When should I schedule an At Home Newborn Photo Shoot?

I suggest to schedule your At Home Lifestyle Newborn Photo Session when you are in your second trimester of pregnancy.

This way you can make sure and save your spot on my calendar. I book based on your due date, but then we will schedule the actual session depending on when the baby is born (because we all know babies come on their own time). So once your baby is born, we plan the shoot between 5-15 days after the baby’s birthday.

BUT—
What if I am almost due and haven’t booked yet?
What if I missed that timeframe, but I still want to get photos of my baby?
What if we are in the middle of pandemic and I want to wait a little longer?
What if for medical reasons we need to delay?

First, take a deep breath. This motherhood thing is hard and we all need to give ourselves a little more grace. Now, don’t worry! It is not too late. You didn’t miss your chance.

Because a Newborn Lifestyle Session can be done even if the baby is more than two weeks old!

I am sharing this session because it is a wonderful example where the baby girl was a couple months old when the family did their photos. And as you can see, it was a beautiful experience.

At Home Lifestyle Newborn Session in Decatur, GA

A few things that I loved about this at home lifestyle newborn session:

• The tenderness the older sisters showed toward their new baby sister

• Mom’s strong connection with each of her daughters

• The confidence the mom displayed in caring for her baby: changing the diaper, breastfeeding, comforting her when she was fussy. I could tell it was her third time around.

• The dad’s special bond with his newest daughter and how gently he held her

• That bonnet. Seriously, a baby in a bonnet is so cute!

• That the sweet baby girl feel asleep at the end of the session allowing for these precious shots of her in dreamland

So whether your baby is a couple weeks old or a couple months old, we can take family photos welcoming your sweet bundle of joy into your family!

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Monica Conlin is a natural light family and newborn lifestyle photographer that specializes in newborn photography, Fresh 48 photography, smash cake photography, school photography, maternity photography, and family photography. Monica is based in Decatur, GA and services Decatur and the Atlanta metro area.

Side Hustle Soups photo session

Using photography to help support and encourage local, mom-owned small businesses

When I started my photography business I wrote down things that were important to me and values I wanted to uphold not only as a family photographer, but as a small business owner too. One of my values was to encourage and support other local small businesses, especially mom-owned businesses. 

I had a wonderful opportunity to do just that this past week. I was able to work with my friend Nancy, a mom of two and fellow small business owner.

She started a company called Side Hustle Soups that offers

“Made-from-scratch soups. Delicious. Delivered. Sustainable.”

Even though branding photo shoots aren’t my normal gig, I couldn’t pass up the chance to take photos of a friend who is working hard to serve other moms and families in our community. She helps fix that problem all parents have: making a healthy dinner for your family on a busy weeknight. She kindly does it for you.

All the soups are made from scratch with hand-picked ingredients from the local market.

Want a little peek into the process of making these delicious soups? Here is Nancy prepping some of the fresh ingredients she uses. I could tell right away that she has been cooking for many years due to the confidence in her professional kitchen.

“I assemble and simmer the stocks for hours, hand craft each soup to order in my professional kitchen, pack them in reusable glass jars, and deliver them to your home. No waste, no subscriptions, just good nourishing food.” explains Nancy on her website.

Each week you can tell she puts time and energy into making these soups for families that don’t have all the spare time to do so.

Oh, and don’t forget the tasting spoons. She uses these to make sure each batch of soup tastes just right!

Check out the Side Hustle Soups website for more info and place your own soup orders! You can also go to her facebook page and follow it for the latest menu and delivery information.

I am a firm believer that moms need to encourage and support other moms. I hope to continue to do so as an individual and through my photography business.

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Monica Conlin is a natural light family and newborn lifestyle photographer that specializes in newborn photography, Fresh 48 photography, smash cake photography, school photography, maternity photography, and family photography. Monica is based in Decatur, GA and services Decatur and the Atlanta metro area.

Family Photos during COVID-19

I am taking the following precautions as a family photographer in order to safely take family photos in the time of a pandemic.

I am basing my information and practices on the CDC guidelines for prevention of sickness from the Coronavirus.

First, and most important, please stay home if you are sick! If you have been near or in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing any signs or symptoms of illness, then I ask that you inform me so that we will reschedule our photo session together. I am happy to find a new date for our session after the recommended amount of time for you to have quarantined and no longer are a risk. And, of course, I would do the same if I or any of my immediate family tested positive or had symptoms.

