Alissa Saylor
The most beautiful stories are the ones you're living now.
Newborn sessions are centered around slowing down, settling in, and honoring the tenderness of these early weeks — the kind you don’t realize you’ll ache for until they’ve passed.
The Newborn Season
For over 16 years, I’ve had the privilege of documenting the quiet strength of early motherhood. Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, these first days are tender, overwhelming, beautiful, and fleeting all at once. My newborn sessions are gentle, unhurried, and centered on connection — giving you space to just be with your baby.
In-Home Newborn Session
Studio
Newborn Session
Studio newborn sessions take place in my natural light studio in Manistee. The space is calm, neutral, and intentionally simple — textures, clean backdrops, and soft light.
The studio environment creates a timeless, clean look with minimal distractions. It’s especially helpful if your home doesn’t have a lot of natural light or if you prefer a more simplified setting.
In-home newborn sessions are centered around your real life everyday spaces. You don’t need a perfectly styled house. A window with soft natural light and a small area cleared of clutter is all we need. I’ll guide you into positions that will look natural and beautifully alive in your final photos.
These sessions often feel especially meaningful because they document the place where your baby’s story is beginning.
$350 session fee
A Digital Collection is chosen after you receive your gallery
Professional hand-editing
Fully guided session
Curated online preview gallery
- Collections begin at $600
- Include high-res (print ready) digital images
$350 session fee
A Digital Collection is chosen after you receive your gallery
Professional hand-editing
Fully guided session
Curated online preview gallery
- Collections begin at $600
- Include high-res (print ready) digital images
Studio Wardrobe & Guidance
You’ll receive a style and prep guide after booking, along with support throughout the planning process. I’m always happy to help with outfit decisions and can guide you toward pieces that photograph beautifully and feel natural on your changing body. You’re also welcome to select from pieces in my studio wardrobe if you’d like something simple and effortless. The goal is softness, comfort, and movement.
Get in touch!
Frequently asked Questions
Where do newborn sessions take place?
What should we wear for our newborn photos?
Newborn photography sessions take place in your home. I serve families throughout West Michigan, including Rockford, Ada, Holland, and Byron Center.
You’ll receive a prep guide with recommendations for neutral tones, soft textures, and simple styling to complement the clean, natural newborn photography aesthetic. For in-home newborn sessions, cozy layers, knit blankets, and comfortable pieces that feel like you are always welcome — the goal is warmth, connection, and clothing that allows you to relax and settle into these early days.
How long to newborn sessions take?
Newborn sessions typically last 1.5–3 hours to allow for a calm newborn photography experience with feeding and soothing breaks.
When should I book my newborn photographer in Grand Rapids?
Most families reserve their due date in their second trimester. You can inquire to check availability around your due date.
Is newborn photography safe?
Yes. Safety is always my top priority. My baby-led newborn photography approach ensures your baby is supported, comfortable, and never rushed.
Hello, I’m Alissa — a professional newborn photographer serving Grand Rapids, MI and surrounding West Michigan communities.
As a mom of four, I know how quickly the newborn stage passes. My work is rooted in presence, safety, and connection — offering clean, natural newborn photography with neutral tones, soft textures, and a calm newborn photography experience from start to finish.
Whether in your home or in my cozy newborn photography studio located in Manistee, I photograph families in a way that feels simple, honest, and beautifully timeless.
© Alissa Saylor Photography
Beach and outdoor sessions lean into movement, light, and room to explore. These sessions are often playful and energetic, with space for kids to roam, climb, and interact.
I photograph families along the Lake Michigan shoreline and at outdoor locations throughout West Michigan. I have a few favorite spots I return to often. If you’re drawn to the water but unsure where to go, I’ll help guide you toward a location that fits your family.
$350 session fee
A Digital Collection is chosen after you receive your gallery
Professional hand-editing
Fully guided session
Curated online preview gallery
- Collections begin at $600
- Include high-res (print ready) digital images
Beach/Outdoor Sessions
If your family has a special place in mind, I’m always happy to meet you there.
That might look like a vacation home, a u-pick farm, a favorite coffee shop, a trail you walk often, a downtown street you love, or somewhere that simply feels like yours.
And if you’re unsure what kind of setting makes the most sense, we can talk it through together and choose what best reflects this season.
In-home sessions are slower and deeply personal, rooted in the rhythms you’re already living. There’s space to move at your family’s pace and capture the everyday moments that define this season — morning light through the windows, kids curled up on the couch, life as it actually looks.
If you’d like a deeper look at how in-home sessions unfold, you can read more here.
$350 session fee
A Digital Collection is chosen after you receive your gallery
Professional hand-editing
Fully guided session
Curated online preview gallery
- Collections begin at $600
- Include high-res (print ready) digital images
In-Home Sessions
If your family has a special place in mind, I’m always happy to meet you there.
That might look like a vacation home, a u-pick farm, a favorite coffee shop, a trail you walk often, a downtown street you love, or somewhere that simply feels like yours.
And if you’re unsure what kind of setting makes the most sense, we can talk it through together and choose what best reflects this season.
$350 session fee to reserve your date
Total investment: $1,450
Professional hand-editing
Fully guided session
All final images delivered via online gallery
Extended Family
Extended family sessions are a little different than single-family sessions — simply because there are more people to care for.
These sessions are guided more intentionally and move at a steadier pace to allow time for groupings, combinations, and making sure everyone is included. Because of this, there’s typically less time to settle into quieter, intimate moments with each individual family than there is during a single-family session.
That said, the experience is still relaxed and well supported. When younger kids are involved, I always make space for playful interaction and natural connection within the flow of the session.
The focus is on creating a thoughtful balance — honoring the bigger picture of everyone together while still capturing moments that feel genuine and connected.
The remaining $1,100 balance is due the week of your session.
If your family has a special place in mind, I’m always happy to meet you there.
That might look like a vacation home, a u-pick farm, a favorite coffee shop, a trail you walk often, a downtown street you love, or somewhere that simply feels like yours.
And if you’re unsure what kind of setting makes the most sense, we can talk it through together and choose what best reflects this season.