FAQ’s so you feel confident and prepared for your baby’s FIRST PHOTOSHOOT EVER!
What age are newborns photographed?
Since newborn photo sessions are ideally shot with your little one asleep, the shoot must take place between the first 6-14 days of life. This is the perfect age because they tend to be are super sleepy and pose-able.
Where do you photograph newborns?
Newborn photo sessions are normally done in our home studio where we have all of our props, equipment, and gorgeous light! We have done some portraits in our families homes and those tend to be more of a 'lifestyle' family newborn session rather than the more posed solo baby shots.
What to wear to your newborns photo session?
We keep our studio at around 80 degrees in order for your baby to be comfortable and warm while we are shooting them. With this being said you can dress in cool comfortable clothing and bring a set of nicer clothes to change into just for the photos we take of you with baby + as a family.
Along with that, since the temperature of the studio during a newborn session is a little warmer than most adults feel comfortable in, some families have brought along personal fans to help cool them down. You are totally welcome to do this too!
What clothing or props do we need to bring?
No clothes or props are necessary for baby as we have a variety of wraps, outfits, and props to use. However, if you do have something special that you would like he or she photographed in or with we’d love to include it. Keep in mind one thing to try to avoid for baby are outfits with a lot of glitter fall-out as the glitter can get stuck to baby and feel uncomfortable for them.
We always encourage our families to take a few photos with baby in the beginning of our session and then we usually will focus the rest of the session on baby alone. With this being said if mom, dad, and older siblings would like photos with baby they should dress in neutral colored clothing avoiding big logos or graphics since they may distract from your littlest one. You may also check out our blog post on tips for families on 'What to Wear'
What time do you photograph newborns?
We usually capture newborn photos at around 10am as lighting is best in our studio at this time, however, we can be flexible and begin at different times if necessary.
How do we pick my session day?
We think a great time to inquire about your newborn session is when you are about 7-8 months pregnant. At this point we can discuss your due date to make sure we will be available during that time but we won’t schedule the exact shoot date till you have given birth as arrival dates can often cary from your due date quite a bit. We ask that within baby's first 2 days of life you try to call, text, or email us so we can pick the best day for your session.
How long will my session last?
Shoots typically take between 2-4 hours. The reason these sessions are take longer than any other type of photoshoot is because your baby’s comfort and safety is our main concern. We will always make time for feeding and changing whenever it’s needed so baby can feel awesome and be real sleepy while we work on posing and shooting them. It’s totally normal and expected, even for sleepy babies to be just about posed and then decide to do a big stretch so we’ll have to start over. Some babies like to sleep, some do not, we'll just go with the flow.
How much milk should I bring for baby?
Whether you are breast feeding or bottle feeding we recommend bringing more than double what you are used to feeding your baby within a 4 hour span as baby's tend to eat a lot more than normal during a newborn shoot. The reason for this is during normal life when baby falls asleep they usually won't have anyone moving them around, swaddling them mid-sleep, or adjusting their limbs--however, during a newborn session this is exactly what we have to do. Of course, we are always very gentle but we are still 'fussing' with them a lot more than they are used to while they're napping. This means it's completely normal for baby to wake up multiple times during the shoot and can often require feeding between every outfit change to soothe them back into 'milk coma bliss' hehe.
How can I make my session go as smooth as possible?
Try to have breakfast before our session as we mentioned the shoot can take a while. You can also bring along food to snack on during the shoot if you get hungry.
Ideally, we’d love for your baby to be sleeping for photos as they tend to be much less squirmy and we can get them into those adorable poses. With that being said we’re always happy to wait while they eat and settle a bit. We have found that most times baby’s will need to be fed upon arrival to help them drift away in that 'milk coma bliss' we mentioned earlier. Once this is done we will begin getting your little one dressed or swaddled.
If you are bringing any siblings we highly recommend bringing a helper to watch/entertain them whether it be dad, another family member, or a friend. We want baby to be in a nice, peaceful environment so if you’d like photos with siblings that will be the first thing we do, followed by family, and parent photos. Our studio has a great park just down the road that your helper is welcome to bring older siblings to during our session so they can play and not have to feel so cooped up. We will let you know about 20 minutes before we’re done so your older children and helper can come back.
Our most important tip of all is don't feel discouraged if your little one is unsettled for any part of your session. Newborns can be unpredictable and can sometimes take more time than you think to get to the sleepy comfortable place that will allow us to pose and capture them. This is completely normal and why we allow so much time for these sessions. Being a newborn parent isn't always easy so we completely understand and will be very patient through your session.