I studied photography in 2011-2013 at dieGraphische in Vienna.
I started photographing babies in 2013 and I have been doing it ever since.
I also invested in 2 newborn photography workshops (with Olga Vuscan
and Ionela Aram) and 1 mentoring session (with Daniela Ursache
newborn photographer). Plus other online courses that I bought/attended.
I advise you to book at least 2-3 months in advance for any kind of session.
After that I can’t guarantee a free spot for you. I often have mothers who
already give birth and after that they tell me they want to book a session.
95% of the time I will already be booked and full and I will have to refuse.
I have a specific amount of sessions I take per month, so I will reserve
a week before the due date and one after, just in case the baby comes
earlier or decides to stay in longer. As soon as you give birth, you should
let me know, so we can fix the exact date.
Conclusion: the earlier – the better! There’s no such thing as “too early booking” 😉
I usually do maternity sessions between weeks 30 and 35 of pregnancy.
I usually don’t do them earlier, because it would be a shame not to see
that belly, since it’s all about the belly 🙂 And not later because, let’s be
honest, we never know when you will actually give birth. So in case of a
premature birth, we want to make sure we don’t schedule the session
too close to the due date.
Of course I am not strict about it, this is just my recommendation 🙂
It’s not a matter of when you “should”, but when it “has to be done”.
The newborn sessions have to be done in the first 12 days of life,
because in this time frame babies sleep most and aren’t still very
conscious about their new environment. They are also most calm
and flexible in the beginning. After that most of them might face
belly gas or other problems and won’t be so calm anymore.
The pretty photos you see in my portfolio were 90% done with
calm sleeping babies that I photographed in the first 12 days 😉
Also important: the session will start at 10am. I observed babies
tend to be calmer in the first part of the day.
If your baby will be born before week 37, what I usually do is I wait
until the baby reaches 3kg. You will keep me as much as you can
updated with the baby’s weight and we will spontaneously fix the
date for the session, depending on how fast he/she will gain weight.
I always start with a full body wrapped setup, so that I can assure
that the baby will be able to fall into a deep sleep. After that I will do
the parents-baby (evtl family and siblings) shots. In the studio will be
very warm (bring summer clothes) about 26-27°C, so in order that you
don’t looks sweaty in the photos, we will try to do the family shots as
much as we can towards the beginning of the session. Then I will
continue the rest of the session with setups prepared just for the baby.
In the offer you will see an aproximation of how long the session will be.
Obviously that always depends on the baby and how calm he/she will actually be.
SLEEPY BABY: All of those classic, pretty & sleepy newborn images
we like to capture, require your baby to be in his or her deepest sleep.
It may sounds counter intuitive, but try keeping your baby awake 30
minutes to an hour just before our session time. Also give them a bath
that morning if you can and feed them 30 min before you get in the car.
They should then fall asleep on their way to me.
HUNGRY BABY We’ll take plenty of breaks for messes and feeding.
PACIFIERS If you can bring a pacifier for your baby, even if only for the
session, this will make the work much easier and will ensure for not-so-calm
babies a smoother process. Baby’s often love to suck and it helps soothe
them into the poses we are looking for and makes for easier transitions and
getting them to sleep. If your baby won’t take a pacifier or you do no feel
comfortable offering one, don’t worry. I can work with whatever is right
for you and your family.
MILK BOTTLES: In case nursing isn’t going so well (I am 100% pro nursing),
but probably would be best only for this time at the session to also bring
some pumped milk in bottles. If nursing still won’t go well, we actually
DO NEED a satisfied baby, so I can do my job, so those will do.
PROPS AND BACKDROPS I have a selection of props, hats, headbands,
blankets, beds & baskets and backdrops to choose from. Please be sure
to discuss with me before the session and let me know if you have any
special wishes. I will prepare the setups by myself, but if the parents
have any particular wishes, as long as they remain in my style sphere,
I will try to honor them.
HEAT I will have the room in the studio heated to a warmer (26-27°C)
than normal temperature so be sure to wear something light and comfortable
and be prepared to sweat a little. Newborns cannot regulate their body
temperature therefore we heat up the studio so your baby can be comfortable
when we remove his or her clothing.
SIBLINGS If you plan on having some sibling images done, we’ll do those
among the first shots and then the older kids we be able to stay with dad,
even go out for a walk (sessions in such warmth and for such length can
be annoying for kids).
PATIENCE Newborn sessions can last anywhere from 2-3,5 hours.
The key to getting good images is to be patient and to give the baby
time to eat enough and to fall asleep.
