We recently connected with Natalya and have shared our conversation below.

Natalya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I’m originally from Russia, where for a long time there were strong cultural superstitions — newborns weren’t shown to anyone until they were 40 days old. So the very idea of developing this type of photography seemed almost crazy — but not to me.

By 2009, I already had extensive experience as a professional photographer, though not yet in newborn photography. I started diving deeper into this field, but back then, there was virtually no accessible information available, so I had to figure out most things on my own.

In 2012, I trained in the United States, and almost immediately after, I began teaching in Russia — despite the skepticism of many colleagues. Everything was new, and parents were hesitant to bring in their babies, but I didn’t give up. And already in 2013, a magazine published an article about me and my contribution to the development of the “newborn” photography genre in Russia i was so happy, seems loke i took a right direction.

Natalya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My workshops sell out in a matter of minutes — I’ve conducted training programs across cities in Russia, Europe, and Israel. The demand for knowledge was so high that I realized it was time to publish a book. In 2016, I released the first — and still the only — book on newborn photography in the Russian language. It was later translated into English and has sold thousands of copies worldwide.

At the same time, I developed four comprehensive training manuals for photographers, which became an integral part of my educational approach — each of my students received them. Over time, I was invited to speak at major photography conferences both in Russia and abroad, and eventually became a jury member for the prestigious Russian Photo Awards.

Today, I’m proud to collaborate with Profoto — the world’s leading lighting equipment manufacturer — and Pixellu, one of the top software platforms for photographers. In 2022, I held a solo exhibition in Vancouver, Canada, won first place at the international Art Week in Moscow, and was also awarded first place at a scientific photography conference in 2018. I also now regularly write educational articles for photographers, which are published in top industry publications.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that being a perfectionist always leads to better results.
When I began working internationally, I carried with me the belief that everything I created had to be flawless before I could share it — every lesson plan, every image, every piece of content. I would spend weeks fine-tuning things that, in reality, didn’t need that much polishing. It slowed me down and, more importantly, prevented me from connecting with people who were eager to learn and grow with me — even if what I shared wasn’t “perfect.”

Over time, I realized that sharing real, honest work — even if it’s still in progress — creates much deeper impact than chasing some ideal of flawlessness. My audience and students weren’t looking for perfection; they were looking for clarity, sincerity, and guidance. Letting go of that perfectionism allowed me to grow faster, teach more openly, and focus on value

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Of course. Moving far from my homeland to another country was a real challenge — it was incredibly difficult to believe in myself and in my capabilities. I studied the photography market, analyzed what was in demand and gaining momentum. At that time, newborn photography was just beginning to grow, with only a few photographers working in this genre. I immediately knew that my goal was to scale this direction, teach others, and participate in competitions.

In 2018, I launched the largest online school dedicated to newborn photography, which remains the most popular in its field to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mynewbornbeauty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mynewbornbeauty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyNewbornBeautyPhotography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mynewbornbeauty