That First Week | Chicago Newborn Photographer

I have learned so much from clients these past 4 years about newborns. I feel like I could raise a baby if I needed to! A lot of clients ask me if I have kids of my own, but alas I am only 22 (going on 23 in a few months) so having kids just yet can't be on the radar unfortunately. You see, I just got married to my husband in August of 2015. You guys, I would LOVE to have a baby! I practically tell this to my husband about once a day...but we are just not ready yet. Back to my story though, sorry I trailed off there...

I have learned so much from clients these past 4 years. I learned how to swaddle and shush a newborn from my other moms. I learned the newborn cues by watching and handling the newborns during my sessions. I learned to keep them warm during my sessions, I learned how to carefully take off a diaper and wipe their little butts without waking them up! I learned how to get everything I need to get done within 1.5 hours and have them not even wake up or stir once. I have gotten really good at this whole "newborn photographer" thing you guys! I love love love my job, I cant say it enough. Because of this job, I learned how to run a business, I learned how to knit and sew little newborn hats and outfits. I learned where to buy the cutest little headbands, the swaddling blankets, the props. I learned how to be an expert at this job.

But my friends, I learned how to be an expert at only this job...This job only works if my newborn session is done within that first week or so of life. People say Im a baby whisperer, or that Im so good with newborns I will be an excellent mom..I just laugh but deep down inside I worry that I wont be. I worry that I am too confident with newborns that after that first week when they aren't as sleepy, I wont know what to do. I worry that I am good with newborns but I don't know what to do from day 14 to year 18! That part is a little fuzzy for me. I don't have any kids yet, so Im not sure if I will be a good mom.

I will continue on being the best newborn photographer I can be, but later down the line when I am ready to be a mom, I will turn to all my clients and ask how to be a good mom, not just a good newborn photographer :)

xoxo,

Abigail Joyce

Isn't she so funny? I had her leg down for the photo...and then she popped it right back up, twice! I couldn't stop (silently) laughing while it happened during our session.

PS. This is what I call, good newborn photographer editing...The newborns skin from this session was red and blotchy from having a bad rash, but I was able to take out the redness and blotchiness while editing her newborn session. Ta-da!

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY |That First Week
Abigail Joyce is a newborn photographer that travels to clients homes in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Abigail brings her props, backdrops, hats, headbands, crates, baskets, blankets and more to your session. Abigail customizes the session to your unique specifications and provides the care and safety that each newborn needs during this beautiful first week of life. Abigail takes her time posing the newborns with gentle hands and patience. Make sure you contact Abigail at least a month before your due date to ensure a newborn session with Abigail Joyce Photography!

Chicagoland Newborn & Baby Photographer | Newborn Photography | Chicago Maternity Photographer | Chicagoland Maternity Photographer | Chicago Family Photographer | Chicagoland Family Photographer

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more. email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

Lisle Newborn Photographer

Newborn Photography

Newborn art

Baby art

Choosing Newborn Photos as an investment:

I often think, "If I had kids, would I want these types of photos?" and the answer is always yes. In all honesty, I would've loved these photos growing up of ME! My "newborn" photo is me in the hospital, wrapped all snug with only my head showing and Im crying bloody murder after being alive for 15 minutes or so. Its also 5 am, so its still dark outside, so all the light from the photo is from the ugly florescent lighting from the hospital. (I should ask my mom for a copy of it, its pretty hilarious) But my point is, is that these newborn photos are an investment. They show how tiny the newborns are, how long their new lashes are, how fluffy their hair is, how sweet their little toes are...and by the time it takes me to edit the photos and give my clients their photos back (roughly two weeks) That newborn is no longer the sleepy, dreamy 6 lb newborn anymore. The newborn quickly becomes a more alert, eyes wide open, 12 lb baby. The window of opportunity is so small, that if you don't call a newborn photographer for that first week of life, you are missing out and the sweetest little photos of your newborn baby. That baby will grow up to be a toddler, and then a child and then a teenager. They will grow up and see these photos of themselves and think "How did you get me to pose that way while I was sleeping?" and then they will start to appreciate art, photography, motherhood, babies, how babies form in the womb, how babies are so flexible right after birth, and so on... It will be such a wonderful discussion to have had! I think about all of the newborns I have held, and that they will soon grow up and be kids soon and look at these photos. I wonder what they will think! I wonder if some kids will say " Oh, wow that was soooo 2010-2020." Or if they will simply say "Wow, I can't believe you were able to get me in that position! How crazy" or if they even say "Who is that beautiful little baby?" I hope because of these photos, that your children will want to appreciate art, and will see the world with another view on life. Maybe they will realize that you can make your life the way you want, in that you can have your dream job like I did. You can call yourself a newborn photographer and you can love what you do. Sometimes I wonder if this job is for the babies who will grow up and appreciate the photos or if its for the parents for the here and now that will get to see these photos of their precious little babies. Well, for whoever these photos are for, I believe that they are an investment that is meant to be had.

xoxo,

Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY |The Investment

Abigail Joyce is a newborn photographer that travels to clients homes in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Abigail brings her props, backdrops, hats, headbands, crates, baskets, blankets and more to your session. Abigail customizes the session to your unique specifications and provides the care and safety that each newborn needs during this beautiful first week of life. Abigail takes her time posing the newborns with gentle hands and patience. Make sure you contact Abigail at least a month before your due date to ensure a newborn session with Abigail Joyce Photography!

