Newborn Session Guide
If you are reading this, that means you have your newborn session soon! YAYYY! I can not wait to meet your newest addition to the fam, and capture this special moment!
Down below will be all the tips to prepare for your session. All little babes are different so these are only suggestions! These tips apply to studio & in-home sessions!
Newborn Session Checklist:
- Bring/have a snack and water for yourself and any pets and siblings. The photoshoot can be long and tiring.
- If siblings are coming/there, bring some entertainment for them.
- Bring at least one change of clothing ( for studio sessions ), just in case any accidents happen.
- Bring everything for changing and feeding the baby, including any special creams and products you use ( for studio sessions )
- If the newborn has hair, bring a brush ( for studio sessions ).
- Bring/have any toys or props you would like to add into the photos.
- If the baby is using the pacifier, bring/have that as well. It often helps soothe babies into the poses and facilitates getting them to sleep. If your baby is not used to a pacifier or you do not feel comfortable offering one, do not worry, it is not a must.
Day of Session:
When babies are sound asleep, those poses are much easier because they are relaxed. In order to try to achieve this, try keeping your baby awake 30 minutes or maybe even full hour just before the session time. Another suggestion to keep babies awake is to give them a nice long sponge bath an hour before the session, so that when they arrive to the studio they are ready for a long nap!
However, do not stress if you cannot or feel like you should not do this! It is simply a suggestion, but babies often have their own ideas of when they want to sleep.
I recommend to everyone to try and feed baby full right before they come to the session. It is helpful if you feed your baby before your photo session, so they will be ready to sleep, and have all the sweet sleepy baby pictures!
In-Home Newborn Session Tips:
- Little babes get cold. One of the more important tips for parents and photographers for a successful newborn photo session is keeping the baby warm. We suggest keeping the temperature in the room at a comfortable level about half an hour before your session start time. The warmer temperature will help your newborn stay asleep and feel safe and happy.
- Please try to clean up the areas in your home that will be photographed. Most common places are: nursery, mom & dads room and living room.
- Please have as many windows possible open for natural light. If you do not have many windows, I will bring flash to use.
In-Home Newborn Session Outfit Tips:
When planning your in-home newborn session outfits, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Take a look at the areas you are wanting the photos to take place at in your home. Look at the patterns and colors. Neutral colors are always best for any color palette ( white, taupe, grey, brown, black etc. )
- Add textures to your outfits. Have a least 1 person in the family have some sort of texture to their outfit ( ribbed, lace etc )
- Wear what YOU feel comfortable in. The more comfortable you are, the more relaxed you will be in the photos.
- No need to worry about shoes, barefoot is the best for in-home sessions!
- I will bring a few swaddles, but make sure to have props and swaddles out for baby.