05/26/2026
I’ve been in this profession for roughly 20 years now… although I can’t really pinpoint an exact start date because I sort of just slid into it🤣
So what does 20+ years of professional newborn photography experience actually look like?
It looks like:
🩷 long nights editing after everyone else was asleep
🩵 thousands of hours learning posing, lighting, workflow, and newborn safety
💜years of trial and error
💛a sore back from hauling equipment everywhere
❤️and hundreds upon hundreds of tiny babies to snuggle
When I first started newborn photography specifically, the industry was relatively unexplored and very much “figure it out as you go.” There was no Pinterest. No Instagram reels showing behind-the-scenes setups. No newborn safety educators. No posing workshops. No endless prop vendors shipping overnight.
Honestly… there weren’t even YouTube tutorials helping us survive 🤣
There was one main website called Clickin’ Moms (or something close to that LOL), and that was basically my photography college. I downloaded thousands of Photoshop actions and templates and spent countless hours teaching myself literally everything.
I taught myself how to properly use a camera.
I taught myself Photoshop.
And yes… back then, Photoshop came on an ACTUAL CD 💿 and if you wanted the upgraded version, you had to go buy another CD.
And editing back then?! Whew.
⏰ Photo editing in 2005: ‘I’ll just spend 4 hours cloning this background.’ 😵💫
🪄 Photo editing today: AI whispers, ‘I already did it for you.' 😈
New photographers today will never truly understand the struggle of painstakingly editing newborn acne, blotchy skin tones, yellow/red/purple baby skin, background distractions, or trying to remove things pixel by pixel for HOURS.
Before opening my studio in 2022, every single newborn session I photographed was done inside my clients’ homes.
That meant:
🚗 loading my car
🏠 unloading everything into the client’s house
📸 setting up an entire studio from scratch
🚗 reloading my car
🏠 then unloading it all again back at home
…for EVERY session. It was exhausting 🥵
But honestly? I’m so grateful for those years because they taught me how to work in absolutely any lighting situation imaginable. Every home was different. Every room was different. Every baby was different. I learned how to adapt, troubleshoot, stay calm, and create beautiful images no matter what environment I walked into.
And I think that’s the part people don’t always see:
When you hire an experienced newborn photographer, you’re not just paying for “someone with a camera.”
You’re investing in years of experience.
In safety knowledge.
In patience.
In problem-solving.
In someone who knows how to soothe, pose, light, edit, and create art while handling your brand-new baby with care.
Looking back at some of my older images is both hilarious, embarrassing and emotional 🫣 because my talent, photography trends, editing styles, props, and techniques have changed SO much over the years.
But one thing has never changed:
I have always genuinely loved preserving these tiny little moments for families ❤
I'd love to get to know your family and I'd love to create priceless memories of your precious babies. Send me a message to get started today! https://www.leahislingerphotography.com/form/newborn-session-inquiry
Now -- let's take a walk down memory lane and look at some of my earliest work - featuring my beautiful Cousins maternity session, her 1st & 3rd babies as newborns, my 4th newborn, along with some comparisons of my most recent work 🥰
