Baby Arden {Fresh 48 / New Born}

Baby Arden's Fresh 48 

Welcome to the world Arden Lillian Anne, born Sunday October 14, 2018 at 12:02, 7lb 7oz. I had the pleasure of meeting this little one the day after she was born. 

Mj Falk Photography | Newborn Photography | Oct 2018

Babies! What a wonderful way to start people. 
​Mary Engelbreit

You wouldn't know it to look at this little lady now, but she gave her parents quite a fright when she arrived with a heart murmur. She hardly got to cuddle her Mother before she was whisked off to the NICU for testing. Thankfully it turned out to be an "innocent" murmur and resolved itself by the time I came to visit at the hospital the next day. 

Mj Falk Photography | Oct 2018

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Mama holds her young daughters foot to comfort her after her metabolic tests. Such a tender moment between Mother and Daughter. 

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This is the first "Fresh 48" newborn photography session I've had the opportunity to do. I am quite new on the scene as a new born photographer in Red Deer, but since having my own child it is something I would like to do more of in the future. 

I had only heard the term recently when a friend showed me the pictures her brother and his wife had done in the hospital the day after their daughter was born. I'd never heard of it being done before, but loved the concept!

Fresh 48 offers a middle ground between birth photography and classic studio new born photography.

Birth photography is not for everyone. (I plan to have it done for our next child and have always wanted to have the opportunity to take birth photos.) That said, the images are incredibly intimate and not something everyone feels comfortable sharing. They can also be pretty graphic depending on the photographer and the mother. 

But I've always felt like the perfect posed newborn photo sessions don't quite do the newborn experience justice. There is something very special about having everything set up just right and the sweet little stylized displays and wraps but any new Mom can tell you that's not what it's really like living with a newborn. 

Fresh 48 photos are great for so many reason:
1. You document where your child is born
2. You get good quality images of those first hours, not just blurry cell phone pics (if your birth partner thinks of it)
3. You see the rawness of the birth experience and baby entering the world in a more social-media-friendly/public sharing kind of way. The mother may or may not put make-up on and get dressed a bit but you still have the presence of something the aspects of birth present such the hospital bed and gown. 

Fresh 48 photography is a beautiful way to welcome a new person into the world. ​

Mj Falk Photography | Oct 2018

Mj Falk Photography | Oct 2018

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I hold babies all the time, even little ones, but I didn't realize (until I had this little one in my arms) how long it had been since I had held such a very new baby. Newborns are simultaneously so fragile and yet so resilient—there is something awe-inspiring about being near them.

​Arden is barely 24 hours old in these photos, which were taken at the Red Deer Regional Hospital. 

Every time I hold a newborn I get this line from an old church hymn stuck in my head, "how sweet to hold a new born baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives..." sung in the deep baritone of an elderly man. 

Mj Falk Photography | Newborn Photography | Oct 2018

I'm always torn when sharing client photos online with which photos to select and if I want to share those intimate moments. I largely base my decision on what I know of my subjects. I'm only share a few of this special moment between this family, but I couldn't resist including some because it really is such a precious thing to get to experience and watch. These early skin-to-skin moments where a couples shares their love both together and with a tiny manifestation of their love is something remarkable to behold. 

Stay tuned for our formal posed family session with these guys in a the coming weeks!