The Fresh 48: your baby, raw and real, before the world rushes in
The photo above is one I keep coming back to.
Mom is in bed, no shirt, mesh panties, holding her hours-old newborn. Her three-year-old son is leaning in, studying his new sibling with the most serious expression you've ever seen on a small person. Nothing is staged. Nothing is perfect. Everything is real.
That's a Fresh 48 session.
A Fresh 48 happens within the first 48 hours of your baby's life, at home or at the hospital if you're still there. Sessions are about two hours, giving us plenty of time to settle in and let things unfold naturally. No posing. No outfits planned weeks in advance. Just me, quietly documenting the realest version of your brand new family before the world rushes in.
The sleepy snuggles. The first breastfeeding moments. Exhausted, overjoyed parents who can't stop staring. Siblings meeting for the very first time. Tiny fingers. Hospital bracelets. All of it.
Maybe you have a favorite swaddle picked out, a soft robe you love, a little mascara. Maybe you don't. Either way is perfect. A Fresh 48 isn't about catching you off guard, it's about capturing you exactly as you are, just settled in and present, with nowhere else to be.
How is it different from birth photography?
Birth photography means I'm with you for the whole journey, labor, delivery, those first golden moments of meeting your baby. A Fresh 48 picks up in the hours after, when the intensity has softened into something quieter and just as beautiful.
How is it different from a newborn session?
A newborn session is scheduled, calm, and can happen anytime in the first few weeks. A Fresh 48 is spontaneous by nature. I'm slightly on call for you, ready to move when you are, within that specific window. It's more documentary, more raw, more right now.
One thing that sets my Fresh 48 sessions apart: I come to this work as both a photographer and a birth doula. I know how tender and raw those first hours can feel. I move slowly, read the room, and create space that feels calm and safe. You just had a baby. I've got you.
The moment he met his little sister.
Cuddled up with mom in the gorgeous window light.
A baby asleep in her parents' bed.
Every little detail, already memorized.
Those tiny feet, already loved.
The next day, wrapped in mom and dad's arms.
Settling into their new rhythm.
Day 2 smiles.
Let's capture your first 48.
This summer I'll be offering Fresh 48 sessions while I'm off call for births, but honestly, if this is calling to you at any time of year, reach out and let's talk about what's possible.
Reach out here and we’ll make sure the timing works →
Your first hours. Your real life. Your story, just as it's beginning. That's what we'll capture together.
Based in Whitefish, Montana, I serve families throughout the Flathead Valley including Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Bigfork, and Lakeside.
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