A Little Message from me to you
First off I want to say CONGRATULATIONS! If you are reading this I am assuming you are going to be expecting a sweet little one very soon. Being a mom of 2 I know how exciting, terrifying, and insane it is to be preparing for all the changes coming to your life soon.The last thing I want is for your newborn session to stress you out. Before you continue reading I want to just let you know. It is okay. Whatever you choose to wear, however your house looks, however your new little one is acting, it is 100 percent okay! We will capture beautiful memories and moments no matter what is going on around us.
On that note here is a little information to help keep the shoot going smoothly.
Locations - start and finish
The first location I like to try to start at is the nursery or room with the crib/bassinet. Since your newborn should be fed about 5/10 min before my arrival I like to get those sleepy milk happy baby photos in the crib/bassinet first. Note- If you would like to get some photos feeding the baby just let me know and I will have you hold out on feeding until I get there. We will then start with the feeding and move on from there.
After we are done in the room with the crib I will have us move to either the living room or the bedroom. That choice is completely up to you. I do suggest picking whichever room has the most natural. We will finish up the session in that room where we will bring in any other siblings, family members, and full family photos.
If you have a spot other than my main areas suggested let me know and I will do my best to make sure we get photos in those areas as well.
The Option to have some outdoors is also ALWAYS an option. I can help provide some beautiful spots around Bend and Redmond Oregon
Cleanliness
Sometimes having guests come to your house can feel so stressful, not because of the entertainment aspect, but because you sometimes feel like the house needs to be spotless or people will judge you or be uncomfortable. I am here to tell you, please do not worry about that with me. I know how exhausting it can be having a newborn to take care of. Dishes can pile up, laundry goes unfolded, a broom? What is that! Please don’t feel like you need to spend the morning of your shoot cleaning instead of getting yourself relaxed and ready for the shoot. Since I typically stick to the 2 locations in your home, those are the only spots that should be picked up (even if that means throwing everything in another room and closing the door). If something happens to be in my way during the shoot I will happily help clean something up and move it out of the shot.
What To Wear
Dressing your postpartum body can be tricky. Your body has changed so much over the last 10ish months nothing truly feels comfortable. That being said, I do want comfort to be front of mind for you. If you’re uncomfortable with your stomach right now I suggest wearing some high waisted jeans with a cute top, or a cute flowing dress.
Please keep in mind less is more when it comes to patterns for the family. Solid neutral colors make for timeless photos. If you want to add a pattern I suggest keeping the pattern to one or two people and having the patterns match or be very similar (flowery dresses for mama and baby, or sister and newborn sister, plaid shirt for dad and older son). If you want more guidance and you have already booked a session I am always available VIA email or text. You can send me ideas or possible outfits at any moment.
Preparing The Family
When talking to your family about the upcoming photoshoot I suggest letting your kids know you will have a guest coming to take photos and that we are going to have lots of time to play in between the photos. Let your spouse know that they should have something fun set up to play with the older kids when it is time to take pictures with just the newborn. Have a special snack ready for them to have after they are done with the shoot. Have two outfits picked out for them for the shoot so that if something happens to the first outfit we can quickly get them changed for the next set.
Preparing baby
Newborns, they might be the hardest to prepare because they are SO unpredictable. Here are my quick tips for them.
Have AT LEAST 3 outfits ready for them. We never know when a blow out is going to happen, or a spit up, so having some extra outfits ready if that happens is a must. I suggest having baby in a white onesie to start off with. I love getting photos with white onesies in their bassinet or crib before anything else. After that, we can change them into another outfit to match the family. The last outfit is mostly just for a blowout or spit up moment on their main outfits.
Unless you want me to take photos of feeding time, have them fed 5-15 min before my arrival time. This helps get babies sleepy for the photos as well as get any “business” done before I show up and start photographing.
Have a clean diaper on them when I arrive. Nobody is happy if they aren’t clean.
If you have a special blanket you want photographed, have that out and ready.
Best Time For Session
Newborn sessions are best done right after a feeding and right before they are ready for a nap. I suggest not having an evening session for 3 reasons. 1- Babies normally try to skip naps later in the day. 2- Natural light is the best light and most houses have the best lighting during the morning/afternoon. 3- All kids are happier in the morning/late afternoon then later in the day.
Preparing the home
Keep your house warm. Babies are happiest when it is warm. I suggest keeping it between 72-76 for the session to keep the baby sleepy and warm when they are only in their onesies or wrap.
When to schedule your newborn session
Whenever you are comfortable with scheduling it is best! If you feel super comfortable scheduling and you are only 5 months pregnant, do it. If you aren't exactly sure when your baby will be born, wait until around 8 months to get it scheduled. I am very understanding that babies come on their own time so if we need to move the date around I am more than happy to do so.
As far as how old the newborn should be I highly suggest them being between 7 days old and 30 days old. After that point newborns are less sleepy, and things like baby acne/ cradle cap can start setting in.
How long will the session last
Sessions typically last around 90 minutes but can last up to the full 3 hours I schedule it for. This time frame keeps in mind possible diaper changes, clothing changes, snack time for bigger kids, or feedings for baby.
