What to Expect at Your in Home Newborn Session
Congratulations on your perfect, beautiful baby! It is an honor to be a part of capturing this magical time. My goal is to work with your family and make the experience fun, relaxed and a reflection of your family. I have taken newborn safety classes and use always extreme caution when working with precious newborns.
When is the best time to take newborn photos?
The ideal time to capture a newborn baby is within the first two weeks. Babies at this age tend to be pretty relaxed, curled up and usually sleepy. This makes it easy to capture all those gorgeous sleeping shots, snuggles with parents, photos of baby feeding (if you want them) and close up shots of baby’s eyelashes, lips and feet. This is also a great time to capture some beautiful photos of baby with their siblings. If you are scheduling for a little later than that - no worries! Every stage brings new, adorable moments.
What is your shooting style?
I tend to shoot a mix of posed and natural shots of the family and siblings. Your session should be a reflection of your natural interactions as a family. If you prefer to have all natural, lifestyle shots, we can make that work too.
How Long will it take?
I plan for an in-home sessions to take 2-3 hours to allow for a relaxed experience that is completely dictated by your baby's natural schedule. There is time built in for feedings, diaper changes, relaxation and outfit changes. The baby is 100% in charge of the session:).
How should I prepare my house?
We will want to take photos in rooms that have large windows to let in natural light. I will also need a space to set up a beanbag and backdrop if we are doing posed photos. We can also use multiple rooms in your house (large bed for family shots, nursery photos, etc).
It is ideal to have the temperature of the area being photographed very warm for the baby as we might take shots of him or her in a diaper or diaper cover. One way to do this is to turn up your thermostat about 30 minutes before I arrive and plan to have it turned up for the session. Setting up a space heater in the room we are shooting in also works well.
SUGGESTED SESSION FLOW
I like to start with pictures of the family and siblings first while everyone is fresh. Then we will capture pictures of the baby once he or she is settled and sleeping. We will add in individual pictures with mom and dad as we go.
What should we wear?
Neutral toned, free flowing clothing is best to move around your house in comfort. Avoid patterns or uncomfortable clothing that doesn't allow you to feel good as you might lean over to kiss the baby, stop to nurse, etc. Siblings should wear simple, neutral colors as well so the focus is on expressions and connections instead of distracting prints or patterns. I will bring wraps for the baby but feel free to have any special outfits, headbands, hats, etc. ready for the session.
Anything else?
Feel free to let your morning flow and expect that we will take many breaks to make sure the baby is comfortable and happy. My goal is for you to have a great experience and come away with beautiful photos you will cherish forever!