The true value of a photograph can not be measured until that moment has slipped away. There is something so bitter and so sweet to be a newborn photographer. I get to capture a moment so fleeting it only truly lasts for a few weeks, the saying babies don’t keep comes quickly to mind.

Once the moment has passed we can only revisit that moment inside of a photograph. There is something so powerful that I have experienced as a mother myself, traveling back to when my firstborn was still so fragile and new. It’s a moment that feels like yesterday and in that very same moment a million years ago.

Every client that walks into my studio knows how passionate I am about documenting not only their baby but their entire family unit. You see, a photograph of your baby wrapped and posed will mean the world to you, but someday having a beautiful image of their once young mother holding them will mean so much more.

Existing in photographs is a gift to all the people who love you.

After having a baby Mothers can be apprehensive about being photographed. Some insist that they only want images of their children together. Unfamiliar with the woman they see, from lack of sleep, lack of shower, lack of all the anxiety that having a baby can bring. I get it. I know those feelings, so so well. That is why I have taken all of the reasons not to be photographed out of the equation.

As a photographer, mother & woman… my heart is to serve my clients and their needs. Having a newborn is the hard. Adjusting to your new reality is hard. So I have simplified the process. All my clients have to do is arrive at the studio and every other detail is taken care of, even to the surprise of the most skeptical of clientele. I have never had a client regret being photographed. Hair and makeup easily make your sleepless night disappear and dirty hair makes for the best curls. You will be possed and I will direct you until that beautiful moment I see in my head is achieved.

“This feels awkward but I swear to you it looks breathtaking” It is a phrase you will hear me say over and over because it’s true. I will have your neck, chin eyes perfectly “unposed.” To get that perfect shot.

Orange County Newborn Studio Session

This newborn session, of my long time client, Nicole and her two very young children reminded me of all of the reasons this session could have easily been a “children only” session. Nicole & her husband Dean, had just moved across the country from New York to Los Angeles just days before giving birth. Dean was unable to make it to the session. Nicole could have easily decided to just have photographed Barrett and his older sister Chloe. She had the perfect reason NOT to join in. Having images without Dean could have easily been the catalyst and I can tell you hands down, how disappointed I would have been.

This gorgeous motherhood/newborn session wouldn’t have been captured. These images are timeless, organic & above all authentic. Can you not feel the love Nicole has for these little souls. I sure can. Someday Chloe & Barrett will treasure these images.

Nicole gave her children a gift when she made the choice to exist in these images. A gift I hope each one of my clients will give to their children as well. Sometimes paternity leave makes it impossible, sometimes mothers don’t feel up to it, fathers don’t like being photographed, so many excuses can be made to skip these moments, I could write for days and days… but I urge you to consider :

1. Why are you documenting this moment?

2. Who are you documenting these moments for?

3. How will you ensure this moment becomes tangible?

I can help answer those questions for you. These three questions are the heart of why I am a photographer.

Dress: Show Me Your Mumu from Halleigh Hill’s Client Wardrobe. Jumper: Zara from the client wardrobe. Hair & Makeup by Emily Barton

Halleigh Hill is a full-service photography studio specializing in Motherhood, Maternity & Newborns. Her work is drenched in light & filled with the people you love. She is passionate about turning your memories into tangible moments that become heirlooms. Serving Southern California:

Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Mission Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana Heights, Tustin, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Long Beach, Culver City, Rancho Palo Verdes.