Because your baby has been in the womb at 98.6 degrees for the last nine months, I have the heater running in a room where we will be taking pictures. So please dress appropriately! White noise is played to assure baby is sleeping sweetly through the poses and there will be quiet music playing in the background.
Sessions are baby led and usually last anywhere from 1-2 hours, depending on the type of session chosen as well as the baby. Sessions begin with a feeding, as babies with full bellies tend to sleep well. Please be prepared to feed on demand if breastfeeding, or have extra bottles if bottle feeding. If you are nursing, please avoid spicy and gassy foods both the day before and the day of the session. I also recommend having a pacifier on hand, even if baby is not taking one. I use this soothing tool when baby is not hungry, but needs pacification while posing. Please also prepare a soft blanket to wrap baby in between poses.
If baby has a sibling, I will start by posing the baby with the sibling and then move on to parents shots. Once we finish family poses, it’s a good idea for one of the parents to take sibling home or for a walk, so we could concentrate on the newborn session. Children, especially younger ones, can become restless in a warm, small room.
After baby is born
We will chat after you give birth for direction as far as the color scheme that you would like to use. From there, I will choose props, outfits and backdrops that I feel will accomplish the look you desire. If during the session you see something that I am using that you do not love (Or the opposite: you see something that you love that I am NOT using) just let me know so I can accommodate!
For moms, dads and siblings, I recommend solid, light colored clothing. White shirts and tan pants are always a good option! Light and simple clothing so that nothing distracts from the newest addition. For your newborn, I have everything that he/she will need! Most of my props are hand-made to fit my style of photography, so store bought clothes typically don’t fit in. However, if you have something of sentimental value, please feel free to bring it for the session.
I’m worried my baby won’t sleep at the session, what happens if baby is unsettled or awake?
That’s just part of working with babies! They run the show, and they’re my little bosses. If baby is awake then I will take awake photos for a short amount of time, and then baby will need to be wrapped and comforted back to sleep. I can only try all the tricks I know. I like to use white noise, shushing, pacifiers if needed, moms can feed extra, and sometime dads just have that magic touch too. Only babies that are in a deep sleep can be unwrapped and posed in naked or semi-naked poses. Please try to have zero expectations on your new precious baby. The main thing is getting beautiful photos, not forcing them to do poses they’re not comfortable doing. If your baby is crying and we can’t settle them with what we know usually works, we will discuss rescheduling.