Preparing for your Newborn Session
Below are our recommendations for preparing for your newborn session in your home. We have found that careful preparation and consideration of the following items ensure that your session goes smoothly and that you will have beautiful newborn portraits that you will treasure for a lifetime.
1. Newborn sessions typically take 2-3 hours, including feeding breaks.
Please know that there is no rush with a newborn session. I give special attention to each client, especially during newborn sessions. I am familiar with the varying needs of newborns and do not mind waiting for you to feed or change baby, or taking a break to soothe your baby. That’s part of what I offer as an in-home portrait photography … the time and patience I can provide!
2. Please try to keep baby awake for about two hours prior to your session.
I understand this can be a challenge and, in some cases, impossible 😊 but do your best as this will help ensure a smooth session. I promise. A baby who has just had a big nap will tend to want to stay awake during their session, necessitating that we spend more time soothing him/her to sleep, and less time photographing. Giving baby a bath at home before your session is a great way to have some pleasant awake time.
3. Have a bottle of breast milk or formula and a pacifier with you to the session. We will only use it if necessary to calm and soothe your baby in the middle of a shot. We understand many mothers are trying to establish good breast-feeding habits and are concerned about nipple confusion. If you are adamantly against using a pacifier or bottle, please let us know and we will absolutely respect your wishes.
4. When I arrive, I will begin setting up and during this time is perfect to feed baby a FULL feeding to get him/her nice and “milk drunk,” so try to schedule accordingly. Please schedule your feedings so baby is hungry when I’m scheduled to arrive. At this point, your baby should be VERY ready to sleep which is what we want. Babies will generally still wake up for a feeding break at least once in the middle of the session, sometimes more.
5. Please don’t bring your baby boy with a fresh, raw circumcision. We would ask that you plan for your appointment with us to be either before the procedure, or at least 5 days after. We will be wrapping baby tightly while he’s naked and moving him between poses, which can be painful with a raw circumcision.
6. If you are breast-feeding, try to avoid eating anything spicy or gas inducing (i.e. pizza, spicy sauces, garlic, broccoli, thai food, high fat etc.) that might upset baby’s tummy for 24 hours preceding your scheduled session. It’s best to stick to a relatively bland diet the 24 hours before your session.
7. Siblings: We love siblings, and are happy to photograph them with baby at no additional charge during newborn sessions. If there are older siblings that will be included in photos, those images will be photographed either at the start or at the end of the session. Siblings should have a separate space to play in during the rest of the session, when they are not being photographed. This ensures that the environment is kept calm and quiet and siblings are kept excited about their debut rather than tired of the process.
8. Newborns are absolute perfection when they wear nothing at all. For variety and some fun pops of color, we also like to use the swaddling blankets, wraps and knit outfits. We have a collection of props, swaddles and backdrops and will create a set design that we are sure you will love. We will choose which items photograph best in the color schemes you love. If you have a special item you want photographed with baby, such as military or firefighter gear or an antique quilt, please let us know ahead of time so we can plan for it. (Preferences can be listed in your Newborn Questionnaire.)
9. When doing the poses where the baby is undressed, it is normal (and okay!) for him or her to pee and poop during the session. We can assure you this happens all the time and we are not upset or offended. Please have wipes and towels on hand for this purpose. After each newborn session we launder all of our backdrops and other items the baby comes in contact with with baby “safe” detergent and hot water.
What To Wear:
· Baby should be dressed in loose fitting clothes to avoid any lines on skin. A onesie that opens in front is best, as this avoids us having to lift anything tight over baby’s head. In family photos, baby will be generally photographed either wrapped in a wrap we provide, or naked.
· For parents being photographed with baby, we recommend a long sleeve shirt for Dad in a soft neutral color with no buttons. Buttons can scratch baby’s skin or catch on wraps. Beige, khaki, olive green, burgundy, navy, charcoal, taupe, cream and brown are all great colors. Think “muted” tones. If Dad is comfortable showing his chest for a few photos this can make for some very tender, skin-on-skin images.
· For Mom, we recommend a shirt or tank top in a solid color - neutral or muted colors are always good. We also sometimes wrap mom in fabrics to give the appearance of a simple strapless dress.
· Siblings should be dressed in neutral tones like dad. Jeans or khaki pants work well for boys and “sundress” style looks with no pattern look best on girls. Again, keep colors neutral and “muted” so that faces stand out more than the clothes they are wearing. Bright colors tend to detract from your children’s beautiful expressions.
Your Home:
Many clients express concern that their house will not lend well to photographs because of low light or décor. I assure you, magic can happen in all sorts of conditions. I come into your home without expectation of perfection. I honor the space as it is. You have enough going on in this time and I do not expect a spotless home to be top on the priority list. I will come with lights, backdrops etc. to create the types of images you see in my portfolio. I may need to move furniture aside to make space for my set up, but will always help to make sure it returns to how I found it. If there is a space you'd like to have photographs in (nursery, bedroom etc.) please ensure that this space is prepared ahead of time.
