It’s been a few joyful years taking photos of beautiful newborns. As a newborn studio, we love what we do and the fact that every session is different.
Chatting with new parents, either at the point of booking, or at the session itself, a handful of questions crop up time and time again. Mum and Dad are sometimes embarrassed when asking questions, but of course, there is no such thing as a silly question – and these actually happen to be very on point and relevant to the challenges we might encounter on the day of your newborn photo shoot.
Here are a few that frequently come up:
- When should I book my newborn session?
- The ideal time to book a newborn session is third trimester or immediately after birth. As a rule of thumb, I recommend booking a date 10 days after your due date. This allows me to give you a timeslot in my calendar and ensures that you won’t miss the shoot opportunity. You can still book after the baby is born, I accept newborn shoots for babies up to 2 months.
- How do we prepare for the session?
- If the baby is breastfed I advise Mums to avoid spicy/acidic/gassy food for 24 hours before the session. Also, try to keep the baby awake for as long as possible before the session and ready for a big feed on arrival. Please dress the baby in something easy to remove and keep their nappy as loose as possible to avoid marks on their skin.
- How long does a session last?
- Sessions can last anywhere from 2 – 3 hours. As these are completely baby led and your baby’s every need will be attended to in order to ensure they are comfortable and happy throughout their time in the session. Also, if your baby takes a bit longer to settle I don’t want anyone to clock-watch, we should all be focusing on the baby and having a lovely time.
- Will you be handling my baby?
- It is so important for us to get to know and understand your baby so we can read their cues and respond appropriately. We want your baby to look peaceful in the images so it is important they get used to us holding, soothing, changing and feeding them (if bottle fed of course)!
- What if my baby cries or doesn’t settle?
- This is only natural and doesn’t tend to last the entire session. If the baby cries and no amount of soothing, changing, feeding and winding changes this we can simply reschedule your session as it may be that they are coming down with something. More often, with some time, patience and perseverance all babies will settle and we will be able to create beautiful images – awake or asleep.
- Are your newborn sessions safe?
- Your baby’s safety is our number one priority. We will not put your baby into any poses that they seem uncomfortable in or without following safety guidelines such as creating composites of images that look like the baby is supporting their own weight (which they never will be). We will handle your baby gently throughout and will not rush them at any time during the session. Not all babies are comfortable in every pose. They can ‘squeak’ a little during some poses which is natural, however if the baby shows any signs of discomfort we would immediately disregard that pose. I maintain a watchful eye on their colouring, circulation and breathing to always ensure they are perfectly safe and happy.
There is so much to think about when you are expecting a newborn.
Everyone has an opinion! Choosing how you are going to remember them is a really big decision. So, let us boil it down – choose an expert, love their look and book before you deliver!
