I have written about simplicity before. I talk about it in my photography classes and with all of my clients as we prepare for sessions. In all of the sessions that I do, the one that (in my humble opinion) requires the most simplicity is the newborn session. My favorite newborn images are simple, quiet and connected. I love having parent's involved in the shots too. Even only an arm, hand or chest can contribute so much in terms of scale as well as a feeling of connectedness. I also think that when you keep your background and wardrobe clean and uncluttered it allows the baby to really shine. This lovely little guy is named Aleksander.

This is the storyboard that Aleksander's parents ordered for their home. I love the simplicity of it. In the final print, each image is 5x5 and we are finishing it off with a wide, white, single mat and a simple black frame.

If you are photographing your own children at home, think about ways to simplify your background. You might take a simple black blanket or sheet and lay it on a bed as your background. A white rug makes a nice simple place to photograph. If you can drag the white rug over to a window you will be even better off. In terms of clothing, avoid any logos, words or characters and look for the most basic solid or simply lose the clothes altogether for a little newborn. Newborns tend to swim in their clothes anyway because they are still so small. Baggy clothes make a tiny newborn look skinny rather than just small. I like solid blankets with a little bit of texture. You can even drape your bouncy seat in something and move it over to a nearby window and see how that works for you.

The main thing to remember is that they are only this little once. You won't care very much about the cute outfit years later but you will want to remember the little rolls, the balled up fists, the swirls of hair and the curled up toes. You'll fight to remember exactly how their entire head fit into your cupped hands and how they looked before all their hair grew in. Grab those little moments while you can because it is gone so quickly. The next thing you know they'll be starting kindergarten. I know this because my first son just finished kindergarten and I can't figure out how that happened when it seems like he was only born yesterday.