Meet Lindsay Walden - a DFW Fine Art Photographer
Birth Workers You Need to Know - Edition 1
Photograph by Lindsay Walden
Recently Cheryl, the owner of Babymoon Concierge, came to me with this idea that had been brewing for the last couple months in her head. “What if we interviewed birth workers from our local community with the purpose of connecting them with the families we serve? OBGYN practices, midwives, birth photographers, prenatal chiropractors, pelvic floor specialists, birth educators…any local business that has the same heart to serve the expectant families in the DFW area. Our families need access to the doula and newborn care services we offer at BMC of course, but there is truly so much more available to them. What if we interview them, build connections, and share about the services they offer pregnant and postpartum mothers?”
That conversation was three weeks ago, and only last week, I (Annie) had the privilege of meeting the owner of Lindsay Walden Photography in Colleyville. A kind soul. An award winning fine art photographer. Internationally recognized. A baby lover. There is so much to say about Lindsay—I will do my best to narrow it down to the need-to-facts about her services and heart for families in the DFW area.
How did your photography business begin?
It truly began out of my house. My husband bought me a DSLR camera when my daughter was born, which was the nicest camera I owned up to this point. I loved photography well before then, I just never saw it as a potential career. At the time, my camera roll was filled with pictures of my children. Personal blogging was THE thing during that time, and of course my posts were filled with pictures of my kids—just glimpses of our daily life. My friends would see the pictures through my posts and began to ask me to take pictures of their kids. Word of mouth spread, and the business spread organically out of our home from there.
I started with a home studio, which allowed me to work from home and have the flexibility to take care of my two special-needs sons. What started as taking pictures of newborns in my front room quickly ventured into every area of my home. You can imagine that overtime, the need for a studio outside of our home became necessary. My current studio is my happy place. I want people to feel like they are entering a spa when they walk in—it’s always clean, the mood is serene, and people can be inspired by their surroundings.
Did you imagine when you began that a big part of your business would be photographing babies?
Not at all, at last not the images you are familiar with today. Newborn photography was invented I’d say around 16-18 years ago, around the time my daughter was born. When I first saw newborn photography images circulating, I remember thinking “now THAT is something I would really enjoy photographing.” Babies. Brand-new, fresh from God babies. It is such a sweet time. Although that is what I wanted to do, it took me a couple years to become good at it.
Photograph by Lindsay Walden
When did you venture into maternity photography?
When I began I wanted to specialize in newborn photography. Of course, when your target audience is babies you spend a good deal of time speaking with pregnant mothers. These beautiful mothers needed pictures, too! It was definitely a learning curve as I ventured into maternity photography, but it was like a switch was flipped and maternity pictures became my favorite. I love helping women feel beautiful. When you’re pregnant, there is all kinds of weird things that are happening with your body. Let’s face it, they are not all glamorous. Yet, that feeling of your baby moving for the first time is chill-inducing. The bond that you begin to grow with a child you have yet to see—I want to capture that for pregnant mothers. We don’t want to remember the stretch marks, varicose veins, or war wounds. We do want to remember the incredible feeling of caring your baby within you.
I love to share this story of my oldest son when I see women become hesitant to book pictures for themselves. He pulled out his baby book one day as a pre-teen, and it was made in the day when scrapbooking was a big thing. In the whole book there was only one picture of me pregnant. He saw that image and immediately asked questions about it. He wondered, “What was it like when you were pregnant with me?” That conversation changed my perspective so much, as I began to tell him how much I cherished carrying him in my tummy. To feel his movements, to delight in him from the moment I knew he existed. As a pre-teen, I got to tell my son that I loved him from the very beginning because of a picture of myself taken during his pregnancy.
The inventory of dresses, outfits, and props is endless at your studio—what’s your heart behind providing all of this?
My philosophy behind all that I do is that I want it to be easy for my clients. I take care of everything. You will see around my studio that I have collected over 200 gowns for women to choose from. Every woman deserves to feel fabulous in the clothing they are photographed in, which is why I have such a hard time getting rid of my inventory and am consistently looking for more. I want you to feel like you are flipping through a high-end fashion magazine when you are flipping through your maternity images. You will see multiple looks, multiple settings, multiple lighting dynamics. (Side note—my absolute favorite shoot is underwater maternity. It’s a very special type of client and the experience is super fun.)
I have a team of people who help as well. There is an add-on option to a session for a professional makeup and hair stylist to come get you ready for your shoot (or you can bring your own!). The stylist I use is amazing, experienced, and does a great job of making sure women love the way they look. We also have a studio manager that attends every session, primarily for safety. She is there to be the extra set of hands while I photograph newborns, able to quickly soothe with gentle hands or give them a pacie when needed. If we are doing a maternity shoot in the water, she is in the water with us to make sure mom is comfortable and safe.
My goal is to provide all the things so that my client’s don’t have to worry about it. Sessions should be easy, especially when you are bringing in a newborn. Easy, fun, effortless—these are the shoots I aim for.
Photograph by Lindsay Walden
When is the best time to book a newborn session?
Honestly, as soon as you know baby’s gender! The earlier you book, the better. I take a certain number of clients based on due dates with wiggle room factored in since you never know when your newborn will arrive. My purpose is to give both of us flexibility in when we take the images. Some babies end up jaundice and need extra time in the NICU, or the mother delivered via cesarean and needs more time to recover. Those are just a couple reasons why scheduling well in advance makes the process smoother.
Ideally, we want to take pictures of the baby when they are between 7-14 days old. Babies at this age are easily positioned, very sleepy, don’t yet have baby acne, and generally can be set in the most adorable poses. All that said, I will get beautiful images of your baby no matter what age they are. I’ve done milestone pictures at 9 months old that turned out so darling.
Once the pictures are captured, what happens next?
My clients never buy anything they don’t love. I have them come in to view their images once I retouch them, and they are able to pick out their favorites. I never want them stuck with images they don’t love or are subpar. After that, it’s up to you! A central wall to hang the pictures in your home is a great place to start. (:
I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. Be sure to check out Lindsay Walden’s website at the link below, and let us know when you book your first session with her!
Blog by: Annie Webb
Admin Assistant
birth doula
postpartum doula.