Newborn session: How to prepare

Planning for a newborn session

What you need to know:

1.  AGE. The most important part of a newborn session is the age of the baby.  I have shot hundreds of sessions with newborns, and I can tell you the best results come from the babies that are under two weeks old, preferably about a week old.

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2.  SLEEP.  We must do the session with the baby asleep. Newborn photos are wonderfully beautiful and elegant, when the baby is comfortable.  Awake newborns want to be cuddled, clothed, and soothed.  Laying on their bellies and posed with their lovely little bums naked is not their preference for comfort.  Although I assure you all of our posing is absolutely safe, but understandably is not their preference when awake.  Therefore if a newborn is awake, we are extremely limited on the types and number of shots we can get.

We will schedule 90 minutes for your shoot, and this includes feeding times. So for best results, please try to help prep the baby before arriving by taking the following steps to ensure a great session. First, the baby should be fed just before the shoot, this will ensure a great "milk deep sleep" (I call it).  So if you live nearby, feed the baby at home just before leaving the house and arrive at the studio within 15-30 mins of that feeding ending. Or, if you have a bit of a distance to travel to us, feel free to feed the baby upon arrival. I'll be sure you have a quiet, private location to do this.  If this is the case, be sure your last feeding at home was about two hours before so that the baby is prepped for another full feeding.  If at all possible, try to have the baby awake for a bit at home, or even give a little bath before coming. This will also ensure the baby is using energy prior to arrival - thus ready to eat and take a deep nap during photos.  Unless a baby has a colic nature, following these steps always results in a perfect session.

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3.  PROPS.  We have literally hundreds of props, for both boy and girl as well as gender neutral colors.  You don't have to bring anything with you other than your new bundle of joy. However if you want to, or have something unique and personal, we welcome anything you want to incorporate.  Ideas?  A personal baby blanket,  Daddy's prized baseball glove or fireman's hat,  mommy's special pearls, you get the idea.  Sometimes these props can be used again in the future, when they're older, such as a tea party photo at age 2 wearing the same pearls (and perhaps again on her wedding day??)

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4.  MOM, DAD, SIBLINGS.   We welcome others into a newborn session with open arms. However we will definitely do all single photos of the baby first to get the more complicated posing techniques finished while the baby is in the deepest part of sleep.  Once we complete that portion, we invite siblings, mom and dad to be a part of the photo shoot. This option is up to you, and if you choose to take part in photos, here are a few suggestions.  First, wearing black shirts can be a slimming option for women who have just given birth and not feeling back to their regular self yet. We promise to concentrate the photo on your faces, hands, and baby.  We also have a beautiful natural light room with a bed and white comforter and pillows... wearing all white or light colors on this bed with your newborn can be a pristine photograph if you're interested.  For more info on coordination of clothing among family members, visit our blog about family photos.

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5.  PRODUCTS, TURNAROUND.    Your session price can be found on our pricing page in the studio guide. Turnaround is typically 2-3 weeks for proofs, and you are invited to come back and see your photos in person or online from your home computer/tablet.  

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