Below are our recommendations for preparing for your newborn session in your home. We have found that careful preparation and consideration of the following items ensure that your session goes smoothly and that you will have beautiful newborn portraits that you will treasure for a lifetime.
1. Newborn sessions typically take 2-3 hours, including feeding breaks.
Please know that there is no rush with a newborn session. I give special attention to each client, especially during newborn sessions. I am familiar with the varying needs of newborns and do not mind waiting for you to feed or change baby, or taking a break to soothe your baby. That’s part of what I offer as an in-home portrait photography … the time and patience I can provide!
2. Please try to keep baby awake for about two hours prior to your session.
I understand this can be a challenge and, in some cases, impossible 😊 but do your best as this will help ensure a smooth session. I promise. A baby who has just had a big nap will tend to want to stay awake during their session, necessitating that we spend more time soothing him/her to sleep, and less time photographing. Giving baby a bath at home before your session is a great way to have some pleasant awake time.
3. Have a bottle of breast milk or formula and a pacifier with you to the session. We will only use it if necessary to calm and soothe your baby in the middle of a shot. We understand many mothers are trying to establish good breast-feeding habits and are concerned about nipple confusion. If you are adamantly against using a pacifier or bottle, please let us know and we will absolutely respect your wishes.
4. When I arrive, I will begin setting up and during this time is perfect to feed baby a FULL feeding to get him/her nice and “milk drunk,” so try to schedule accordingly. Please schedule your feedings so baby is hungry when I’m scheduled to arrive. At this point, your baby should be VERY ready to sleep which is what we want. Babies will generally still wake up for a feeding break at least once in the middle of the session, sometimes more.
5. Please don’t bring your baby boy with a fresh, raw circumcision. We would ask that you plan for your appointment with us to be either before the procedure, or at least 5 days after. We will be wrapping baby tightly while he’s naked and moving him between poses, which can be painful with a raw circumcision.
6. If you are breast-feeding, try to avoid eating anything spicy or gas inducing (i.e. pizza, spicy sauces, garlic, broccoli, thai food, high fat etc.) that might upset baby’s tummy for 24 hours preceding your scheduled session. It’s best to stick to a relatively bland diet the 24 hours before your session.
7. Siblings: We love siblings, and are happy to photograph them with baby at no additional charge during newborn sessions. If there are older siblings that will be included in photos, those images will be photographed either at the start or at the end of the session. Siblings should have a separate space to play in during the rest of the session, when they are not being photographed. This ensures that the environment is kept calm and quiet and siblings are kept excited about their debut rather than tired of the process.
8. Newborns are absolute perfection when they wear nothing at all. For variety and some fun pops of color, we also like to use the swaddling blankets, wraps and knit outfits. We have a collection of props, swaddles and backdrops and will create a set design that we are sure you will love. We will choose which items photograph best in the color schemes you love. If you have a special item you want photographed with baby, such as military or firefighter gear or an antique quilt, please let us know ahead of time so we can plan for it. (Preferences can be listed in your Newborn Questionnaire.)
9. When doing the poses where the baby is undressed, it is normal (and okay!) for him or her to pee and poop during the session. We can assure you this happens all the time and we are not upset or offended. Please have wipes and towels on hand for this purpose. After each newborn session we launder all of our backdrops and other items the baby comes in contact with with baby “safe” detergent and hot water.
What To Wear:
· Baby should be dressed in loose fitting clothes to avoid any lines on skin. A onesie that opens in front is best, as this avoids us having to lift anything tight over baby’s head. In family photos, baby will be generally photographed either wrapped in a wrap we provide, or naked.
· For parents being photographed with baby, we recommend a long sleeve shirt for Dad in a soft neutral color with no buttons. Buttons can scratch baby’s skin or catch on wraps. Beige, khaki, olive green, burgundy, navy, charcoal, taupe, cream and brown are all great colors. Think “muted” tones. If Dad is comfortable showing his chest for a few photos this can make for some very tender, skin-on-skin images.
· For Mom, we recommend a shirt or tank top in a solid color - neutral or muted colors are always good. We also sometimes wrap mom in fabrics to give the appearance of a simple strapless dress.
· Siblings should be dressed in neutral tones like dad. Jeans or khaki pants work well for boys and “sundress” style looks with no pattern look best on girls. Again, keep colors neutral and “muted” so that faces stand out more than the clothes they are wearing. Bright colors tend to detract from your children’s beautiful expressions.
Your Home:
Many clients express concern that their house will not lend well to photographs because of low light or décor. I assure you, magic can happen in all sorts of conditions. I come into your home without expectation of perfection. I honor the space as it is. You have enough going on in this time and I do not expect a spotless home to be top on the priority list. I will come with lights, backdrops etc. to create the types of images you see in my portfolio. I may need to move furniture aside to make space for my set up, but will always help to make sure it returns to how I found it. If there is a space you'd like to have photographs in (nursery, bedroom etc.) please ensure that this space is prepared ahead of time.
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