Baby Cadence | Fresh 48

This past week I got to photograph a Fresh 48 session to celebrate Cadence’s arrival! Fresh 48 refers to a special session that is done within the first couple of days of a baby’s birth. Oftentimes Fresh 48 sessions are done at the hospital before mother and baby are discharged.

I choose to photograph Fresh 48 sessions on black and white film because I feel that it helps me capture the intimacy and excitement of baby’s arrival without the unnecessary distractions of the busy hospital room. Black and white film can be shot anywhere (even under fluorescent hospital room lights) and look so clean and timeless. I also use a more candid lifestyle approach when photographing these sessions, putting all of the focus on details and interactions with baby so mom and dad don’t have to worry about getting “done up” like they normally would for a portrait session. And I’m in and out within about 30 minutes so they can get back to resting and snuggling.

If you have ever spent significant time around little ones, you know how much their features and mannerisms change even within that first week after birth. A Fresh 48 session gives parents a chance to remember every detail of how their sweet baby looked just after his or her arrival and how those first few days felt.

You may recognize Cadence’s parents from their maternity session that I recently blogged. If you missed that, you can check it out here! It has been such a blessing to get to walk with Becca and Brandon through this beautiful season of bringing their first child into the world. I can’t even handle how precious these photos are of them getting acquainted with their son the day after his arrival, and I hope you enjoy them too! We also did Cadence’s newborn session after they’d settled in at home, which I will share soon.

For a limited time, I’m excited to be offering a complimentary Fresh 48 session to couples who book both maternity and newborn photography with me. If you are expecting a little one later this year (or want to go ahead and book for early next year), you can inquire here to get more information.

A little note for my fellow film nerds: At this session I used a combination of Kodak Tri-X 400TX and Kodak T-MAX P3200, both rated at box speed. The grainier images are the 3200.