Getting a Date in the Diary

Your baby’s first session usually takes place when they’re around four months old—though there’s no rigid schedule and really it’s tied more to development than it is to age in weeks.  The best time to book your first club session is when your baby is really strong on their tummy and can reliably lift their head right up.  They don’t need to be able to do it for hours on end and it isn’t obligatory but I do find that waiting until then, will give you more variety in your finished image gallery.  So if they need a little bit longer, don’t worry about hitting the four month mark – it isn’t important.

This first session is all about keeping things simple and comfortable. Most babies at this age can’t sit unaided yet, so we’ll use soft props and gentle posing to keep them supported and happy. Don’t worry—there’s no expectation for your baby to “perform” or be anything other than their adorable selves. I’ll guide you through everything on the day, and we’ll go entirely at your baby’s pace.

You don’t need to prepare anything special at this point—we’ll cover what to bring and how to prep closer to the time. For now, mark your session in the calendar and just enjoy this stage of their journey and know I’ll be here to help you capture it beautifully.

• Around two weeks before your session, I’ll send you a short “what to expect” email with helpful info and reminders.

• The day before your shoot, you’ll get an options form where you can share any colour preferences or personal touches you’d like to include along with any props from my collection.

• And of course, you can browse the studio collections at any time if you’d like to get inspired or see what’s available.

All of that being said, there’s no pressure to plan every detail — your session is designed to create beautiful images of your baby and family and I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

Your first baby club session is just around the corner, and I know you’re probably still super busy with a tiny person so I’ve done my best to keep it all as simple as possible.

You don’t need to bring much, and there’s no pressure to have anything perfectly planned. I’ll be sending you an options form the day before your shoot so you can let me know your favourite colours, and props you’d like to include and anything else you’d like to do.  Parents and siblings are welcome to get involved of course so feel free to factor that in to your planning. If you’ve spotted something on my Instagram or website that you love, feel free to mention it and if it’s easier to screenshot and send it to me in advance so you don’t need to remember on the day, then my Inbox is always open!

If you’ve been to a newborn session with me, then this is a very different vibe.  For one thing, it’s over the other side of the studio but also you’ll be much involved in a hands on sense as your baby is going to be so much happier to see and interact with you than look into the eyes of a stranger!   It’s also a fast paced session – not in that it’s rushed – but if they’re in good form I’ll be working fast to get all of your images created before the novelty wears off or overwhelm sets in.

Things to Bring Along

There’s no need to bring along anything other than yourselves and your usual baby bag but of course you’re welcome to bring along anything that you’d like to include – favourite toys, gifts, blankets, personalised items and even items that reflect your hobbies or favourite teams are all popular options.  Now’s a great time to start popping these in one place so they’re ready to grab and bring with you on the day.

Now is a good time to have a little plan ahead and think if there’s a common thread you’d like to run through your sessions – for example, to bring the same toy to each session so you can look back over the year and see how they’ve grown and changed alongside it.  It can be a really nice way to create an image series to enjoy and it works really well in your Baby Club frame if you’re going for that over the free digital image option.

Scheduling your Session

Obviously  we already have a date and time in the calendar but it is likely that this was booked a little while ago and babies are notorious for changing up their schedule.  So if the time we have booked now clashes with their feeding or sleeping schedule, it is probably best that we have a little look in the calendar and see if we can adjust things to give ourselves the best chance of success.  The same applies if you have just found out that they are due to have any jabs in the couple of days prior to the session – I’d rather move the appointment than have you come along and your baby not be at their best.

For this age group, I don’t have a lot of outfits and babies generally really don’t like getting changed all that much (I know you know this!) so I’d recommend keeping it to a maximum of three outfits. Sometimes, you might be able to layer up so you are just making a change by taking off a top later and this is a good way to approach it for maximum happiness and minimum hassle!

Including Siblings in Photos

Of course all family members are welcome to get in the photos and siblings are certainly no exception to this.  If your older child is still pretty young themselves can can’t be relied on to offer safe support to your younger baby, then we usually work on my big grey chair to get sibling photos.  That has the advantage of having sides to it so it keeps everyone in roughly the same place and upright (through obviously I’ll have a parent in close proximity to it to make sure no one comes off head first!).    It’s totally up to you of course, but when we’re working at the Baby Club sessions with older siblings in the 2-4 year old age range, sometimes it is best to wait for sibling photos until the next session when your smallest one will be sitting unsupported.

Got Questions?  Just get in touch and I’m happy to help!

Looking for ideas for your photo shoot?  Check out my Baby Portrait Gallery!

Looking for ideas for your photo shoot?  Check out my Baby Portrait Gallery!

Getting to the Studio

If it is your first time visiting me, then definitely take a look at the directions before you come. It’s not easy to find if you just head to Turners Hill Road and hope to come across it as the postcode will take you to a neighbouring farm (postcodes are very wide ranging here). The best thing to do is go to Google Maps and put in Sarah Fisher Photography but if you don’t use that, then like I say, just take a peek at the directions.  When you arrive, you’ll be parking on a driveway – there’s an A-Frame sign to show you the best place to put your car. You don’t need to go too close to the hedge though – leave yourself plenty of room for you (and your car seat) to get out!

Starting your Session

When you arrive, I’ll come down to meet you on the driveway and I’ll take you straight up to the studio to get you settled in.   If siblings or parents are joining in, we’ll work around everyone’s energy levels – sometimes impatient siblings benefit from joining in straight away and sometimes, they prefer to observe from a safe distance for a while but we’ll judge it on the day as to how to time things. I’ll guide you through everything, so you don’t need to worry about what to do or how to pose and how to be near to your baby to get the best reactions and smiles.

I should mention that your session is a ‘check your dignity at the door’ affair – I will offer no judgement or opinion on anything you do to get your baby to smile and giggle.  I will likely also sing along with you (if I know the words) so feel completely free to be as silly as you like and do all those things that get them laughing at home.  I am a vault – I shall tell no one.

You might like to bring along some of the following to make sure your session goes without a hitch and you can get exactly the images you want.

• Outfits (for you and anyone else you’re including)
• Nappies & wipes (obvs)
• Spare vest (just in case)
• A muslin or bib so we can keep on top of the inevitable dribble
• Formula in case we need a snack break
• Dummy if you’re using it
• Water for you
• Personal props you’d like to include

Your gallery will normally be ready for you to view about two weeks after your session and so this is a great time to keep an eye on your email (or indeed your Spam folder!) to see I’ve sent you through the info.  When it turns up, it’s as simple as clicking on the link, popping in your password and you’ll be heading straight to your gallery. Of course, this information will only be coming to you at the email address that you booked with but you’re free to share it with friends and family if you’d like to.

With the baby club sessions, you can choose to take a free digital image from each session or wait until the end of the year and choose your favourite one from each to be displayed in a triple aperture wall frame.  If you’d like to order anything else from your gallery, then you can do that by clicking on the shopping bag in the corner of the image (or at the top right of the screen if you’re looking in thumbnail view).  That will bring up all the prices and packages so you can add whatever you’d like to your cart.  It should all feel pretty intuitive if you’re anything like me and shop online all the time but if you have any questions at all, I’m always here so you can just give me a shout. 

If you ever need to access your gallery directly, you can head to my gallery homepage at and enter your personal password.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to read more, then here’s a list of some of my main blog content that might be helpful to you when you’re looking ahead to your newborn photo shoot.

• What is the baby club?
• What to expect at each session
• Baby photography FAQs

If you prefer your content in a video format, then check out my YouTube channel…

• Baby Photo Shotos & Inspo
• Baby Photography Shorts

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