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Newborn Photography Ridgefield WA

Newborn Photography Ridgefield WA. I can’t believe I have been in the Pacific Northwest for over a year now. Time creeps up on me so quickly!!

 

Introducing little Greyson.  Greyson had a very doting grandmother who booked his session for him. Greyson was such a little sweetheart during his session and made my job look easy. Ridgefield Baby PhotographySince his name is Greyson, of course we had to do photos with the color grey. =)

Froggy pose is always a favorite. Ridgefield WA Newborn photography Froggy pose

Portland Newborn Photography

Depending on how cooperative the baby is, we can get in one or two prop shots during a session. Greyson’s family chose the woods set as well as the little airplane.

 

Snug as a bug. I love how blue, grey and brown go together. I always like to add many textures and layers to my swaddle shots.

Here is Greyson with his mommy and daddy. Ridgefield QA Photographer Newborn and Parents

And finally one with Grandma too!! I don’t get to take photos of newborns with their grandparents very often, but I wish I did. This is a photo a grandparent will treasure forever. Newborn Photography Ridgefield WA Newborn and Grandma

In search of newborn photography in Ridgefield WA? I am just a short drive away in Camas. Want to see more of my work? You can view my newborn portfolio here. https://gretchenbarros.com/newborn/. You can see my reviews of my work here.https://www.yelp.com/biz/gretchen-barros-photography-camas

 

DIY Magnetic Backdrop System

DIY Magnetic Backdrop System

 

This post is how I made a DIY magnetic backdrop system.  For years I had been struggling with hanging backdrops on a single backdrop stand. I have tried many types of backdrops; poly-paper, vinyl, “dreamweave”, and fabric. Typically, I would ride the struggle bus every time I changed one backdrop to the next. This can be particularly embarrassing when changing out a backdrop in front of clients. I can’t tell you how many times, while taking an extreme amount of time trying to put up a backdrop, a client has offered help or suggestions of how I might do it faster. This system remained for a long time because of space constraints. I really didn’t have any other option unless I wanted to completely reconfigure my space.

Here is how I used to hang my backdrops… How to make a magnetic backdrop system

This is a dreamweave backdrop from  https://www.intuitionbackgrounds.com/.

As you can see from this image, the top of the backdrop is attached to the stand with clamps, while  the bottom of the backdrop is clamped to a 2×4 to hold it down. Often the 2×4 would flip over just as I had  finally gotten it to hang straight! So frustrating! Getting a backdrop to hang just right with this method is just not easy nor is it efficient. In the last few years of working in my studio, I knew that I would be moving. I was determined to use a magnetic backdrop system in my new studio. After 9 years of business in Southern California, my family and I relocated to the suburbs near Portland, Oregon.

The workshop area of our new home was converted into a studio space. Although not huge, the 16×25 space is more than twice the size of my old space. The main goal of the new space  was to have a large magnetic backdrop system that could hang varying sizes of backdrops both large and small. Other photographers have posted on different ways of using a magnetic system to hang backdrops. One photographer had her husband imbed huge metal sheets into the wall and then drywalled over this. This method was too expensive and required a handy spouse, which although I love him dearly, my husband is not handy. Another photographer used strips of metal attached to the wall at different heights. This is a good idea, but I didn’t like the look of the strips and I didn’t want to worry about exact positioning of the backdrops.

How I now hang my backdrops…

 

The best solution for me was to create a grid of metal sheets large enough to hold 10′ backdrops.  I am also able to have a 3-roller paper backdrop system above the magnetic wall, which allows me to have two backdrop systems in one space. The backdrops can be positioned at different heights depending on the height of my subject. For example, with newborns, I might want to have more of the backdrop on the floor and less on the wall. For an adult, I might want to position the backdrop higher and not even have it touch the floor.

 

I purchased 12 of these 2’x3′ galvanized sheet metal from Lowe’s. They can be found here https://www.lowes.com/pd/IMPERIAL-24-in-x-3-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Sheet-Metal/3234805.

You will also need to purchase sheet metal screws in order to mount them to the wall. Here is a tip: Pre-drill the holes into the sheet metal before you attempt to screw them to the wall to save frustration. I was able to mount all of these by myself, but an extra set of hands would help make the job go more easily. The edges of the metal sheets were a bit sharp. In order to avoid any accidents with little ones in my studio, I covered the edges with 3M HVAC tape. You can find that here https://www.lowes.com/pd/3M-1-88-in-W-x-150-ft-L-HVAC-Tape/4009603. For a little over $150, I was able to create this wall that I can easily and quickly hang backdrops on.

Here is a close-up of the tape:

DIY Magnetic Backdrop System

 DIY Magnetic Backdrop Stand: Mounting the Backdrops with Magnets

Finally, I needed to purchase magnets to hold up the backdrop. I purchased the magnets on the right first and the magnets on the left second. I purchased all of my magnets from Amazon. The magnets on the left are much stronger, and I recommend purchasing those if you are going to hang anything other than polypaper. You can find them here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R3XGY9J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I found that the magnets on the right were not strong enough to hold my fabric backdrops.