Chicagoland Newborn & Baby Photographer | Newborn Photography | Chicago Maternity Photographer | Chicagoland Maternity Photographer | Chicago Family Photographer | Chicagoland Family Photographer

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more. email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

Lisle Newborn Photographer

Newborn Photography

Newborn art

Baby art

Year One | Chicago Baby Photographer

My heart can't take it, you guys. In the past several years in this business I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know some really wonderful families. This baby in particular is special because she is my first "second sibling" that I have photographed throughout her first year of life. Her older brother is now 2.5 years old, so it's been a really fun couple of years with just this family alone. Every milestone, from newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 1 year sessions. She has blossomed before my very eyes into a sweet beautiful little one year old. In this last year I have only seen her total about 7 or so hours of this first year, but I have watched her grow behind my lens. My camera has captured her sweet soul. She will grow up with precious photos of her from newborn to baby and then toddler. She will have pictures of when she couldn't even sit up to now where she is starting to run! Like every little one I photograph, I love watching them grow up. For just that hour of our little session, I get to hold them and make them giggle. I sing to them, and make silly noises. I may even wipe the drool off of their faces before snapping that smiley adorable photo.

What I want to make clear, is that I love my job. I love the snuggly newborns, the chunky arm rolls, the sweet smiles, the burps, the drool, the "sad cries", the giggles, the blank stares...everything.

Everyday I witness a new miracle, and I get to visit that same miracle throughout the year.

x0x0,

Abigail Joyce

Happy February From Your Chicago Newborn Photographer

This post is in the archives of the blog, originally written in 2016 by Abbey during the early days of Abigail Joyce Photography. Some content has been updated.

This year is going by so quickly, can you believe its already February? And to add some crazy to that mix, it was in the 40s today and I live in Chicago! We are known to have some funky weather but 40 degrees in Chicago in the winter is just fantastic. It feels like spring outside. The sun was out today, and so I took an extra long walk outside with my puppy Kodak.

Its funny to think or to even say out loud that 40 degrees feels warm, because we do not feel that way in the fall when the temperature drops to 40. But in the spring, after the temperature being-10 degrees or lower to 40 degrees it feels like summer. It feels like you could get away with shorts and a light cardigan. Its crazy.

Its to fun to see how other people in the country react to temperature change. When Florida or Texas get snow, people freak out. When California gets rain, people don't want to drive in their car. I remember in high school walking to school in the morning after it had snowed 24 inches, one of the worst snow days that year...I was walking to school because my mom didn't want to drive in the weather conditions...Now you tell me whats wrong with that scenario! Shouldn't school have been cancelled?? Every school in the area had been cancelled. My high school was actually known in the area to NEVER be cancelled for a snow day. I had heard of schools in the South being cancelled for 1-2 inches of snow on the ground, and I laughed at the thought...but now I realize it wasn't cancelled because it was "horrible weather"..it was cancelled because the states in the South weren't and aren't prepared for snow. They don't have snow plows and salt ready every hour of the night preparing the roads for people the next morning. Illinois and many other Northern states are used to the snow conditions and are prepared for it.

And this concludes my rant on weather. Happy February friends.

PS. isn't this little guy just perfect??

 

-xoxo

Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE STUDIOS & TEAM

Abigail Joyce is a family and motherhood photographer that provides maternity portraits, newborn sessions, family photography, and child sessions in Chicago and the surrounding cities. Her studios are in Oak Park and Hinsdale, IL. She provides light and airy, heirloom sessions to clients in their homes in downtown Chicago, and the western suburbs. Her team also provides these specialized sessions at her studios at affordable rates, and throughout the chicagoland areas. Sessions take place at beautiful outdoor locations that are curated by the photography team, and proven with amazing results.

Twin Newborn Photography | Chicago Newborn Photographer

How fun! I was able to photograph these beautiful twins just last week. These twins especially made my job so easy as they were incredibly sleepy the entire time. It was a joy to photograph them.

As for the rest of my week- since I have gotten back from my trip to California, I have been busy busy with work! January, as its normally a slower month for photography, has stayed consistently busy. Praise God!

Thats all for now, just thought I'd share with you these beautiful twins and their fun session.

xoxo-

Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY | Twins ...Twin Newborn

Photography

Abigail Joyce is a newborn photographer that travels to clients homes in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Abigail brings her props, backdrops, hats, headbands, crates, baskets, blankets and more to your session. Abigail customizes the session to your unique specifications and provides the care and safety that each newborn needs during this beautiful first week of life. Abigail takes her time posing the newborns with gentle hands and patience. Make sure you contact Abigail at least a month before your due date to ensure a newborn session with Abigail Joyce Photography!

Chicagoland Newborn & Baby Photographer | Newborn Photography | Chicago Maternity Photographer | Chicagoland Maternity Photographer | Chicago Family Photographer | Chicagoland Family Photographer

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more.