How to prepare for your in home newborn session

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scheduling-
Newborn portraits are best done when created within the first 2 weeks of the baby being born. If the baby is healthy and mom is doing well, I prefer to photograph in the first week. During this first week, the baby is still very sleepy and I can mold them and put them in to all of the adorable poses that families have grown to love.

Unless you are having a scheduled c-section, you are not going to know when your baby will be born. If you are planning on doing your newborn portrait with me, please call me to let us know your due date. I leave time in my schedule around your due date to ensure I can schedule your session. As soon as your baby is born, have someone call me to get on my calendar that week.

 

What to expect- 

Newborn session can last anywhere from 2-4 hours. It takes time to set up and prepare lighting in your home. In order to set up my portable studio in your home, I will need roughly an 8x8 area. I will also need an outlet to plug in lights and heating pads.  I prefer a naturally lit area of your home. So think about where natural light comes in from.  I will bring a couple of bags full of props and blankets and backdrops.  It will appear that I am moving in but I promise I will take it all back with me.  I like to be well prepared!

Accidents will happen! Have extra diapers and baby wipes handy. Maybe even an extra set of clothes.  Babies will need to be fed and lulled back to sleep in order for me to pose them.  I do bring heating pads and space heaters with me.  Babies like to be kept warm. Most of their pictures will be taken in the buff or wrapped.  So I like to keep the room we will be working in nice and warm. Everything I own is washable so please don't feel bad if the baby has an accident on my props.  

 

Preparing Your Baby-
A well fed baby is a happy sleepy baby! Please feed the baby just before I arrive.  Make sure you get a good burp in! A baby with gas is not a happy baby and can result in lots of crying.

Don’t worry about baby acne or little scratches. My expert retouching will either eliminate or drastically minimize these imperfections. If your baby has extremely dry skin, try putting baby lotion on prior to your session and bring extra with you. This will help in the retouching process.

Before your session be sure to loosen their diaper. This will reduce the diaper marks from their naked little bottoms. Also do not have tight socks on their feet. Socks leave sock lines at their ankles. Same goes withe tight hats or clothing.

 

Preparing Your Family-
For any family members being photographed we recommend dark pants and long sleeve black shirts. For younger siblings they can wear a light colored shirt to match the gender of the baby.

Keep your hair and makeup simple. 

Moms, do not worry about the baby weight you haven’t lost, or any skin issues you may still have. We can retouch all that away! Remember your photographer is a mom and remembers all too well what those first two weeks were like! This is also why we recommend black! It is very slimming.

Mom’s and Dad’s hands will be shown in many of the close up photographs. Please make sure your nails look nice!

 

One Last Thing …
No matter what your baby does (poop, pee, puke), please know that I am always relaxed. I do this all the time and have seen everything. This session is supposed to be a special experience for you, and I don’t want you stressed if the baby starts to cry. The baby can sense stress and it usually makes them cry more. I have plenty of time allowed for your session. If we need to take a break to feed, walk, rock, etc. you can do that.  I want you to enjoy the experience of your session and this special bonding moment for you and your family.

 

Post newborn sessions-

I will contact you within 3 weeks of your newborn session.  I take special consideration when editing newborns. I want to make everything perfect in your images. You will have these hanging on your wall and placed in memory books for a very long time. 

I will contact you to set a viewing and ordering session time when I am done editing your images.