What to prepare
for your Newborn photo session
Those first few weeks after your child is born are life changing. It’s as if your whole world has opened up and you’ve discovered that life wasn’t as bright or colourful before your baby entered the world.
I want to capture what you’re feeling. I want to document the looks exchanged between mother, father and baby. Those are moments so precious that you can’t even describe them with the letters of the alphabet. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I contend that a picture is worth far more. A picture captures impalpable essence. In addition to snapping some photographs of you and dad with baby, my newborn sessions also include a series a photographs taken of just your newborn.
For example, I like to get details of wee little feet, a tiny hand clasped around dad’s finger, that button nose and tuft of fluffy hair. In addition to the details, I’ll also photograph your newborn resting peacefully. Perhaps in a cozy, comfortable nook or on top of the blanket he’ll sleep with for years to come. My camera knows no bounds. Now, I know you’re going to be exhausted after all that pushing.
The best part about a newborn session, though, is the fact that you don’t have to do anything but show up. Remember, the emphasis here is on your newborn, so your little one will be the star of the day. As for scheduling your newborn photos, when we take them is your decision. Because that “newborn look”
Frequent asked questions
When should I schedule newborn session?
We recommend that you schedule your newborn session PRIOR to your baby’s birth to ensure a spot on our calendar. Contact us during your second trimester and we’ll pencil you in. Then, shoot us an email soon after you deliver so we can arrange a time for the session. (And we always feel super special when dad’s put us on the official “baby is here!” call list! Just sayin’…)
Birthday! What after baby arrive…
Newborn sessions MUST be scheduled within the first 14 days of life. However, the BEST time is between 3-7 days after their arrival. We’ll be moving them around and scrunching them into those sweet sleepy newborn images, so we want to make sure they’re sleepy enough to allow us to handle them. Plus, babies just tend to do a lot better with the session within their first 7 days. Somewhere around day 8 they discover the joy that is stretching! Once that happens…they’re not about to let us get them into those curly poses without a fight! After day 14, it’s almost impossible to get baby into that deep sleep that came so easily in their first few days…so it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to get them into any of the more bendy newborn poses. And, keep in mind that newborn acne (and sometimes colic) is likely to flare up after day 14. While we can easily edit problem areas, we prefer to do as little retouching as possible to baby’s skin. However it is not problem when your newborn session is plan after 14 days.
Where?
The majority of our newborn sessions take place in our studio. If the weather is warm enough and you’re comfortable with the idea, we can take the session outdoors. (Baby being all pose-y and cute in a big, open field or at the base of an old tree? SWOON!)
Lovely natural light
For this reason, sessions are normally done mid-morning to late-afternoon when window lighting is as its best. We also have additional lighting equipment to help out when needed (specially during winter days).
Crank the heat!
Our studio will be a bit warmer than normal during the session. (we using space heater.) Newborns are used to being all bundled up,warm + cozy…and then you come in and yank off all their clothes for those adorable naked baby shots. They tend not to like that too much!
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 be more than happy to take as many breaks as needed to help him/her re-fuel. It’s tough work being a model!
Patience is the 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. And if sleep doesn’t happen, that’s okay! Wide-eyed newborn photos are beautiful too.
Relax!
Let me say it again… Relaxxx! We’re pretty comfortable holding and posing newborns. Your baby is in safe hands, we promise! So yes! Feel free to rest for a bit if you’d like. We’ve had parents who’ve used this time to take a nap. All totally acceptable to us! If we have a question or need you for feeding or assistance we’ll come and track you down.
In case you missed that: Relax!
Mums tend to stress out because this is a new experience…and they aren’t used to the waiting game that is newborn photography. They see their baby being fussy or having a difficult time getting settled and panic. “This is a disaster! They aren’t going to get ANY good photos!” It isn’t, and we will! We 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 doesn’t what we want. Just remember: Babies can sense stress and anxiety (especially from their mommy’s!) It’s super important that
EVERYONE remain calm and relaxed during this session. Keeping the environment as mellow as possible is pretty much the only way we’re going to get the shots we’re looking for.
Poops 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!)
If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask!
077 1825 1535
If you have any questions or to book a session get in touch with Julia: call, email or use the contact form!
We are looking forward to hearing from you!