EIGHT TIPS FOR A SEAMLESS NEWBORN SESSION
Picture this: You’ve just given birth to your precious baby. You’re recovering from childbirth, figuring out feedings, trying to understand the needs of this new human, and you’re running on very little sleep… And now you’ve scheduled your photographer to capture the perfect photos of your bundle of joy!
No need to panic. We can do this! Here are a few suggestions to help you prepare for your session to go smoothly.
BEFORE YOUR SESSION (ideally before the birth)
1. Pick out your family’s outfits.
Solid, neutral colors are best for each member of your family, and I love to see a little lace on Mom. Avoid busy patterns and any clothing with logos on it. If you do decide to wear a pattern, try to keep the colors and tones muted. For example, light blue, sage, and ivory photograph beautifully. Feel free to visit my pinterest board for a little inspiration!
2. Call Mom!
Or Grandma, a friend, it just needs to be someone you trust. Plan to have them come to your home the day before or early the day of your session. They can help you wrangle any older children you have, make sure your clothes are clean and pressed, even make sure you eat. A helper that day will be a huge asset!
DAY OF YOUR SESSION
3. Keep your baby awake.
Try to keep your baby awake for 2 to 3 hours before your scheduled appointment. This will help your baby to be nice and tired for their time in front of the camera.
4. Plan to feed your baby just before leaving home.
A full belly + a tired baby = a very smooth photo session. Don’t forget to bring a bottle of formula or breast milk in case your baby needs a snack. Sometimes I can keep the baby in their exact same position to feed them and avoid picking them up to get them back to sleep. We can take a break for you to breastfeed the baby, as well.
5. Bring a pacifier!
A pacifier might buy us a little bit more time to keep your baby happy, so we can finish our session. Sometimes it’s just soothing enough to get them back to sleep so we get get them into that perfect curly pose.
6. Drive separate cars.
If you have older children, it may be convenient for Dad (or your appointed child wrangler) to take them home when the family portion of the session is completed. If this is not convenient for your family, I happen to have several indoor and outdoor play options to keep your older children occupied. Feel free to bring a change of clothes and let them play outdoors on our climbing dome, zipline, or trampoline.
AT MY STUDIO
7. Wear layers.
I’ll have the studio nice and warm for baby’s comfort, so you might prefer to have layers that you can remove, in case it gets too warm for you.
8. Be mindful that sessions may take up to 2-3 hours.
Be prepared with whatever your family might need in that amount of time (and see #2 above!). Snacks are never a bad idea and I am not above a good bribe if it gets us through the session!
Don’t worry about how smoothly you think your session is going; we’ll go at your baby’s pace to capture beautiful portraits together. You’d be surprised how many times I catch those “in between” shots when you didn’t even notice my camera was out. Sometimes those even turn out to be my client’s favorite images!
For all my experienced mamas out there, what would you add to this list?