Your Personal Newborn Prep Guide
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! !
We want you to know that we are so honored to be taking your baby’s pictures. From the session, you can expect to receive approximately 30-40 newborn pictures. This is standard across all photographers as it takes a while to capture one good image of a newborn - there is a lot of calming, feeding, posing, etc. involved. As you can imagine!
Here, I want to ensure that I cover everything that a newborn shoot requires and that we both get a clear understanding. First, I want to mention that newborn shoots can take up to 2-3 hours depending on your baby’s mood and willingness to sleep. Unfortunately…this isn’t something I can predict! I just ask that everyone remain calm, should they 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.
When I first arrive, I will walk through your home looking for the best place to set up and that is where we’ll do a majority of the shoot. Sometimes the best location can be in crazy places like the middle of the living room. I will be bringing a lot of equipment but don’t worry too much about that as I will take into account the space and work accordingly.
If you have any ideas, poses or images for the photo session please feel free to send them to me at any time and I will try and match it as best as possible.
“The littlest feet make the biggest footprints in our hearts.”
How to get your baby ready
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We recommend that you keep your home a bit warmer than normal during the session. (Like a toasty 80 degrees or so.)
Newborns are used to being all bundled up, warm + cozy…and then we come in and yank off all their clothes for those adorable naked baby shots. They tend not to like that too much!
Pushing up the thermostat is guaranteed to make the session flow more smoothly and help them sleep better. We may be sweating, but Baby Isabella will be nice and warm…and that’s all that matters!
Crank the heat 30 minutes before our session to ensure that it’s warm enough in time for the clothes yanking.
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Please loosen your baby’s diaper and clothing at least 30 minutes before the session. This gives those little imprint marks time to disappear. (If you decide to have naked pictures please note that I pose them so that all the “important bits” are not on display.)
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Most of the images we’ll be shooting work best if your baby is in a deep sleep. To encourage this, we recommend that you do whatever it takes to make sure your baby is nice and exhausted. Keeping baby awake on top of your own sleep deprivation might feel like torture, but we think it will be worth it in the end!
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A well-fed baby is a happy baby! Please feed and burp your baby right before our session to ensure a happy, sleepy (“milk drunk”), baby. I will also be more than happy to take as many breaks as needed to help them refuel. It’s tough work being a model!
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Please do whatever you can to keep the noise level to a minimum during our session. If you have other children present 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. I will have white noise playing from my phone, but it doesn’t always block out tantrums and playtime.
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I know that this may be new for you both but trust me, this will be a great experience. We will just need time and patience! I will take the baby’s lead; getting your baby 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 your baby comfortable. If that doesn’t work, we’ll take a break or we’ll work with what your baby is giving us. Sometimes the best photos happen when babies aren’t doing what we originally wanted.
Just remember: Babies can sense stress and anxiety (especially from their mommy’s!) It’s super important that EVERYONE remains 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.
“A baby’s smile is a bit of sunlight wrapped in your arms.”
how to style
Getting ready for some Family Pictures? Keep your outfits simple!
Mom- A simple white shirt or black T-shirt or maxi dress will work great along with your favorite pair of maternity jeans (wear a belly band if you’re worried about post-baby fit). A beautiful necklace and some simple earrings can add a special touch.
Dad- As I said before, keep it simple and don't aim to get too dressed up. If you keep it casual and comfortable, everyone will be more relaxed.
Don't worry about having everyone match either. Just lay out all the outfits together on the bed to look and see if anything clashes. If it looks good to you, it will look good to you in the photos too.
Finally, this is a very exciting and special time for your family and I thank you for letting me be a part of it! I am really looking forward to seeing you and your family, especially your sweet baby :)
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding the above please do not hesitate to message me any time!