Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your child! I am honored to be the photographer you chose to record the beauty of your precious newborn baby. The following guide lines can help make the most of your newborn photo shoot, and enhance the quality of your newborn images. Please print these and follow them carefully to ensure success for your portraits:
-It is very important that you schedule your newborn portrait session as soon as possible after your child is born. In order to be able to get all of the images most mothers want, your baby needs to be photographed when he or she is 8 days old or younger. Babies are much more flexible and sleepy at this stage, which are necessary qualities for many of the precious newborn poses most parents want. Also, many babies develop a skin rash during the second week of life, so it is best to obtain your portraits before that time. Feel free to call or email us in advance, to let us know when you are due, so that we can allow time in our schedule to be ready for your newborn.
-Please be prompt for your appointment. We have other appointments and commitments scheduled after you, so in order to be respectful to every one, we can not wait for you if you are more than 15 minutes late.
-Most newborn shoots take about 2 hours, depending on your baby’s ability to fall asleep. Please do not schedule any other activities or appointments after your newborn shoot, so that you are relaxed and not feeling rushed if your baby is not overly cooperative with our plans.
-If you are bringing the baby’s older siblings to be in some of the portraits, it is imperative that you also bring an extra, qualified adult to watch over the siblings, in another area of the studio, while the newborn is getting his or her portraits taken, so as to keep the studio extremely quiet for the sleeping baby. You will need to stay with your baby, and keep your focus on your baby at all times during the portrait process, so you will not be able to adequately supervise your other children yourself.
-Please use a baby safe lotion on any areas of dry skin that your baby may have, before arriving at the photo shoot.
-Please keep your baby awake for as long as possible before the shoot. We want your baby to sleep through the entire photo shoot for newborn images. The sleepier, the better.
-Please do not put any elasticized or tight fitting clothes on your baby for on the way to the studio, as these will leave unattractive impressions in the baby’s skin. It is fine to have your baby just wear a diaper, and then wrap baby in blankets, if needed to stay warm in the car. You do not need to bring any baby clothing, unless you have a solid colored, very plain diaper cover. Clothing on newborn babies is usually too roomy, bunches up, and does not look well in photographs. We do have a few diaper covers for you to use in our studio, but you are welcome to bring your own, as ours are not guaranteed to fit all babies. Often a preemie size diaper cover fits best on a newborn, but these can be hard to find in solid colors with no prints.
-Please have your baby wear plain, with no prints, disposable diapers, in the smallest size that fits well. Our recent clients have found the Target brand diapers to be all white, with no prints, but please check the diapers before purchasing, as brands change their designs over time. Please bring several extra disposable diapers and wipes for changing as needed during the photo shoot.
-Please bring a pacifier/binky for your baby to use during the photo shoot, even if you don’t plan on using one at home. These can be an extraordinary help at getting your baby to go back to sleep in between shots.
-Mom, please wear a black shirt and black or dark pants to the photo shoot, and also bring a solid light colored shirt (but not white). Dad, please wear medium or dark jeans and a solid colored dark t-shirt, and also bring a solid light colored t-shirt (but not white). Dads can also do a few shirtless poses with baby if they’d like to. Moms and Dads, your hands, arm, back or shoulder may be used in some of the poses for baby. Moms, please don’t worry if you have too many extra pounds from the pregnancy, we are very sensitive to this common concern of moms with newborn babies. The focus will be on the baby, you are just a prop, and we crop these images as to not showcase extra pounds.
-Moms, if you have one, feel free to bring a beige colored, strapless bra. We have fabric that can be draped around you to appear as a strapless dress in your images. These images of you with your baby held up to your shoulder can be very beautiful.
-Both mom and dad, please make sure your hands are manicured, clean, and in good shape, as your hands will show in some images. If mom chooses to wear nail polish, a clear or light colored polish photographs best. Dark, metallic or sparkly nail polish does NOT photograph well.
-Mom, please have your hair and makeup done as you usually would for a photo. Your face may not show in any images, but it is a good idea to be ready just in case we do get part of your hair or face in a few shots. It is VERY important that all of your makeup have a matte finish, with no shine or sparkle whatsoever. Shiny or sparkly makeup does not photograph well at all. As a rule, most moms come in not wanting any portraits of themselves, but then when they see their images they really end up liking at least one of them holding their baby.
-Please be prepared to bottle feed or nurse your baby as soon as you arrive at the studio. This is very important in getting baby to fall asleep, even if you have to change their feeding schedule a little bit that day, in order to have your baby arrive hungry. A full tummy and satisfied baby at the beginning of the shoot is one of the most important steps of getting baby to fall asleep, and more sleep equals more images of your baby.
Thank you for your cooperation in following all of these guidelines, we want your precious newborn portraits to be the best they can be!