2023 {online}
Newborn Retreat
Elevate your newborn & maternity work
Inside this video collection, 25 talented instructors share their secrets and tips on...
- New workflow ideas for smoother sessions
Enjoy INSTANT Access!
Learn from 25 world-class instructors
(...all from the comfort of home)
Plus join our POSITIVE community for ongoing support.
No need to book childcare or pay for expensive airfare—
stay home in your comfy pants and learn new posing, lighting, wrapping + styling ideas to elevate your work, bring more creativity to your sessions and feel more confident than ever.
Meet Your Teachers
(To see full class description, hover over the teacher)
To view class details, click on teacher.
Amy Haehl
Posing Newborn with Family
Join Amy in her studio as she shows you her process for capturing connections between newborns and their family members. Discover new tips to incorporate siblings in a safe way, with parents and with the whole family together
Editing shown: no
Angelica Lawson Sam
Newborn Workflow
Angelica has spent many years perfecting a workflow that results in images that she knows parents will love. In this video, come with her in studio to see her workflow first-hand, and how she creates poses and setups that are bestsellers followed by an edit.
Editing shown: yes
Dawn Potter
Potato Sack Pose with Prop Transitions
Dawn will show you her prop posing flow which begins with the potato sack pose on the bean bag. You'll learn a few simple wrap adjustments and prop transitions and we'll end with the bucket pose! This is a great way to create more variety within a gallery with minimal disruption to baby.
Editing shown: yes
Claudia Aguilar
Colourful Tushie-Up Posing Variations
Claudia brings her colorful style back to the retreat, and will once again thrill us with her artistic applications of color palettes when posing newborns on a posing table in tushie up.
Claudia navigates with you through the added challenge of finding good angles to show off both your creativity AND the newborn.
Editing shown: no
Carlos & Cristina Meraz
Posing Newborns on a Posing Frame (Shhh! Dog Bed)
In this class Cristina and Carlos will be teaching you how to pose newborns on their posing frame AKA the dog bed. This is a great tool when shooting from above. They will demonstrate a few poses using beanbag fabric backdrops and Fabric Printed Backdrops.
Editing shown: yes
Carolina Hanna
The Natural In-Home Newborn
Go behind the scenes with Carolina at an in-home lifestyle newborn session where she’ll show you how she works to create a beautiful variety of images that tell the story of baby’s first days at home with their family. Learn how to find and use light and how to pose baby in a way that creates emotive images, showing the beautiful bond between baby and their parents.
Editing shown: yes
Deborah Koch
Urban Maternity Session
Let’s take your maternity photography to the... city? That’s right, Deborah will share her tips and tricks to photographing your maternity clients in any downtown or urban center.
Editing shown: yes
Genevieve Celeste
Golden Goddess Maternity
Join Genevieve as she shows you step-by-step her Golden Goddess Maternity workflow. From coordinating styles to using light to illuminate your clients, you will dive into posing, styling, lighting, and more while bringing out your client's inner Goddess.
Editing shown: yes
Denise Nadine (Jackson)
Sitter Session Success
Denise is back to show you how she creates beautiful and memorable images with sitters! She will teach you her process from how she lights, styles, poses & edit sitting age babies!
Editing shown: yes
Jessica Guzman
Prop Posing Workflow
Thought all newborn sessions have to take 4-5 hours? Jess will change that perception by showing you her workflow for a newborn wrapped mini session using props and her favorite... incorporating the cute teddy bears. She explains the process, workflow, and what angles to photograph for best results in a short amount of time.
Editing shown: yes
Josie Tan
One-Wrap Posing Flow
Josie is sharing her posing workflow with the same wrap to achieve multiple looks. This workflow will allow you to maximize your time and poses on the beanbag with minimal disturbance to baby!
Editing shown: yes
Kelsey Freeman
Fine-Art Maternity Magic
In this class, Kelsey will show you how to create fine art maternity portraits in studio. She will also share her lighting tips and tricks as well as an editing demonstration that will help photographers gain insight into the magic she creates.
