Hooray! Baby is here and it’s time to photograph all the sweetness! Listed below are a few helpful tips for the best newborn and family session. We’re always here for questions, but this a great start!
WHERE?
Most newborn sessions take place inside your house, in your own comfortable environment. Worried because your house is a mess? Don’t even stress out! You just had a BABY! Clutter is definitely expected! We really don’t need much space and can shoot around any problem areas. I often move furniture around to make room for lighting purposes, but don’t worry – we’ll put it all back when we’re finished!
GETTING THE HOUSE READY!
We ask that you open all of the blinds and curtains in your home prior to our arrival. This enables us to find the best source of natural light in your home, so that we can set up our “mini studio” in the best possible location. Nothing flatters like natural light, so we prefer to use it whenever possible. For this reason, sessions are normally done mid-morning to late-afternoon when window lighting is as its best. When we arrive, we’ll walk through your home looking for the best light and that is where we’ll do a majority of the shoot. We’ll also bring additional lighting equipment to help out when needed.
SLEEPY?
Most of the images we’ll be shooting work best if the baby is in a deep sleep. To encourage this, we recommend that you do whatever it takes to make sure baby is nice and exhausted. Keeping your little one awake on top of your own sleep deprivation might feel like torture, but we think it will be worth it in the end!
HUNGRY?
A well fed baby is a happy baby! Please feed and burp baby right before our session to ensure a happy, sleepy (“milk drunk”) baby. We’ll also take as many breaks as needed to help him/her re-fuel. Sometimes (if possible), it helps to have a bottle of formula or pumped milk handy to aid in ease of feeding. But we’ll determine how the session progresses!
VOLUME CONTROL
Please do whatever you can to keep the noise level to a minimum during our session. If you have other children that might create noise, try to find a sitter or family member to take them away from the home for a few hours. If you have a noisy pet, you may want to do the same. We’ll bring a white noise machine, but it doesn’t always block out tantrums and playtime.
* If you have children and would like them to be included in some photos, we recommend bringing them in at the beginning or end of a session and then having someone take them. Only those being photographed should be present to help maintain a calm environment.
PATIENCE IS KEY!
Newborn sessions can last anywhere from 2-4 hours. It all depends on baby’s mood and willingness to sleep. Unfortunately…this isn’t something we can predict! We ask that everyone remain calm, should he/she not want to sleep, since your baby will pick up on any frustration in the room. And if sleep doesn’t happen, that’s okay! Wide-eyed newborn photos are beautiful too.
RELAX!
We’re 100% comfortable holding and posing newborns. (I have several years of experience working with newborn babies and I’m a MOM after all!) Your baby is in safe hands, we promise! So feel free to rest and leave the room for a bit if you’d like. We’ve had parents who’ve used this time to take a nap, shower and take a much needed breather. If we have a question or need you for feeding, we’ll come and track you down.
We always take the baby’s lead; getting them to sleep before posing takes time and they may need to be fed or cuddled a few times first. In fact, we’d say that a good 50% of your session will involve feeding, diaper changes, and cuddling to get baby comfortable. If that doesn’t work, we’ll take a break or we’ll work with what baby is giving us. Sometimes that best photos happen when baby isn’t doing what we want.
POOP HAPPENS!
Your baby is going to be in the buff for the majority of this shoot. Please don’t panic if your baby decides to use our blankets (or us) as his/her own personal potty.
This is natural and we expect it! Please don’t feel embarrassed or worry when this happens, because they all do it. We wash all of our baby props and blankets between each session with non-scented baby detergent. (This is why we only schedule one newborn session per day!)
It would definitely be helpful if you had a stack of old towels, extra wipes and blankets available for when things get messy though.
(Extra tip: If you would like shots in a diaper, it’s a good idea to have a cloth diaper, diaper cover in a solid color, bloomers, or something to put over the diaper. Plain diapers are not as appealing!)
PROPS
We have a collection of simple blankets and rugs that we’ll be bringing to your session. You are also, of course, welcome to use any of your own props. Looks for items with texture and lighter colors to help make your images unique. If you have any family heirlooms, toys, hats, props, etc. that you would like me to use in your session, please gather them before we arrive. We may not get the chance to use ALL of the items, but we’ll look through them with you to determine what will work best.
SPEAK UP!
Your baby’s safety comes first! If there is ever a point where you become uncomfortable, just let us know! We take every measure to ensure that your baby is never in any danger. For that reason, we will always make sure that a parent or assistant is nearby to lend support if needed.
WHAT DOES MOM WEAR?
This is a great opportunity to have your hair + makeup done (ask me for recommendations) and have your nails done. Looking super relaxed and at your best will make you feel more comfortable during the session. We’re happy to make recommendations for local hair and make up artists too!
As far as clothing? Keep it simple. Soft, light colors look the best. Blacks, navy and darker colors are not a favorite. Feel free to send photos of outfit ideas if you’d like!
Here are a few of our favorite type of outfits. Lighter colors, soft tones and not too matchy-matchy!
FOR THE MEN
Your hands, and possibly even your feet, will play a major role in this session, so it’s important that you tend to them too! Even if you aren’t planning on participating much in the session, you’ll still be handling your baby a bit, so it’s a good idea to touch up on your grooming.
Trim and tidy your nails and apply lotion to any dry skin. Button up shirts in soft colors look best on camera, but make sure they’re ironed or dry cleaned. Wrinkles show up on camera!
MAKE THE BED!
Is there anything more simple + gorgeous than a new family cuddled up in bed together? The answer is no!
I always suggest that we move the session to your bedroom at some point. If that’s something that appeals to you, a few tips:
1. Make the bed, just this once.
2. A solid blanket/comforter (or something that isn’t TOO busy is best.)
3.We highly recommend white to light cream bedding to keep things light and airy. (And are more than happy to bring some along if needed!
If you have any additional questions, I’m just a phone call/text message/email away! I want this to be a fun easy time, and look forward to capturing this amazing time in your family’s life.
