Get ready for the cutest love stories ever: both how little Jemma’s parents met and how she was brought to this lovely family!

Katelyn + Tanner met at BYU in an English class. Katelyn purposely sat behind Tanner on that first day because he was tall and she was hoping she wouldn’t be noticed or called on! That plan totally worked out for her, but Tanner’s plan to ask out the cute girl from his English class didn’t go over too well because, since Katelyn actually hated the class, she would zip right out of there as soon as it was over.

A few months later, they were reunited as they ended up as coworkers, and the rest is history. They dated, sealed the deal with a summer wedding, and then graduated from BYU. Tanner got his English degree and then continued studying in law school while Katelyn began her career as an editor. A few changes in their careers led to them ending up in our little neck of the woods in Sandy, just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah!

This newborn session was extra special because Jemma is an IVF baby. Katelyn + Tanner have an incredible story in regard to their journey to parenthood. They literally won the lottery! A fertility drug that was already on the market had a few tweaks and changes that necessitated a new round of patient trials. The Beans won a medical lottery and were selected as one of just a few couples who would receive this drug at a fraction of the cost, and after several months of shots, the IVF treatment stuck and they were able to welcome their darling baby girl into the world.

We did the shoot in their home, in the absolute cutest little nursery I ever did see. Jemma and her family are all so artistic and contributed their immense talents and artwork to the decor you’ll see in Jemma’s nursery photos. I truly love doing in-home newborn sessions because everyone is so comfortable and relaxed to get the most incredible outcome with regards to their photos. Natural smiles and comfortable posing for the win!

Since I don’t have a ton of work like this, I wanted to take this post as an opportunity to share a few tips and bits of advice for newborn sessions:

Newborns are so needy, in the best of ways, of course! I always budget tons of time for these shoots to accommodate the little one (and the parents!) who might need the freedom of a few more minutes to calm down, maybe change diapers or feed the baby, and just to not feel rushed. The outcome is so so worth it.
Also, it helps the quality of your photos if the rooms in which we photograph have as much natural light as possible. However, I’ll always still bring my flash with me to fill in the gaps and shadows to make sure the lighting looks even!