Editing shown: yes
Laura McPherson
Storyteller Maternity Sessions
Follow along as Laura styles a maternity session (including family: spouse, children), go behind the scenes as she shoots the session, and then into her office to edit the final images and see the full client gallery!
Editing shown: yes
Laura Parkin
Emotive Motherhood Connections
Join Laura as she captures the beauty of the post birth motherhood connection creating natural, lifestyle breastfeeding photography. Learn her techniques for capturing emotive images and follow along to see exactly how Laura brings her images to life with her final edits.
Editing shown: yes
Lela Ruth
Fabric Fine-Art Maternity
Ready to create art? In this class follow along as Lela demonstrates how to create timeless art using only a single piece of fabric. Learn to produce one of a kind tosses and follow along to see behind-the-scenes of how she lights, poses, and edits to create stunning images for her maternity clients.
Editing shown: yes
Megan Macdonald
Capturing Connections: In-Hands Parent Poses
What do you do when a family member does not wish to be photographed? Megan guides you through her posed-in-hands workflow incorporating these family members into photos to share in this special time in their baby's life.
Editing shown: yes
Sissi Wang
Classic Newborn Sessions (on location)
Learn how Sissi travels for her in-home newborn sessions. She will share what she brings, and how to get the best results using minimal props and only natural light with LED light as a backup.
Editing shown: no
Michelle McKay
The Beauty and Benefits of In-Home Maternity
An introduction to the relaxed and organic nature of the in-home maternity experience, and the artful photographs that can result. Michelle hopes this class will help you realize the potential of in-home maternity while sharing with you some simple suggestions to ensure their success.
Editing shown: yes
Natasha Shepherdson
Authentic Connections with Outdoor Newborn Sessions
Photographing a newborn family session outdoors to capture authentic connection is a beautful way to welcome a new baby earth side. Join Natasha as she shares how she styles her clients specifically for the outdoor location, prompts, poses and finally edits this special session.
Editing shown: yes
Tanya Lopez
Parent Posing in Studio
Go behind the scenes with Tanya while she demonstrates her easy parent posing workflow with simple transitions that will provide your clients with a wide variety of poses. From lighting to posing to editing, Tanya shares how to create timeless images full of love & connection that parents will love.
Editing shown: yes
Kelly Goggin
Life Unfolding: In-Home Newborn Sessions
Kelly will take you inside a clients home and show you how she runs an in-home newborn lifestyle session from beginning to end, including a few posed baby shots.
She will go over her entire workflow from styling and prepping clients to culling and editing a session. She will gently guide you through all the 'what-ifs' - enabling you to conquer your fears of the unexpected when going into an unknown environment, and by knowing how to handle all the curveballs that these sessions can throw at you with peace, flexibility, and grace.
Editing shown: yes
Olguta Goddard
Creative Outdoor Maternity Sessions
Olguta is known for her stunning outdoor maternity portraits, and you have the chance to learn exactly how she captures this very special outdoor fine art woodsy style. Olguta will take you behind the scenes so you can learn how she styles, photographs, and edits these gorgeous maternity shots.
Editing shown: yes
Tianna Jarrett-Williams
Timeless Studio Maternity
Tianna brings you into her studio to walk you through her styling and lighting choices for timeless maternity images. See behind-the-scenes as she poses, directs and lights her clients, finishing with a rundown of her editing process.
Editing shown: yes
Rebecca Lueck
Outdoor Lifestyle Newborn Sessions
Join Rebecca for a behind the scenes outdoor lifestyle newborn sessions with a family of four. You'll learn how she preps and styles her clients, how she works with natural light, manages a busy toddler, and finally see her editing process for this family's final gallery.
Editing shown: yes
Veronika Marques
Fine Art Maternity Photography
Veronika shares how to create timeless and beautiful fine art maternity portraits in this behind the scenes session with a model. You will get an insight into her lighting, posing, styling and editing with valuable tips to help you master these portraits.
Editing shown: yes
New to our Retreats?
Here's how it works...
1. It all happens online.
Get every lesson
from every instructor—
ready with the click of a mouse any time you want to watch.