Magnets for DIY Magnetic Backdrop System

If you are a photographer and want to make your own magnetic wall, I hope this helps you with your project. You can view my work here. https://gretchenbarros.com

Newborn Photography Portland

Newborn Photography Portland

Gretchen Barros Photography specializes in newborn photography in Portland, Oregon.

Meet sweet little Abigail.  I have worked with her family many times over the years. I first met Abigail’s mom and dad when they were expecting her big brother!

Newborn Photography Portland Sibling and Family photos

 

 

Can you believe how much hair she has? I actually had to style her hair a bit in addition to posing her; she had so much!!

Newborn Photography Portland Baby on gray lace

Mom and Dad chose my floral swing for her prop. It’s by far the most popular choice of all the props I have.

Newborn Photography Portland Floral Swing

Swaddled newborns are happy newborns, so I always include swaddle shots in all of my sessions. Pink and cream accents are keeping with the color scheme of this session. As you can see from this post, all of these photos go well together because we have kept with a simple color scheme. If Abigail’s parents were to make an album or gallery wall, all of the photos from her newborn session will look good together.

Newborn Photography Portland Swaddled Baby in Nest

This little outfit by Mia Joy is also one of my most chosen outfits. I like to give parents guidance with colors, but my clients get to choose the things they like from my collection.

View  more of my work here: https://gretchenbarros.com/newborn

Please follow me on instagram https://www.instagram.com/gretchenbarros/ or on facebook https://www.facebook.com/gretchenbarrosphotography/

Newborn Baby Photographer Portland

Newborn Baby Photographer Portland

 

 

Gretchen Barros Photography is a newborn baby Photographer serving Portland Oregon and surrounding areas.

 

Meet sweet little Emersyn. Her mommy chose my most popular color scheme for little girls: pink and cream. Her grandmother also joined us for the session. I always welcome family members to join parents for a newborn session since it can be a memorable experience for everyone.

Newborn Photographer Portland Oregon Baby on Cream LaceNewborn Baby Photographer Portland Oregon Froggy Pose

Emersyn is one of those rare newborns born with a full head of blond hair!! Most little blondes are bald or at the very least have just a bit of peach fuzz. I just love how she looks in the photo below all decked out in lace.

How cute is she all swaddled up? Swaddling is a part of every newborn session.

I have a variety of these little “lovies” to choose from. Emersyn’s mommy chose the little monkey. I have little bows in a variety of colors to add to my bonnets. I can remove the bow for a boy or add a bow if I am photographing a little girl.

Portland Newborn Baby Photographer Baby in Branch Bed

To see more of my portfolio, here is the link to the link to my newborn gallery:https://gretchenbarros.com/newborn/ or to my Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gretchenbarros/

 

 

Newborn Photographer Camas

Newborn Photographer Camas

Gretchen Barros Photography is a newborn Photographer in Camas, WA and serves the greater Portland area.

Meet  little Leila. She was pretty alert for the beginning of her session, so we got a couple of cute awake shots.

Newborn Photographer Camas Awake Baby

Most newborns, don’t stay awake for long, so we were back to sleepy shots pretty quickly. Some babies never even open their eyes during the entire session.

Newborn Photographer Camas Baby in Lace Dress

Usually, I only do one outfit per session because changing a newborn from outfit to outfit does not make them happy. In this case we had no choice but to change outfits because when a baby isn’t wearing a diaper, accidents happen…Pretty much all the time. I always have parents apologize for this. It’s part of the job and really no big deal. =)

 

I caught a smile with this one!! Sooo cute!! I purchase almost all of my little “lovies” and hat sets from here: https://britchesandbonnets.bigcartel.com/

Froggy pose is probably my most requested pose. I can get this pose with about 75% of my newborn clients that are less than two weeks old.

Camas Newborn Photography

More of sweet Leila on the cream backdrop. These are all examples of “bean bag” poses. I love the simplicity of these images where the focus is on the baby.

Baby on Cream Backdrop Portland Newborn Photographer

Here she is on the little cream bed and all swaddled up.

Newborn on Antique Cream bedNewborn Swaddled in Cream

You can view more of my portfolio here: https://gretchenbarros.com/newborn

If you would like to schedule a session, please fill out the contact form here: https://gretchenbarros.com/contact-form/

Gretchen Barros photography is a Portland Newborn Photography Studio located in Camas, WA. Serving Portland, OR and surrounding areas.

 

Portland Newborn Photographer, Gretchen Barros Photography is an heirloom quality maternity, family, and newborn photographer serving the greater Portland area.

Portland Newborn Photographer

Camas, Washington
360.989.6292
gretchen@gretchenbarros.com

Portland Newborn Photographer

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