Nestled in Modesto, CA, is a little photographer with big dreams. Shayna Cox studied Child Development at Brigham Young University. She nannied outside of college, and then ultimately decided to pursue a Master’s in Public Administration to help further the cause of building positive families in the public and non-profit sector. But then…..kids happened, and she reveled in the bask of motherhood, not wanting to leave her own children at such tender ages. Motherhood changed her, deep inside. The transformation was slow, sometimes painful, but the beauty of watching these children grow and finding joy in the tender moments was a whole new experience for her.
She was always a creative. Spending hours in Art classes in high school, and always grabbing her phone when she saw a beautiful moment, it made sense that she ended up going in the route of parenthood photography. Knowing these moments slip by so incredibly quickly, she wanted to make a way to record them so she could look back on them anytime she wanted to feel nostalgic.
Now, Shayna tries to deliver those tender moments to other parents. She tries to SHOW you just how beautiful these moments are, even if you don’t currently see it. Because someday, you will, if you do not already. She knows the difficulty of the newborn stage–as her twins were not only premature, but exposed to substances in utero via their birth parents, which lead to some serious health issues. She swears she will never do the newborn stage again, and yet, here she is, documenting these bleary-eyed days for other parents, because these moments will change their lives forever. They are hard, but they are golden.
Shayna documents newborns in natural ways. She does not pose them in positions that they wouldn’t normally place themselves in, because while those are adorable, they are not realistic to life. Have you ever had a newborn that had a little quirk? Maybe they liked to grab their ear, or maybe they twisted their foot a certain way. Those moments are precious, and things that you will want to remember. It is hard to see those things if the baby is not free to move in natural ways. While she DOES swaddle and wrap baby for a few photos, because baby usually LOVES a good wrap, she isn’t one to do traditional newborn poses. She also loves to capture loving, natural moments between you, because that shows the baby how much they are truly loved.
Shayna, knowing how difficult the newborn stage is, especially right after giving birth, will come to YOU. She will bring swaddles, wraps, headbands, a simple posing basket and blanket layering, lighting, and sometimes even your favorite Starbucks drink, if that is your kind of thing! This way, you don’t have to trek out into the wild world with a brand new baby (and all of their luggage!!)
Shayna always gives her clients both a black and white gallery of all the images as well as a colored gallery of all the images. This gives clients a chance to choose which style they like the best. Sometimes, having a photo in black and white creates an entirely different mood for the photo–and vice-versa for colored images. So she likes to give you BOTH! :).
Shayna’s clients also all have access to albums, prints, canvases, and cards that they can order directly from their gallery. All clients are able to design their albums themselves, choose fabric and fabric colors, choose paper types, what photos to include, etc. While she is happy to help, this hands-on ability allows you to know exactly what you are getting.
Shayna also does not add any sneaky costs into your gallery. Yes, if you want to print anything, it will cost extra, but you do get all the downloads, and you don’t have to pay an extra sitting fee.
Shayna is newborn safety trained, Infant CPR trained, and by virtue of her own twins, very aware and protective of breathing processes for infants (and can also spot an infant in respiratory distress). Shayna is currently training to become a Doula, as well.
If you are interested in booking a newborn session with Shayna Cox Photography, feel free to send her a message at ShaynaCoxPhotography@gmail.com, or contact her through her contact form on her website at www.shaynacoxphotography.com.
