An Outdoor Newborn Session in the Time of Pandemic

The Lockdown

Last March I photographed my last indoor newborn session a day before California’s pandemic lockdown. Prior to the formal lockdown, I had not quite realized the degree of danger posed by COVID-19 and the lasting effects it would have on my business. However, I recognized that hard times required hard choices. I decided that, in order to safeguard my own health and the health of my clients I would no longer perform indoor newborn sessions until such close-quarters indoor activities were deemed safe again. I knew this change in my business practice would hurt my earnings and inconvenience some of my clients, but I believed and I still believe, that safety should come first. Soon, hopefully, vaccines will be widely available and I will be able to recommence indoor newborn sessions.

Outdoor Newborn Session

In the meantime, I managed to serve some of my clients through outdoor maternity and family sessions. I also had the chance to experiment for the first time with outdoor newborn sessions. I had the opportunity to photograph a few and really enjoyed each one. At times it was challenging, but with a little bit of creativity and enthusiasm, I really loved the process and the outcome. The session I chose to feature in this blog post is my favorite. I just love how the images turned out. I want to show that outdoor newborn sessions are not only the safe alternative during the pandemic but could also be a valid new option for clients who prefer nature over the confinement of shooting indoors.

Bump to Baby Package

When these clients booked my Bump to Baby package, the pandemic was not in sight. As it became a reality, my clients and I decided to adjust our expectations to the reality of our new world. Although we knew there would be obstacles to planning their maternity and newborn sessions, we were determined to do our best to make them happen. We chose San Francisco’s Lands End as the location of the maternity session. When we first met, we immediately felt a connection and had a great rapport. I had a lot of fun during our shoot. My clients loved the images and enjoyed their experience. Despite a great start, I communicated my understanding should they choose to go with another photographer for an indoor newborn session. While I chose to forestall any newborn sessions until safety permitted, I recognized that my clients may not feel the same way. My goal is always for my clients to be happy whether with me as their photographer or someone else. I am grateful that my clients chose to trust me and attempt an outdoor newborn session. We met at the Piedmont Community park, not too far from their home. The outdoor newborn shoot was a great success and I loved the entire process. We kept baby Ethan warm and fed. He was happy as can be in the fresh air. Here are the photos…

After our gorgeous maternity session at the Sutro Baths in San Francisco, we waited for the baby boy to make his appearance.

BOJANA KORACH IS A PUBLISHED LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN NEWBORN, FAMILY & CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES.