Getting Prepared
Since your baby's arrival will likely be unpredictable I recommend you getting your newborn session booked 6-8 weeks before your due date. If your new bundle comes a little earlier or later than planned I will find a way to rearrange my schedule to make sure you get those first special moments captured.
Once you have paid your deposit your due date goes into my diary I then just ask that you to get in touch as soon as you can after baby arrives so we can arrange and prepare for your session.
Newborn sessions are best scheduled within 14 days after birth. However the best time is between 3 and 7 days after their arrival. We will be moving them around and scruntching them into those beautiful sleepy newborn poses, so we want to make sure they are sleepy enough for us to handle them.
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After day 14 days it's not as easy to get baby into that deep sleep that came so easy to them in the first few days....therfore it's not as easy to get those beautiful curly newborn poses associated with newborn photography. It is possible to get some beautiful photos after this time though, and I offer studio sessions up to 8 weeks old, so please don't hesitate to get in touch even if your baby has already arrived.
Most of the images I will be shooting work best if baby is in a deep sleep. To encourage this I recommend (if possible) keeping baby awake for as long as you can prior to your session. I completely understand that keeping your little baby awake on top of your own sleep deprivation may feel like torture but i do think it will be worth it in the end.
A well fed baby is a happy baby please feed and bathe the baby right before the session to ensure a happy sleep (milk drunk) baby i will also be more than happy to take as many breaks as need to help him/her re-feed.
Please loosen your babies nappy and clothing at least 30 minutes before the session. This gives those little inprint time to disappear. Also, if baby has dry skin, please moisturise before you come and bring it along incase we need to re apply during the session.While I can easily edit problem areas, I prefer to do as little retouching as possible to babies skin.
If you have children and would like them to be included in some of the photos then I recommend bringing them in at the beginning or the end of the session and then having someone take them away, only those being photographed should be present to help maintain a calm environment.
Once you're all settled and I've put the kettle on, we will have a chat about colours and props that you would like for the shoot. I have a nice range of props from cool blues and greys through to warm neutrals. All the items shown in studio images on my website are provided by me, but you're of course welcome to bring a special item or two along with you to include if you like.
Newborn sessions can last anywhere between 2-3 hours it all depends on babies mood and willingness to sleep, unfortunately... this isn't something we can predict. I ask that everyone remains calm should he/she not want to sleep since your baby will pick up on any frustration in the room. And if sleep doesn't happen then that's ok as wide eyed newborn photos are beautiful too.
The session is baby lead, getting them to sleep before posing takes time and they may need to be fed or cuddled a few times, I would say at least 50% of your session will involve feeding nappy changing or cuddling to get baby comfortable. If that doesn't work we will take a break or we will work with what the baby is giving us, sometimes the best photo’s happen when baby isn't doing what we want.
I have a collection of props which consists of baskets, hats wraps and headbands etc that I will be using during your session, you are also of course welcome to use any of your own props. Look for items with texture and colour to help make your images unique. If you have any family heirlooms, toys, hats or props that you would like me to use in your session please feel free to bring them along we may not get to use all of the items but we will look at them together to see what will work best.
Baby safety comes first, if there is ever a point in which you become uncomfortable just let me know I take every measure to ensure that your baby is never in any danger for that reason I will always make sure a parent is nearby to lend support if needed.
As for clothing, keep it simple coordinating plain colours work best and please skip busy patterns or large logos. Wrinkles do show up in pictures so please make sure all clothing is ironed or steamed as the retouching involved is extensive and will incur an extra fee. Your hands and possibly even your feet may play a major role in your session so it is important you make sure you tend to them too.
I am also a big fan of skin on skin portraits with you holding your baby against you. They are so simple and timeless so if you want some portraits like this with your newborn please consider a strapless top etc