The first weeks,
at home
A relaxed session in your own home, built around how your family actually is with your baby. Unposed, unhurried, and beautiful at any age.
Still expecting? See our maternity sessions
There is only one day your baby is this new. But every day after is just as beautiful.
I photograph the way your family is with your baby: the feeding, the swaddle, the way your toddler leans in to look. None of it is posed, so none of it depends on a sleepy ten-day-old. It depends on you, and you are already here.
Your light, your nursery, your people
Sessions happen on location in your home. I bring what I need and work with the light you already have: the big window in the living room, the chair you feed in, the crib you finished at the last minute. The result looks like your life, because it is.
Dad, siblings and grandparents are welcome. Would you rather come to us? Sessions are also available at Studio 25 Naperville and Studio 25 Chicago, where the skyline does half the work.
Two ways to book
The same approach, the same finish, the same makeup for mom. The only difference is where we are: your home, Studio 25 Naperville, or Studio 25 Chicago.
At Home
A session in your home at your baby's pace. Professional makeup for mom before we begin, then an unhurried morning or afternoon together: feeding, cuddling, siblings, the small moments that make this chapter yours.
In the Studio
The same unposed, interaction-based session at either of my studios: the bright, white-brick studio in downtown Naperville, or Studio 25 Chicago, high above Streeterville with floor-to-ceiling windows and the whole skyline behind you. A lovely option if home is mid-renovation, or you would simply rather come to me. Makeup for mom included.
"She definitely helped put our little one at ease."
Choosing Studio 25 Chicago? Check in with the front desk at 220 E. Illinois St and they will send you up. Driving? Reserve CityFront parking next door on SpotHero. Please leave pets at home for Chicago sessions.
Session fees cover your session and makeup for mom. Finished portraits are chosen afterward at your private reveal. Collections begin at $1,500.
There is no two-week rush
You may have read that newborn photos must happen in the first fourteen days. That rule exists for posed, curled-up newborn photography. It does not apply here.
Interaction, not poses
I photograph your family with your baby, not your baby arranged in a basket. A three-week-old who is awake and looking at you is a gift, not a problem.
Time to land
Give yourselves a couple of weeks. The nursery gets finished, feeding settles, and you might even sleep. You will feel more like yourself in the photographs.
Makeup for mom, included
Professional makeup for mom is part of every newborn session. A little time to feel like yourself again, and then I take it from there.
That connection between you and your baby is there, whether she is thirty hours old or thirty days old.Emily Cummings
Your private reveal
After your session, we sit down together and you see your portraits for the first time. You choose what you love: a collection of finished images, wall art for the nursery or the hallway, or an heirloom album. No obligation, ever. Most families just find it hard to choose.
Finished portraits are sold separately from the session fee, so you only invest in what you love.
At home, as they are
- Good Morning America
- Forbes
- People
- Chicago Magazine
- Chicago Tribune
- HGTV
- ABC
From the families we photograph
The pictures turned out so perfect it was truly a magical experience. Emily is not only a talented photographer, she was so friendly and easy to work with.
The photos were beautiful - she had such a great eye for catching really sweet moments and expressions. She was so sweet and fun to work with and definitely helped put our little one at ease.
I don't know how she does it, but Emily always makes our family look AMAZING... She has captured our family on four different occasions in the last four years, from a destination maternity shoot in Michigan, to newborn photos... Couldn't recommend her more!
I have worked with Emily on a number of occasions, including headshots for me, a family shoot with my newborn, and family sessions with my older boys. She is so fun and engaging, even with whichever kid is acting fussy.
Fifteen years of first chapters
I'm Emily Cummings, and I have spent fifteen years photographing families in Naperville and Chicago, from the first bump portraits through newborns, first birthdays and beyond. I am a mother too, which is why I will never ask you to be camera-ready three days after giving birth. We go when you are ready, and we go to you.
Begin with the bump
The Maternity Editorial is a twenty-minute studio session with a makeup touch-up and two finished portraits, revealed the same day. A beautiful way to start the story before your baby arrives.
Newborn photography, answered
Is it too late for newborn photos if my baby is older than two weeks?
No. The two-week rule is for posed, curled-up newborn photography. Ten Little Bluebirds sessions are interaction-based, so babies of any age photograph beautifully, whether they are ten days or ten weeks old.
Where do newborn sessions take place?
Most sessions happen on location in your home in Naperville, Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Sessions are also available at Studio 25 Naperville and Studio 25 Chicago in Streeterville.
How much does newborn photography cost?
The session fee is $750 in your home or $600 at Studio 25 Naperville or Studio 25 Chicago. Collections start at $1,500 and wall art at $600.
Is makeup included?
Yes. Professional makeup for mom is included in every newborn session.
Can siblings and grandparents be in the photos?
Yes. Dad, siblings and grandparents are welcome, and the session is built around how your family is together with your baby.
How do I book a newborn session?
Start with a 20 minute discovery call with Emily. Share your due date or your baby's birthday and she will help you choose the right week.
Tell me your due date
Share your due date on a short discovery call and I will help you find the right week, whether your baby is already here or still on the way.
Book a Discovery Call