about your newborn photoshoot
Newborn photography shoots are best done at approximately ten days of age when baby is still curly, floppy and can be easily moved whilst asleep without rousing. After this time they start to lose those real newborn characteristics. The shoot lasts for approximately three hours, sometimes more, because of the time it can take for baby to settle and resettle between poses. A newborn baby photo shoot is a very calm, slow-paced affair and I’ll be taking my time and not rushing. I’ll work with baby and how he / she responds on the day. After all I want to ensure I get the best photographs that I can for you.
We would arrange the shoot to take place in the morning and at your house. Ideally I want baby to be asleep or in a calm-alert state for the photos, so on my arrival the first thing we’ll do is get baby undressed except for nappy and wrapped in a blanket. It’s then good for baby to have a feed as then hopefully he / she will feel well fed and tired, thus increasing the likelihood they’ll sleep. You might want to try delaying baby’s mid-morning feed and / or keeping baby awake so that he / she is hungry and tired when I arrive and more likely to sleep well for the shoot. Or if we can time my arrival to fit well with baby’s routine and you may then not even need to delay feeding. Please be reassured though that I wouldn’t want you to keep baby hungry unnecessarily and for them to get distressed, as naturally this would be concerning for you, I simply want baby to sleep well, which is best done on a full stomach. But don’t worry if baby isn’t sleeping for us, I will use that time to take photographs of baby awake.
I will also want baby to get used to being settled and staying sleeping with my touch, as I will be handling baby a lot during the session. If baby can calm with me that will lend to the shoot flowing better. So if baby is crying and unsettled, we will try to settle him / her with me initially. Be reassured that I wouldn’t want or let baby become too distressed, and you’ll be there right beside me so baby can get a cuddle from you if that’s what he / she needs. It’s okay if baby cries during the shoot because this will tire baby and lead to them sleeping. So don’t worry if this is the case.
The temperature in the room needs to be warm - about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit / 23-26 degrees centigrade - to keep baby sleeping. This is going to feel very warm for everybody else so make sure you’re dressed comfortably. White noise in the background is useful for helping baby relax and sleep, such as the washing machine on the go, the hoover on or an out-of-tune radio playing. Don’t worry about setting your appliances going though, I have an app on my phone which I’ll set to play.
Newborn babies can move very suddenly and unpredictably and so safety is paramount. I’ll expect you to help me keep baby safe and so for some of the poses I’ll ask you to place your hand on / close to baby to keep them steady whilst I photograph.
I’ll plan to use natural light from a window but I also have lights I'll bring just in case we need more light. I’ll also bring other items such as a backdrop / floordrop and props. Sometimes there is a need to move furniture a bit to create space and a clean background, so please don’t be offended if I ask to move things around!!
Newborn babies often have dry skin or milk spots which I can tidy up in post processing. Please don’t put oil, creams or lotions on baby on the day of the shoot as these tend to make skin shiny.
If there are any particular clothes you would like baby to be photographed wearing, or any special toys or items of significance you want to have included in the pictures, then we can include these. After all these are your photographs of your baby and these are the things that will make your photographs unique and provide special memories to look back on in the years to come.
Finally, don’t forget about you!! Whilst this is primarily a baby photoshoot, I find that most parents like to have some family photographs taken whilst I’m with them, so it’s a good idea to plan what you are going to wear too.
I am very happy to help you with thinking about clothing and any particular photographs you may want taking so please ring or email me with anything you want to discuss. I look forward to seeing you and baby for your shoot!
We would arrange the shoot to take place in the morning and at your house. Ideally I want baby to be asleep or in a calm-alert state for the photos, so on my arrival the first thing we’ll do is get baby undressed except for nappy and wrapped in a blanket. It’s then good for baby to have a feed as then hopefully he / she will feel well fed and tired, thus increasing the likelihood they’ll sleep. You might want to try delaying baby’s mid-morning feed and / or keeping baby awake so that he / she is hungry and tired when I arrive and more likely to sleep well for the shoot. Or if we can time my arrival to fit well with baby’s routine and you may then not even need to delay feeding. Please be reassured though that I wouldn’t want you to keep baby hungry unnecessarily and for them to get distressed, as naturally this would be concerning for you, I simply want baby to sleep well, which is best done on a full stomach. But don’t worry if baby isn’t sleeping for us, I will use that time to take photographs of baby awake.
I will also want baby to get used to being settled and staying sleeping with my touch, as I will be handling baby a lot during the session. If baby can calm with me that will lend to the shoot flowing better. So if baby is crying and unsettled, we will try to settle him / her with me initially. Be reassured that I wouldn’t want or let baby become too distressed, and you’ll be there right beside me so baby can get a cuddle from you if that’s what he / she needs. It’s okay if baby cries during the shoot because this will tire baby and lead to them sleeping. So don’t worry if this is the case.
The temperature in the room needs to be warm - about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit / 23-26 degrees centigrade - to keep baby sleeping. This is going to feel very warm for everybody else so make sure you’re dressed comfortably. White noise in the background is useful for helping baby relax and sleep, such as the washing machine on the go, the hoover on or an out-of-tune radio playing. Don’t worry about setting your appliances going though, I have an app on my phone which I’ll set to play.
Newborn babies can move very suddenly and unpredictably and so safety is paramount. I’ll expect you to help me keep baby safe and so for some of the poses I’ll ask you to place your hand on / close to baby to keep them steady whilst I photograph.
I’ll plan to use natural light from a window but I also have lights I'll bring just in case we need more light. I’ll also bring other items such as a backdrop / floordrop and props. Sometimes there is a need to move furniture a bit to create space and a clean background, so please don’t be offended if I ask to move things around!!
Newborn babies often have dry skin or milk spots which I can tidy up in post processing. Please don’t put oil, creams or lotions on baby on the day of the shoot as these tend to make skin shiny.
If there are any particular clothes you would like baby to be photographed wearing, or any special toys or items of significance you want to have included in the pictures, then we can include these. After all these are your photographs of your baby and these are the things that will make your photographs unique and provide special memories to look back on in the years to come.
Finally, don’t forget about you!! Whilst this is primarily a baby photoshoot, I find that most parents like to have some family photographs taken whilst I’m with them, so it’s a good idea to plan what you are going to wear too.
I am very happy to help you with thinking about clothing and any particular photographs you may want taking so please ring or email me with anything you want to discuss. I look forward to seeing you and baby for your shoot!