Newborn Sessions with Bella Sorriso Photography

February 17, 2021

For this week’s newborn issue, I wanted to reach out to a newborn photographer local to me and hear about what inspires her and to learn a little about newborn photography. Who better to reach out to than a member of the Shutter Up community! Bella Sorriso Photography is run by Kansas City photographer Aubre Delaney. She specializes in newborn, children, wedding, and engagement photography, and has also had her work featured here in Shutter Up Magazine! 

Lauren Gray

Wild Fyre Co | Kansas City, MO

Lauren: Hi Aubre! Thanks for letting me ask you some questions about newborn photography. I’ve never worked with newborns and I know there is so much that goes into it and I’d love to hear about it! What inspired you to get started in the newborn photography world?


Aubre: Of course! I'm so happy to be able to answer them for you! 


I think the biggest thing that inspired me to get into it was actually the fact that I never got newborn photos done of my own kids. Being someone who cherishes memories above almost anything else, losing out on those with both of my kiddos made me that much more passionate to make sure that others got those same memories! 


Capturing an image of the tiniest, newest little faces and turning it into a complete work of art that the family will treasure for years to come is honestly probably the most rewarding thing I've done! Knowing how quickly children grow up, and knowing how often parents will look back at those beautiful images and reminisce about their tiny babies is so important and I can not express how immensely rewarding being the one trusted to capture those images is!


Image by Bella Sorriso Photography


L: I love that so much! It can see how that can be really rewarding. I’ve heard that there are some safety measures you have to take with newborns. Can you tell me about some of these?


A: Yeah! Safety is my biggest priority with all of my clients, ESPECIALLY my newborns! 


The most common two for me are temperature and positioning. I keep an eye on how hot or cold they are for their comfort. I want them to be warm enough to be comfortable and sleep, but not so warm that they overheat, so I'm constantly checking them for any signs of overheating. 


Positioning is HUGE too! I am always checking to make sure that their airway remains unobstructed by props like a bucket or their own hands and that their heads are not falling down so that they can breathe comfortably. 


Then there is, of course, the usual not leaving them unattended if I need to go get something. 

It's super common for parents to end up falling asleep during my newborn sessions, so the baby gets to see my prop room if I need to grab something in there! 


L: That is so interesting! The temperature aspect never crossed my mind. The sessions sound so relaxing! You have so many creative setups and themes that you offer! What are some of your favorite themes you’ve done?


A: Oh, that's tough! I have this really pretty heart bowl that I place dried eucalyptus around like rays of sun. I also have a big moon cradle that I built last year that I absolutely adore using... I don’t think it's requested enough! I also have this gorgeous peacock ring/wreath that I love putting babies in, wrapped up in a teal wrap!


Image by Bella Sorriso Photography


L: I love that you have so much creativity in your setups! I also wanted to mention that the skin texture on your photos is absolutely gorgeous. Can you share any tips that can help a beginner with retouching? 


A: Skin texture is one of my favorite things to edit! Babies naturally have some flaking, especially when I get them into the studio when they are under two weeks old. It takes a lot of practice to finesse each person's technique, and a lot of photographers find their own way to retouch that works for them!


I go into PhotoShop personally and clone out every single flake of skin or scratch before going in to smooth down any rough skin that couldn't be cloned out. I LOVE doing before and afters of my edited photos and seeing the difference in the skin texture!


Image by Bella Sorriso Photography


L: That’s incredible! I love the attention to detail that this type of editing takes. What type of lens do you prefer to use when shooting newborn sessions? 


A: I primarily use my Tamron 24-70mm lens, however, I use my 35mm with a special filter over if for the tiny detail shots like eyelashes and fingers/toes!


L: Good to know! Thank you so much for letting me ask you some questions! I had no idea there was so much that went into creating these pieces of art. 


A: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me! Newborns are truly one of my biggest passions and I pour so much of my heart into them! No two babies are the same, so I want to make sure my sets reflect that so each family has a unique and special set of photos to hang up in their homes and treasure for a lifetime! I am always looking forward to the sweet faces that come into my studio and I can't wait to keep creating magic and memories for my families. 


You can check out more of Aubre’s work on her social media!

Facebook: BellaSorrisoPhotography

www.bellasorrisophotography.com

Image by Bella Sorriso Photography