Preparing for your Newborn Session

Getting The Most From Your Session
A bit of planning and preparation will help you get the most from your newborn portrait session. Here are a few tips that will help make your session a success.

A Full, Sleepy Baby For Squishy Poses
Those adorable newborn poses you love are easiest when your baby is full and sleepy. Keeping your baby active and awake with a bit of extended play time on the morning leading up to your session, plus a feeding 2-3 hours before your session start time, helps gently lull your baby into a nice deep sleep. During the session, I also keep the studio very warm to make baby comfortable and sleepy.

Dress Your Baby Loosely
Loose diapers, a loose fitting wrap, or a loose, easily removed sleeper are ideal clothing choices. Loose-fitting clothing should eliminate red marks on baby’s skin, and is less distracting for baby when pulled off for your session.

During Your Session
My sessions have a relaxed, unhurried pace to keep baby calm, happy, and safe. Your baby sets the pace with plenty of time for quieting, soothing, diaper changes, feeding, and cuddling. I like to shoot siblings and parent poses last so that we can concentrate on baby images when baby is most sleepy, plus this gives siblings time to relax for their big photo moment. The studio will be very warm to keep baby comfortable, so dressing in layers for you is a good idea.

What actually happens during a newborn session?
Whether you’re thinking about booking a newborn session or already have a date on the books, we’re sure you’re a bit curious about what, exactly, goes on during a newborn session. How do you get those peaceful looking images? How involved are the parents for the shoot itself? Is it actually possible to “pose” an infant? Below were pulling back the curtain about what actually happens during a newborn photography session.

The Heat is Turned Up
It sounds bizarre, but we prefer to set the temperature much higher during a newborn than what you’d normally have it. This helps baby feel warm, comfortable, and — most importantly, sleepy.

We'll Take Care of All the Poses
You don’t have to come up with poses or image ideas. We’ve got all that covered and know exactly how to set up an image to get great shots. We’ll also take care of all the prop setup and wrapping.

Mom & Dad Help Spot Baby
Though we do most of the work, we definitely need parents’ help during our shoots at times to spot the baby and work with us to help create images.

Safety is Always Our First Priority
No matter what, we place your child’s safety above all else. If we need to take a break, we will. If a pose isn’t working, there’s always another one to try.

We Have Tricks for Helping Baby Calm Down
We’ve done quite a few newborn sessions in our day, and we have a few tricks up our sleeve to help calm fussy babies. However, in the case of a baby who is very upset, we are more than happy to reschedule.