The best ways to prevent infection and lower risk are social distancing, wearing a mask, and being outdoors. Social distancing, now more accurately referred to as physical distancing, means to maintain at least 6 feet from people that are outside of your household.

Given these guidelines, what can you expect from me as your family photographer during an outdoor family photo session?

When I arrive for a session, I greet you outside and even though I would love to shake your hand or give you a hug, I will keep at least 6ft away. I do not have my mask on when I first arrive to say hello and introduce myself, this is so that the kids can see my face. I want your child(ren) to be able to see my smile and feel comfortable. Then, I tell them that I will be wearing a mask while I take photos during our session. I would also encourage you to inform your child(ren) of this in preparation for the session. Wearing masks is becoming more normalized, but I do think it helps kids comfort level if they know what to expect.

Once we begin our photo session, I will put on my mask. As an additional precaution, I have travel-sized hand sanitizer on me to use if needed. However, I make it a point to not touch anyone or any of your belongings. Previously, I would be hands-on with the families in positioning, fixing hair, plopping a child on your lap, giving high fives and fist bumps—but now you can rely on my verbal cues and encouragements throughout the session instead!

I do take steps in toward my clients for a close up every once in awhile and then back up. If this is something you would like to avoid, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I want to be sensitive to people’s varying comfort levels. Your safety is top priority in this time of COVID.

Family Photo sessions can still be fun, create amazing moments of connection, and produce timeless memories while maintaining the recommended physical distance. For example, the photos below were taken with a 50mm lens and I was able to maintain at least 6 feet of distance this entire session.

What about your newborn photo sessions?

Traditionally, my lifestyle newborn sessions are indoors in your own home. However, during this time I am offering the option of having your newborn session outdoors. This can be in your own front or backyard, or other outdoor location of your choosing. We will find some shade, throw a quilt or blanket on the ground and get some beautiful newborn photos!

Those who have a newborn session are also given the option to do a combination of indoor/outdoor if the session is held at your home. This way we limit our time indoors together by doing the majority of your session outside and then some inside such as getting a couple photos in the baby’s nursery. I am happy to discuss this with you individually and make a plan that best meets your family’s needs and comfort level.

Ways that I am personally taking precautions to lower the risk of spreading Coronavirus in my everyday life:

• We wear masks! I bought mine from a local, mom-owned small business called Southern Charm Textile here in Atlanta, Ga. You can visit her website for other cute, handmade items or buy masks on her Etsy shop.

• My family is doing curbside pick up or delivery of groceries and other goods. If my husband or I has to enter a store for some reason, we are wearing masks, wiping down any cart, maintaining at least 6ft from other people, and hand sanitizing after leaving store.

• We have been able to avoid taking our children out in public so far to reduce exposure. Any outing we have done has been outdoors with social distance maintained.

• We have exclusively gotten takeout from restaurants and do not plan on entering or eating at any restaurant establishment during the pandemic.

• We are not sending our kids to any daycares, schools, camps or other outside learning opportunities. For the school year, we are creating a small pod for learning/socialization and will remain strict in those contacts.

• If I do any socializing with friends then it is outdoors and at least 6 ft apart.

Please feel free to ask me any further questions you have via email at hello@monconpix.com. Transparency and openness are very important to me. I want to hear any input or other specific concerns that you may have.

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Monica Conlin is a natural light family and newborn lifestyle photographer that specializes in newborn photography, Fresh 48 photography, smash cake photography, school photography, maternity photography, and family photography. Monica is based in Decatur, GA and services Decatur and the Atlanta metro area.

Smash Cake Photo Session | Atlanta, GA

Happy 1st Birthday Asher!

I LOVE to celebrate birthdays and no matter the age, they feel like a big deal to me. A smash cake session is a fun way to say Happy Birthday as well as congratulations on making it through a year of parenting a baby. Because really, it is as much of an accomplishment for the parents as it is for the kid. Right?

I had such a great morning photographing this smiley and sweet boy. He was very eager to eat his cake and didn’t even hesitate a second once it was in front of him. His enthusiasm had all of us laughing!

If you want to celebrate your little one’s first birthday with a smash cake photo session, message me to be your family photographer!

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Monica Conlin is a natural light family and newborn lifestyle photographer that specializes in newborn photography, Fresh 48 photography, smash cake photography, school photography, maternity photography, and family photography. Monica is based in Decatur, GA and services Decatur and the Atlanta metro area.