2. Learn on YOUR schedule
You can watch (and rewatch) as much as you wish! Prioritize what sounds interesting & exciting to you, move on to other lessons when you’re ready for more.
3. Connect in Community
Share work with your fellow retreaters for critiques and ask questions. It's a safe + drama free place to grow!
You’ve got what it takes…
it just doesn’t always feel like it.
And guess what? That’s okay.
But those big dreams you have for your newborn photography business are totally possible
—you just might need a little help along the way.
Whether you’re feeling eager to keep learning at any phase in your career, or if you’re overwhelmed & confused with little details that sneak up on you and add stress during your shoots, or like you’re stuck in a rut and you just need a little inspiration to shake you out of your funk …
There’s no shame in any of it.
But the boatload of hours you’re spending scrolling social media, comparing yourself to other photographers, second-guessing your work while you try to figure out what they know that you don’t…
it’s not getting you anywhere—at least not anywhere good.
You're on the right track though.
Hi. I'm Lisa.
~ founder of The Milky Way and newborn photographer of more than a decade over at Milk & Honey Photography …
Now … if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my newborn photography career, it’s that the more I’m exposed to other artists—the freer I feel to be myself and develop my own personal style ...
… the more I develop my own best practices based on the tips I gather from a bunch of different sources ...
And the better my work gets.
What it Doesn't mean...
That doesn’t mean comparing your work side-by-side with someone who’s been in the business longer, has way more experience, and has probably clocked a lot more hours of expert education than you …
It doesn’t mean becoming a copycat, and just mimicking what you see your Internet Icons doing, so you become a dupe of their work, instead of confidently standing in your own identity …
And it definitely doesn’t mean spending your precious time going down endless Youtube rabbit trails trying to piece together bits and pieces of free information when you discover another thing you didn’t know you didn’t know.
Instead it means...
Comparing your work today with your work from the past—taking time to celebrate and acknowledge how much you’ve grown.
Drawing inspiration from photographers you admire, letting your creativity lead the way as you develop your unique style. .
Committing to your development—learning something new every day, and practicing your skills to get better with time.
And sure, while you run your business with a messy bun on your head and a hot cup of coffee in hand—
You deserve to feel confident in yourself,
strong in your skills, and proud of the priceless memories you create for your clients.
That means between shooting, editing, tackling your to-do list, and actually living your personal life, you need a source of inspiration, encouragement, and growth that’s reliable, safe, and drama-free.
That’s exactly why we created The {online} Newborn Retreat
“I was looking for the right way of doing things, instead I found permission to do things the way that worked for me.”
~Newborn Retreat alumna turned instructor, Kelly Goggin
The {online} Newborn Retreat brings together a diverse group of photographers from all over the world to teach techniques & topics through the specific lens of newborn photography.
“What I realized was that everyone was doing things so differently
- but they were all successful.
If you’re open & teachable, when you attend the {online} Newborn Retreat,
you get so much more than what you think you need.
You don’t need the right answer, you get a lot of right answers, and you get to choose the one’s that are right for you.
You don’t have to be the same as everyone else.”
You could pay a similar price for just ONE in-depth lesson …
Or, you could can enjoy classes from 25 amazing photographers that you can
revisit time & again as you need it in your business.
Online education to improve your skills & develop your confidence as a newborn photographer
- plus a supportive community to cheer you on.
Here's a reminder of everything you'll find inside...
Amy Haehl - Posing Newborn with Family
Join Amy in her studio as she shows you her process for capturing connections between newborns and their family members. Discover new tips to incorporate siblings in a safe way, with parents and with the whole family together
Angelica Lawson - Newborn Workflow
Angelica has spent many years perfecting a workflow that results in images that she knows parents will love. In this video, come with her in studio to see her workflow first-hand, and how she creates poses and setups that are bestsellers followed by an edit.
Carlos & Cristina Meraz - Posing Newborns on a Posing Frame (Shhh! Dog Bed)
In this class Cristina and Carlos will be teaching you how to pose newborns on their posing frame AKA the dog bed. This is a great tool when shooting from above. They will demonstrate a few poses using beanbag fabric backdrops and Fabric Printed Backdrops.
