Navigating life with a newborn can be hard. You are likely to be not getting a lot of sleep, maybe learning how to breastfeed and you could be dealing with something like colic.
It’s then that you remember you lovingly booked in to have a newborn photoshoot! You want to remember everything about your tiny baby before they grow, and your family are desperate to see some beautiful photos of your new little bundle.
Panic! ‘I’m tired, and the last thing I feel like doing is getting ready for a photoshoot!’
You feel anxious because how do you know what to expect during your newborn photoshoot?
I thought I would share a short post to help put your mind at ease, so you can be prepared and hopefully feel more confident coming in to your session.
Related post: How to choose the right newborn photographer for you
Before your session, you may have come in to my home studio for a maternity photoshoot. If so, you will have had the chance to meet with me, get familiar with the studio and how I work, and already feel a little bit more confident.
Related post: When is the best time to get maternity photos?
If not, that’s totally ok too. Not everyone wants to have a maternity photoshoot, and sometimes you don’t realise you want one, until after you’ve had the baby!
If you didn’t come in for maternity photos, then we can have a chat about who you’d like to bring along to your newborn session, anything you might be worried about, what to wear etc before you come in. We can do this via email, telephone, Skype or in person if you wish.
This will immediately make you feel more relaxed.
My studio is based at my home in Trinity Park, Cairns. I love this because, the studio is nice and cosy, and a home environment always makes people feel more confident (especially any other children you may want to bring along).
When you arrive, I will ask you when your baby was last fed. Breastfed babies tend to need feeding sooner than bottle fed babies, and if baby hasn’t fed for a while, this allows me to give you time to feed and settle baby before we begin.
As for the actual workflow, I honestly prefer to go with the flow. I don’t like to make families feel rushed, but at the same time, I know you are tired and don’t want to be here all day.
When siblings are present at the session, I usually do photos involving them at the beginning or the end. That way, they don’t get unsettled or bored. We will chat about this before you come in, but you could either bring siblings and Dad in at the beginning, then once they are done they could go for a little walk to the park around the corner. Or we could bring Dad and siblings in at the end.
From experience, Mums do tend to be more relaxed when siblings and Dads are not present (myself included), ad they generally get bored quicker 😉 (Dads/siblings are of course welcome to stay for the whole session, so please don’t think that means they can’t)
I really want the experience to be as pleasant for everyone as possible, so these are all things we discuss in your pre-session consultation, as mentioned above.
My style is authentic, natural and simple. The focus is entirely on your family, without the addition of props.
I offer wrapped shots, and photos in a simple white onesie (which you are able to use from my studio wardrobe).
I love the white onesie look. It’s just such a natural way to capture your baby.
We do a few natural poses with each family member, and group shots also. During our consultation, you can pick out your favourites from my portfolio to ensure we prioritise those photos!
Depending on the time of year, the room may be heated for the comfort of baby. I advise parents to dress in layers, because it does get quite warm for them. Newborns are unable to regulate their body temperature, so keeping them comfortable is top priority.
I also play some ‘white noise’. This is a combination of brown noise, a heartbeat, a cat purring and the ocean. Such a great combination for keeping baby relaxed, and enables to chat without disturbing baby.
I do use flash, which is completely safe for baby.
If baby becomes unsettled during your session, I do try first to settle baby myself. I have a long length of experience working with children, and find usually after a few minutes, they drift back to sleep. However, if I feel baby needs changing or another feed, I pass baby back to you.
I am constantly chatting to you throughout the session. I explain everything that is happening as we go along so that you feel reassured, and I also invite you to ask any questions that you need. No question is a silly one, and my ultimate goal is for everyone to feel safe, parents included.
Once the session is over, you are more than welcome to feed baby before you leave.
I then do a light pre-edit on your images. This enables you to get an idea of what the final product will look like. I send these to you to view via an online gallery system. We discuss the products you would like, and therefore which package, you choose your images and then I go away to complete the final edits and order your products. Depending on what you choose, you can expect to wait up to 4 weeks for your products, but will be given the digital files straight away, so that you can share them with your loved ones online. I know how excited you all are to see them!
I hope this gives you a little insight into a newborn photoshoot with me. If you have any other questions, please feel free to get in contact with my via my contact form, Facebook or Instagram. You can also leave a comment below.
If you are interested in booking a session with me, you can contact me here, and for pricing information, you can follow this link. You can also view my current portfolio here.
And don’t forget, if you’d like to download my FREE hospital bag checklist with bonus ‘questions to ask your midwife’, you can visit this page and follow the link.
Lizzy x
