Preparing for your Newborn Photoshoot
This guide is to help you prepare for a photoshoot with me so that you know what to expect, and will hopefully answer any questions that you may have.
Having a new baby is wonderful and hard at the same time. My job is not to make this time in your life look perfect, my job is to show you just how perfect and unique you are. All I ask of you is to be relaxed and at ease, enjoy your babies, and be yourselves.
The Day of the Session
When I arrive, I will walk around your home so that I can scout out the best rooms for light. I often use the sofa, master bed and nursery. Don't worry about your house being worthy of Elle Decoration - I will be concentrating on you, and will capture the connections of your family and the tiniest details of your baby. I will brief you on the day, but I mostly take a documentary approach to photography and use my understanding of my equipment, natural light and direct you as a family to create images that will capture beautiful honest photos of you all.
To get the most out of your session, I recommend feeding your baby 30 minutes prior to my arrival. A warm and well-fed baby is content, happy, and relaxed and they should be happy to pose for the camera! Newborn sessions can take some time, that is ok. We will let them guide the session. I do not have any expectations on how the baby should behave (alert or asleep)
Siblings
I understand what it is like to have a new baby, and how big this change is for the siblings in the house. I usually try and get sibling and family photos right at the start, but if the sibling isn't ready, this can happen later on, they normally get curious enough to join in naturally :) It is best to prepare the sibling for the session by telling him or her that a friend is coming to visit and take some photos of your family.
Wardrobe
Choose a few favourite swaddle blankets or cosy knits and a simple vest that is form fitting - it is so lovely to see their skin (especially their toes!). I have linked a few timeless items below. Bearing this in mind, please could you turn the heating up for your session, as babies love being warm and snuggly.
Parents - I just ask that your clothes:
Have no logos
Are not a new style that you're not comfortable wearing
Neutral / muted tones, with one or two accent colours work well, but if you love colour - start with your favourite outfit, and work everyone' else’s outfits around it!
Different textures are lovely - think cosy knits for winter or broderie anglaise for summer
If you like patterns, go for it, just beware of clashes (eg paisley and stripes) - it would be great if the rest of the family can match in colour wise - picking out colours that are within or compliment the dominant pattern.
As baby will not be wearing socks, it looks best if everyone matches in with bare feet too!
Other things to think about
White/neutral toned sheets for your bed will make for a timeless look. If you only have a flat white sheet, it’s fine to just cover the bed with this.
I’ll often use the main bedroom, depending on the light. Please don’t clear your bedside tables completely, but if you could remove remote controls / charger wires, that would be great.
Nails - I love using hands in my photos, if you have time, treat yourself to a quick natural polish!
Baby Clothes
The skin of a newborn is so pure that I love to photograph them just as they are. That being said, neutral sleep vests work well and rompers are just adorable - they are timeless and will match pretty much anything you choose to wear. I’ve linked a few below!
Textured Knit Dungarees ZARA
Knitted Zara Sweater
Knitted cotton all-in-one suit H&M
Ribbed Footless Sleepsuit
After your shoot
Once your session is complete, I'll get to work on carefully selecting and editing the best images, and your gallery will be ready within 3 weeks. Once they're ready, I'll be in touch with the link to your slideshow.
When you're ready to view your slideshow, I recommend making an event out of it! Queue it up on your tv or a large computer screen and gather the whole family around (sound up!)... it’s so lovely to cuddle up and view your family movie together!
Your slideshow will be available for 24 hours or until you purchase your collection - whichever comes first. After you’ve selected and paid for your collection, your gallery will stay available for 30 days, giving you plenty of time to download the images that correspond with your chosen collection.
Downloading your files:
Once you have chosen and purchased your images, I would encourage you to download immediately. The process is simple: select the images and use the down arrow in the upper right corner of your gallery - click on that and the system will walk you through the download process. The images will download as a zip file, which you can double-click on to expand. I suggest you make a second copy of the expanded files, then save the two copies to two different locations - I generally recommend that one copy be saved to an easily accessible drive (either on your computer or on an external hard drive), and that the other get saved to the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
Copyright:
Once you have your digital files in hand, you are free to print them when, where, and as often as you wish - you can use them to make cards, calendars, share on your social media pages etc - if you credit me, I’ll love you forever! The only things you can't do are related to the resale of your photos or use for commercial/business purposes. For instance, if you authored a book, you'd need additional permission to use one of the photos on the dust jacket, and you wouldn't be able to enter one of the photos into a contest and win prize money for it. Otherwise, you've got free reign.
Printing your images:
While you're welcome to print your photos wherever you like, I also offer a streamlined, high-quality printing service for those who want the best results.
Included in every image package is a voucher for my Print Shop, making it easy to select and order your favourite images directly from your gallery. I’ve partnered with leading suppliers who use the best materials, ensuring your prints stay vibrant and true to life for years to come. Plus, my equipment is calibrated with these labs, so you can be sure your prints will look exactly as they’re meant to, capturing all the richness and detail you remember.
Simply pick your favourite images from the shop section of your gallery, choose the prints you’d like, enter your voucher code at checkout, and sit back as your beautifully printed images arrive, ready to hang and enjoy.
Thank you for reading this! If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything please get in touch - otherwise I look forward to hearing from you with news of your little bundle!