Carolina Hanna - The Natural In-Home Newborn
Go behind the scenes with Carolina at an in-home lifestyle newborn session where she’ll show you how she works to create a beautiful variety of images that tell the story of baby’s first days at home with their family. Learn how to find and use light and how to pose baby in a way that creates emotive images, showing the beautiful bond between baby and their parents.
Claudia Aguilar - Colourful Tushie-Up Posing Variations
Claudia brings her colorful style back to the retreat, and will once again thrill us with her artistic applications of color palettes when posing newborns ona posing table in tushie up.
Claudia navigates with you through the added challenge of finding good angles to show off both your creativity AND the newborn.
Dawn Potter - Potato Sack Pose with Prop Transitions
Dawn will show you her prop posing flow which begins with the potato sack pose on the bean bag. You'll learn a few simple wrap adjustments and prop transitions and we'll end with the bucket pose! This is a great way to create more variety within a gallery with minimal disruption to baby.
Deborah Koch - Urban Maternity Session
Let’s take your maternity photography to the... city? That’s right, Deborah will share her tips and tricks to photographing your maternity clients in any downtown or urban center.
Denise Nadine (Jackson) - Sitter Session Success
Denise is back to show you how she creates beautiful and memorable images with sitters! She will teach you her process from how she lights, styles, poses & edit sitting age babies!
Genevieve Celeste - Golden Goddess Maternity
Join Genevieve as she shows you step by step her Golden Goddess Maternity workflow. From coordinating styles to using light to illuminate your clients, you will dive into posing, styling, lighting and more while bringing out your clients inner Goddess.
Jessica Guzman - Prop Posing Workflow
Thought all newborn sessions have to take 4-5 hours? Jess will change that perception by showing you her workflow for a newborn wrapped mini session using props and her favorite... incorporating the cute teddy bears. She explains the process, workflow, and what angles to photograph for best results in a short amount of time.
Josie Tan - One-Wrap Posing Flow
Josie is sharing her posing workflow with the same wrap to achieve multiple looks. This workflow will allow you to maximize your time and poses on the beanbag with minimal disturbance to baby!
Kelly Goggin - Life Unfolding: In-Home Newborn Sessions
Kelly will take you inside a clients home and show you how she runs an in-home newborn lifestyle session from beginning to end, including a few posed baby shots.
She will go over her entire workflow from styling and prepping clients to culling and editing a session. She will gently guide you through all the 'what-ifs' - enabling you to conquer your fears of the unexpected when going into an unknown environment, and by knowing how to handle all the curveballs that these sessions can throw at you with peace, flexibility, and grace.
Kelsey Freeman - Fine-Art Maternity Magic
In this class, Kelsey will show you how to create fine art maternity portraits in studio. She will also share her lighting tips and tricks as well as an editing demonstration that will help photographers gain insight into the magic she creates.
Laura McPherson - Storyteller Maternity Sessions
Follow along as Laura styles a maternity session (including family: spouse, children), go behind the scenes as she shoots the session, and then into her office to edit the final images and see the full client gallery!
Laura Parkin - Emotive Motherhood Connections
Join Laura as she captures the beauty of the post birth motherhood connection creating natural, lifestyle breastfeeding photography. Learn her techniques for capturing emotive images and follow along to see exactly how Laura brings her images to life with her final edits.
Lela Ruth - Fabric Fine-Art Maternity
Ready to create art? In this class follow along as Lela demonstrates how to create timeless art using only a single piece of fabric. Learn to produce one of a kind tosses and follow along to see behind-the-scenes of how she lights, poses, and edits to create stunning images for her maternity clients.
Megan Macdonald - Capturing Connections: In-Hands Parent Poses
What do you do when a family member does not wish to be photographed? Megan guides you through her posed in hands workflow incorporating these family members into photos to share in this special time in their baby's life
Michelle McKay - The Beauty and Benefits of In-Home Maternity
An introduction to the relaxed and organic nature of the in-home maternity experience, and the artful photographs that can result. I hope this class will help you realise the potential of in-home maternity, while sharing with you some simple suggestions to ensure their success.
