What to Expect during your newborn photo session

When a parent schedules a newborn photo session with me, I share a what to expect guide as well as a questionnaire to help the session go smoothly and provide an outcome that the parents will love. I thought it might be helpful to share that here for anyone with questions about a newborn session.

A newborn photoshoot is so different from most sessions. With sitters, toddlers and even cake smashes, most of the time consuming part it done before the babies get there and the session lasts probably 30 minutes, give or take, before older babies are just over it. With newborns, it is completely different. Although I do preparation prior to the session, these can last anywhere from an hour to 4 hours depending on baby. I always say the baby is the boss and he/she knows it.

In my guide, I let parents know that the session is lengthy compared to others and that my studio will be warm to accommodate the baby's comfort. So I ask them to dress comfortably and bring something to drink and snack on.

Of course the ultimate goal is to have a sleepy and settled baby which makes the flow go so much faster and easier. I always tell parents that even if you do everything you can think of, the baby may still have their own agenda and we will always go with baby's direction. With that being said, here are a few tips I have learned over the years that have proven to be helpful in most cases.

1) Relax! If you get anxious worrying whether your baby will do well during the session, they can sometimes feel that tension. Just don't worry about it. Almost always, we can get the session done. And if not, we can try again.

2) Giving the baby a warm bath prior to leaving home for the session seems to help them relax and get sleepy in most cases. At least it seems to work.

3) Give them a good feeding prior to leaving if baby will. This combined with a bath and a car ride tends to help deliver baby as sleepy as possible.

4) Dress them in something loose and easy to remove, so that when you arrive and if baby is sleeping, we can get them ready to photograph without waking them.

5) Try to allow for extra feedings (if you are okay with this) if you breastfeed, maybe bring some pumped milk if you have it or an extra bottle if you bottle feed. Since baby is being held and moved around, you may find that they will eat a little more than normal.

6) Also, if you allow it, bring a pacifier. Even if you don't want to use it on a regular basis, it can help the session go so much quicker being able to soothe baby to sleep if they get unsettled.

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, these are just some helpful tips to try. I will always go with baby's lead and parents wishes. So if you do nothing else, just practice #1, Relax and enjoy the moment! It can be a fun experience watching baby being posed and how I use the different props for each set up. Or you could nap and catch up on a little sleep!

Hope this helps, but if you have any questions, please feel free to call, text or email me!

Kathy