Fresh 48 Photography in the East Bay: What It Is and How It Works.

October 4, 2026

Those first hours with your baby pass in a blur. One moment you’re meeting them for the first time, and the next you’re already home, wondering where the time went. A Fresh 48 session is my way of pressing pause on those fleeting first days — so you can remember them exactly as they felt.

Fresh 48 Photography in the East Bay: What It Is and How It Works. Birth & Family Photographer in East Bay, CA| Anny Smirnova

What is a Fresh 48 session?

A Fresh 48 session takes place within the first 24–48 hours after your baby is born: usually right in the hospital, birth center, or at home. It’s not a posed newborn shoot. There are no baskets, no costumes, no perfect setups. Instead, I document real life as it unfolds: the first yawns, tiny fingers wrapped around yours, the hospital bracelet still on that miniature wrist, sleepy first snuggles, and the beautiful chaos of becoming a family.

Think of it as the quiet, tender chapter between the intensity of birth and the blur of going home.

How does it work?

It’s simple:

You book during pregnancy. Just send me a message, and we’ll reserve your due window.

When your baby arrives, you text me. I’ll come to you within the first 48 hours: hospital, birth center, or home anywhere in the East Bay.

We spend about one and a half hours together. I work quietly with natural light, following your rhythm. If the baby needs to feed or sleep, we pause. No rush, no posing.

You receive a private online gallery where you choose your favorite images.

What will we capture?

Your baby’s tiny details, the first time older siblings meet their new brother or sister, grandparents holding the baby for the first time, the two of you just staring at this new person in happy disbelief. These are the images you’ll show your child one day and say, “This is how loved you were from the very first hour.”

Is this different from a newborn session?

Yes. A newborn session happens within the first two weeks, usually at home, when everyone’s a little more settled. Fresh 48 is rawer: the hospital bracelet, the first-day wonder, the very beginning. Many families book both, because they tell two different parts of the story.

Wondering how to get ready? Read my simple preparation guide: [How to Prepare for Your Fresh 48 Session].

📞 512-961-0857 | ✉️ anny@annysmirnova.com Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.