Natasha Shepherdson - Authentic Connections with Outdoor Newborn Sessions
Photographing a newborn family session outdoors to capture authentic connection is a beautful way to welcome a new baby earth side. Join Natasha as she shares how she styles her clients specifically for the outdoor location, prompts, poses and finally edits this special session.
Olguta Goddard - Creative Outdoor Maternity Sessions
Olguta is known for her stunning outdoor maternity portraits, and you have the chance to learn exactly how to she captures this very special and outdoor fine art woodsy style. Olguta will take you behind the scenes so you can learn how she styles, photographs and edits these gorgeous maternity shots.
Rebecca Lueck - Outdoor Lifestyle Newborn Sessions
Join Rebecca for a behind the scenes outdoor lifestyle newborn sessions with a family of four. You'll learn how she preps and styling her clients, how she works with natural light, manages a busy toddler and finally see her editing process for this family's final gallery.
Sissi Wang - Classic Newborn Sessions (on location)
Learn how Sissi travels for her in-home newborn sessions. She will share what she brings, and how to get the best results using minimal props and only natural light with LED light as a backup
Tanya Lopez - Parent Posing in Studio
Go behind the scenes with Tanya while she demonstrates her easy parent posing workflow with simple transitions that will provide your clients with a wide variety of poses. From lighting to posing to editing, Tanya shares how to create timeless images full of love & connection that parents will love.
Tianna Jarrett-Williams - Timeless Studio Maternity
Tianna brings you into her studio to walk you through her styling and lighting choices for timeless maternity images. See behind-the-scenes as she poses, directs and lights her clients, finishing with a rundown of her editing process.
Veronika Marques - Fine-Art Maternity Photography
Veronika shares how to create timeless and beautiful fine art maternity portraits in this behind the scenes session with a model. You will get an insight into her lighting, posing, styling and editing with valuable tips to help you master these portraits.
Our students have shared countless success stories …
What will YOUR story be?
"Love the wide array of instructors!"
"Always learn new things..."
"PLUS—connect with your fellow retreaters to make the most of your experience.
We suggest making the commitment to yourself to start with the lesson that feels most applicable to your business in the season you’re in, so you can get their helpful feedback in a timely fashion.
How to know if the {Online} Newborn Retreat is right for you:
You’re always watching what other photographers are doing to see if you can discover something new to try in your business - you’re curious if there’s a *right* way to be doing things, but more importantly, you just enjoy trying new approaches and learning new techniques
You’ve been doing this for a while, but if you’re honest, you feel a little stuck. Whether there are things you just wish you understood better, skills you need to develop, or if you’re just in a sort of creative rut, you need something to help you find your groove.
You’re just getting started, and while you’ve got a good understanding of your camera and a creative vision for your work, it’s the actual posing, wrapping, lighting, and editing you wish you felt a bit more confident about—you’re sick of searching through Youtube and sifting through fluff, you need someone to teach you the good stuff without anything extra.
Q U E S T I O N S A B O U T T H E N E W B O R N R E T R E A T ?
Here’s what we know to be true:
"..a game-changer!"
The only Retreat you can pause, rewind, & rewatch
- any time you like, as many times as you want.
Instead of trying to soak up and retain as much in-person education as you can, or devoting countless hours to fluff-filled DIY education videos, dig into value-packed education from some of the top names in newborn photography …developed with YOU in mind.
And, while you’re at it, quit feeling like you’re all by yourself on the journey—and join the drama-free community of other newborn photographers ready to cheer you on and champion you in your business as you do the same for them.
Over 24,000 students have experienced our online retreats + classes...
will you be next?
With such a wide variety of talent joining us this year to teach, we don’t just get to witness how one person works; we get to see the process from a variety of different photographers.
Because there isn't just ONE way to do things
(and for that I'm grateful!)
Have a question
unanswered?
Leave us a note. We’ll get back to you within 24hrs.