style is a bit more trendy, or you would prefer a less service-oriented experience, I would be happy to give you a few referrals.

I believe in keeping my newborn work as natural and organic as possible. Newborn trends will come and go, but the simple and authentic details – the flaky skin, the soft, downy hair, the tiny newborn toes – will always be beautiful.

I use baby-led posing in all of my newborn work. This is a very gentle type of posing that does not force babies into positions that do not come naturally to them. Comfort and safety are my priorities.

I want you to feel your most beautiful during our time together.

Access to the ever-growing studio wardrobe, full of gorgeous pieces for the whole family in a range of sizes and neutral tones, is available to all of my clients.

Hair and make-up services are also available as an add-on to your in-studio session.

For your newborn, I provide a large variety of soft, neutrally colored wraps and blankets for use during your session.

Maternity sessions can be done anytime after your bump starts showing! For most, the ideal time for a maternity session is sometime during the 7th month, when you’re still feeling comfortable. However, the only time it’s too late to do the session is once you’ve had the baby, so don’t panic if you’ve missed the seven-month window.

Newborn sessions work best when the baby is under three weeks old. These sessions are tentatively scheduled based on the baby’s due date and can be adjusted if the baby arrives a bit earlier or later than planned.

While you can book at any time, it is recommended that you book as early as possible to guarantee that an opening is available! Summer and fall months are the most popular, and available dates book well in advance.

Imagine that it’s the day of your baby shower and your mother hands you a beautifully wrapped box. Inside the box is an envelope full of old 35 mm film negatives. “Those are your baby photos,” she explains. “I meant to have them printed, but I never got around to it.” You hold each slide up to the light as everyone gathers around to ooh and ah.

Wait, what?!!

Now imagine that she hands you a set of beautifully crafted heirloom albums instead. Each album documents part of your life, from the time you were in her belly, to your first few days of life, through the years as you grew and changed.

Which scenario would you prefer?

At Kelli Dease Photography we believe that photos should be something you hold in your hands and see on your walls, not files that sit on your computer.

I appreciate that we live in a digital world, and I understand the need to have digital copies of our photographs for archival purposes, but life moves fast and even with the best intentions we often never get around to printing and displaying those digital images as we had planned to. In addition to providing them with digital files, I want to guide my clients through the process of choosing and designing tangible and meaningful products to display in their homes and pass down to their loved ones.

Your images were professionally created and I strongly believe they should also be professionally printed. An investment in custom photography should not end with a set of prints from Wal-Mart. When your friends and family come to visit and see your prints on your walls I want them to look their absolute best and that cannot be done without the help of a professional printer.

For that reason, our carefully curated fine art product line includes handcrafted albums, custom frames, and heirloom portrait boxes.

All of our sessions include a complimentary design and ordering appointment, where you can choose your favorite images and fine art products.

Still have questions? Be sure to check out the FAQ section at the bottom of this page or drop us an email.

If you are ready to book your custom portrait session with Kelli Dease Photography, just reply to my initial email and a member of the KDP team will be happy to help you.

Once we determine which session type best fits your needs, we will discuss the timing and location for your session(s), and schedule your session date(s).

More detailed information about how to prepare, what to expect, etc. will be provided once your session has been booked.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this information. I look forward to hearing from you!

“There is nothing more special than the beautiful images and moments in time Kelli was able to capture during our first newborn session. Babies grow too fast and having the photos to look back on is priceless.”

Diana, Wethersfield, CT