POO & PEE IS ALRIGHT! I expect your baby to poop and pee all over
the blankets and props. It happens! I wash everything after each session I do,
so don’t worry about it. If you have any extra wipes or towels handy,
bring them out for the session. I will always have some clean up items on
hand too so don’t stress. All in all, I rarely photograph in setups without
the diaper on, so we’re all good there 🙂
Yes! the flash of a studio light will not affect baby anyhow, if you are going to work with a professional photographer who specializes in newborn photography portraits. We use the safest and most recommended photography equipment to bring the safety of your baby as the first priority.
MATERNITY: I have my own collection of dresses and fabrics to wrap
around the mom and make her look good. See my collection here:
https://www.picdrop.com/sarahbel/nBR7Avxd5u
Depending on the chosen package you can choose up to 5 outfits for
the session or even bring your own if you wish. FOR DADS: I recommend
to bring a white and a dark simple, without pattern Shirt, 2-3 T-shirts
(more tight on the body) – maybe white, something medium and black.
And 2 or 3 pairs of trousers (bright, medium and dark).
NEWBORN: For the baby you don’t need to bring any clothes except
the ones baby will have on (or spare clothing in case the initial ones
get somehow dirty). If the parents and other children are planning to
be in the photos, I recommend neutral colors (white, beige, grey,
even black) and without Logos/or stuff written on them; without patterns.
As simple as they come, so they won’t distract us from that
what really should catch our eye 🙂
Don’t worry, I will do all the necessary skin correction off of extra charges.
It’s already included in the paid price.
Yes, we collaborate with a very talented make up artist, who also does
hair for the clients. Her prices for such sessions can be between
€50-€75/person for hair and make up. The styling won’t be done
in my studio tho. You will have to discuss the details directly with her,
so let me know in case you are interested. I will ask her about the
date if she is available and if so, I will give you her contact.
My studio is in the 16th district in Vienna, very close to Ottakring metro station.
For more details, please ask me privately.
Depending on what kind of a session you want, I have multiple packages
that you can choose from. You can see all of them here.
You will only receive the photos that were included in the paid package
and the extra photos (in case you bought extra photos as well). They
will be send to you through post on a personalised cute USB. So if you
chose the NEWBORN package (the smallest one), you will receive 8 photos
in total (and if you choose to buy more, you can).
This is how it’s all gonna work: After aprox. one week from your session,
you will receive a link to an online gallery, where you will be able to see all
the photos that turned out good from the session. They will be saved at
a small resolution and with my watermark over them. You will then be able
to mark your favourite ones. You will also be able to buy extras (€15/extra photo),
if you want.
Depending on the chosen package or if you also buy extra photos,
the whole process can take between 2 and 3 weeks.
I have a Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera and 2 DSLRs Nikon D750 and D800.
I love the 35mm f/1.4 lens, but I also use the 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and
24-70mm f/2.8. In studio I also work with a studio strobe (for maternity
and newborn sessions).
I always shoot RAW! But you are gonna receive the chosen photos
only in JPEG at high resolution, 300dpi.
If you book the SELECT maternity package + the MIDI/MAXI newborn
package, you will receive 3 free digital photos (value of €45) + TWO free 35x40cm
prints on photo paper with your favorite pictures.
Yes, you can choose the NEWBORN + FAMILY package, or even
NEWBORN + PARENTS (and substitute your child with you two).
We will shoot about 2 setups where the sibling can be part of the
photo, near the baby or even holding the baby, if old enough.
A booking is considered reserved after you put a deposit of 30% of the session price. In case of cancellation coming from the client, the client’s money won’t be restituted, but the client can use it as credit for a later session. If the session is cancelled out of photographer’s fault, the full amount of deposit will be returned.
If you decided to book me, just write me here, in the contact form. Or write me an email at smile@wonderbel.at. You can also find me on Social Media – check the icons on the bottom of the page.
You can make the payment either cash on the day of the session or a bank transfer,
maximum 3 days after the session.
Yes, if you are interested in photos with my albums, send me a
message and I will also send you the price list.
Yes, I provide a wide range of props in the style that you see in my portfolio. I reserve my right as an artist to refuse, if the parents ask me to do something or use props that do not reflect on my photographic and artistic style.
I also provide a wide collection of maternity gowns, dresses and such. Please ask me privately for the gallery, if you want to see it.
Yes, we offer maternity sessions, newborn sessions, 6 months stage,
1 year photos, family photos. We also do couples and weddings.
Check out Sarah bel Photography on Facebook for that 😉 If you
decide to get more sessions in a bundle, let me know before
and we can talk the details.
I do not go to the client’s home for maternity or newborn sessions.
I have A LOT of props and photo equipment that would take too
much effort to move around like that.
I do offer the option of doing lifestyle family sessions (but not with
newborns) at the client’s homes, when they have the right conditions
(enough/good lighting situation).
Yes, I have my own photography firm – Wonderbel.eU. – founded in November 2019. Before that my husband had a firm for graphic design and the photography business was registered as a trade under it.
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