Newborn sessions are one of my favorite types of sessions to photograph and I find that they go best when the parents are prepared ahead of time. Here are a few of my tips for ensuring your newborn session is a happy and successful one…
Schedule your session during your pregnancy. This will save your spot on the calendar around your due date. Once your baby is born, we will finalize our plans and set an exact appointment time for when your baby is between 4-10 days old. At this stage, the baby sleeps a lot and is most receptive to positioning.
Patience is key. Newborn sessions average about 3 hours. We will go at the baby’s pace and, however long it takes, we’ll do all we can to keep baby (and everyone) relaxed, calm, and happy.
Are there older siblings? If you have other children you’d like to be included in some photos, consider having an additional family member or friend on hand and only having them present at the beginning or end of our session. Kids get antsy, and these newborn sessions tend to be longer than their patience level allows.
Make sure baby has a full belly. A full belly = a happy baby, ready and willing to be positioned into those sweet little poses. We’ll take as many breaks as we need to make sure baby’s well fed.
Turning up the heat. I keep the studio nice and toasty warm during newborn sessions, because no baby likes to get stripped down to his birthday suit with the A/C cranking! If we’re doing the session in your home, I’ll ask that you keep the house around 80° for baby’s comfort. We might get a bit warm, but those cozy, cuddly photos make it all worthwhile.
What to wear? Keep it simple. Forego the loud colors for soft hues. Moms, we suggest flowing tops and stretchy jeans or yoga pants. Dads, a solid knit tee or long-sleeved button-up (without logos) is a great choice. Wrinkles will show up in photos, FYI! Moms and dads both, your hands – and possibly feet – will play a big role in this photo session, so don’t neglect those nails!
What about props? While my style is more natural and organic, I do have a small collection of props that I like to use. If you have any family heirlooms, hats, toys, etc., that you would like to use in your session, I’m happy to accommodate you. Please gather them and let me know ahead of time what you’re hoping for. That goes for poses as well – some communication in advance is key so we can all be working toward the same goal on the day of your session.
Need more info to help you plan your newborn session? Give us a call at 916.933.8352 or shoot us an email at info@jillcarmel.com.