Everything you need to know before your newborn portrait session
I’m so happy that you are choosing to have your baby photographed at her very first moments of life. It’s crazy how fast our babies grow and we tend to forget how tiny they really were while we were in middle of our own new mommy fog.
The first thing you need to do is relax! As long as you’ve hired a professional newborn photographer (as we discussed in last months issue) your baby will be in the best of hands.
There are a few things you can do to ensure your baby is sleepy during the session. Try and keep her awake the hour or so before the session begins so by the time the session starts she’s ready to fall back asleep. I say “try” because babies tend to do their own thing and we can try as hard as we want, but they just might not cooperate. Don’t worry! Your photographer is a pro, and is used to getting babies to sleep. Also, getting those wide eyed awake shots is a part of every gallery that parents love, so your photographer can always start with those. Another thing to do is give her a bath before you leave to your session so she is calm and clean for her pictures. If you’re breastfeeding it’s a good idea to avoid caffeine that morning just in case it might enter her system and cause her to be more awake.
Dress your baby in a sleeper that has a zipper and is easy to take off. That way when you arrive at your session, the car will have hopefully rocked your baby to sleep and your photographer doesn’t need to wake the baby to get her undressed. If you’re worried the baby will be cold, just cover her with a blanket after you’ve buckled her into the carseat.
Here’s some things to bring along to your session to ensure you have everything you need.
- 5-10 diapers (babies tend to need frequent changing)
- Wipes
- A pacifier
- If bottle feeding, several bottles
- A comfy blanket to swaddle baby in, for between setups
- A change of clothing for the baby
- A change of clothing for yourself (babies tend to get parents dirty!)
- Water bottle for yourself to make sure you keep hydrated. (the room will be very hot so the baby will stay warm and cosy)
- Some snacks for yourself (and children) since the session tends to last 2-3 hrs
If this is not your first child and you are bringing a toddler or older children to the session as well, it’s always a good idea to bring along some sort of treat to bribe them with (I like marshmallows since they don’t stain) and an ipad or some sort of game to keep them occupied while they wait their turn.
Parents always want to know what they should wear to their newborn sessions. I always say to keep it simple. You don’t want anything to distract from your tiny little baby. Solids in soft or neutral colors are always best. You can check out this pintrest board link to get an idea of clothing options. https://www.pinterest.com/yaffakoff/clothing-choices-parents-of-newborn/ I share this link with all my parents as they often ask for my help in choosing what they wear. I like to make sure that every detail is taken care of so that the portraits are as gorgeous as possible! Another point to keep in mind when choosing colors of clothing is what you hope to do with your images. Hopefully you plan on printing them on gorgeous canvases or hanging them in beautiful frames. When you do that, you’re going to want to make sure it matches the décor in your home.