Selfies vs Newborn Sessions: Why Professional Mom and Baby Pictures Help Moms Remember The Emotion of Their Newborn Baby
What’s the difference between these images, other than the obvious? The pictures are of the same woman but the professional baby picture shows the emotion we feel for our newborn babies, for becoming a mother… WITHOUT the utter exhaustion. This is how we want to remember this time with our baby.
Mothers rarely get good images of themselves with their newborn babies. New mothers are exhausted, unshowered, makeup-less… we’re basically hot messes (I can say this, that picture is me and I’ve done it 3 times). We are pale, bleeding (basically wearing diapers), and look like we haven’t slept in days, weeks (because we haven’t). Not only that, we just gave birth!!!
The love we feel for our new baby is so powerful that we want it captured. We want pictures with our babies so badly that we rely on selfies and unflattering images taken by our partners to be our memories.
But these selfies don’t show our pure love, our total happiness, our pride in our new baby and (rightfully so) in ourselves because we just pushed a baby out of our bodies (or underwent complex surgery to give birth). And, let’s face it, our boobs are out in 3/4 of the images.
A good photograph brings you back to the best of that time and sets the tone for how you remember it. Honestly, the way you remember an event is in part due to the quality of the photographs. Good photos of a so-so event make you remember is more fondly and so-so photos of a fun event make it seem less magical. (I see it with weddings all of the time. That’s why the most important expense for me with regards to my wedding was my photographer. If she was amazing then I knew that I’d remember how amazing my day was.)
When I look back at my mama and baby pictures from my newborn sessions, I only see joy and love. Sure, if I think about it I know that I was tired, but I don’t look tired in these images so they remind me of the love I felt for my new little baby. They don’t remind me how tired and worn out I looked (which is what the selfies do).
New mothers don’t often feel like getting in front of a camera but it’s so important that they do. Some of my most precious images are those of me with my babies. Book your session with a photographer who you trust and I guarantee that you will cherish the results.
