Bringing your newborn to their first photoshoot is such an exciting experience, but it’s completely normal to feel a little apprehensive about how to keep everything calm and comfortable.
The good news is that I’m going to already have set up my studio to offer the calmest and most cosy environment I can manage for your newborn to hopefully make the experience enjoyable for both you and your baby.
Why a Calm Environment Matters
A calm environment isn’t just a bonus—it’s essential for newborn photography. Babies thrive in peaceful, soothing settings, and this calmness translates into beautiful, natural images. By focusing on creating a serene atmosphere, I help ensure your baby is as relaxed as possible, so we can capture those precious moments.
Keeping the Studio Warm and Cosy
My studio is always set up to be warm and welcoming, especially for newborn shoots. Babies are much happier when they’re warm and snug, so I adjust the temperature and use soft fabrics to ensure their comfort. Actually, newborns like it quite a lot warmer than adults and so here’s a top tip – dress yourself in layers so you can relax and enjoy your session without getting over warm yourself!
Timing Matters
I usually find that newborn sessions have a higher chance of success if we start them in the morning and that chance diminishes as we progress throughout the day. For that reason, I recommend a start time of 10.30 and I never take bookings after 2pm. I find that this is putting us too close to the newborn ‘witching hour’ and sessions that head into this time zone generally don’t end very well.
Dress your Baby Comfortably and Pack the Essentials
It’s a real help to me if you dress your baby comfortably and not in too many layers which can be tricky for me to remove while keeping them sleepy. I’d also recommend not using any clothing with a heavy texture or ribbing as this can leave marks on their skin. Just a romper or vest is probably the best option in terms of keeping them comfy and making the start of the session nice and simple. I know you wouldn’t but definitely don’t forget to bring along your normal baby bag full of all of this essentials – nappies, wipes, bottles, dummies, muslin and anything else you find useful.
We had our daughters newborn photo shoot done last week and we are over the moon with the results! Sarah is an amazing photographer and the studio and set up is absolutely lovely. Sarah was a natural when handling and positioning our daughter into the most perfect of poses with the most gorgeous props. I would 100% recommend her for anyone who wanted to have a newborn photo shoot done and we hope to visit again soon for more photos when our little one is a bit bigger
Soothing Sounds and Techniques
As you can imagine, I’ve handled a lot of newborns over my years of photographing them and I’ve got a raft of soothing techniques that I employ to try and keep them calm and settled for their session. I’ll also have white noise / womb sounds playing gently under the beanbag that they’ll be on to try and remind them of that peaceful time they had with you.
During the session, my priority is your baby’s comfort. We’ll take breaks as needed for feeding, soothing, or just a little cuddle time. Every session is baby-led, ensuring we capture their little personality at their happiest and most comfortable moments.
Swaddling
Genuinely I’m not really one for the gimmicks and gadgets that abound in the field of newborn photography – I find most of them to be a waste of time but I did see my specially designed baby wrap online one day and thought that it looked good so I bought it. I have to say, it’s a total game changer – it basically holds your baby in a safe, secure and cosy swaddle during portions of their session and let’s me easily move them between props and settings. The base layer stays in place and I just have to change the top wrap to match the shot that we’re working on. Baby’s can’t leave reviews but I’m pretty sure that they’d give this little wrap gadget five stars. Me too!
Your Part
With over 15 years of experience photographing newborns, I’ve learned how to anticipate and meet their needs during a session. From creating the right ambiance to understanding their cues, my goal is to make the experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible—for both you and your baby so I’ve worked to incorporate all of this knowledge into my studio set up.
However, you can definitely help! Babies are incredibly intuitive, and they often pick up on your mood. If you’re relaxed and calm, your baby is more likely to feel the same. There’s no need to stress if your baby needs a break or if things don’t go perfectly to plan—that’s all part of the process. My goal is to make the session as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, so your job is just to take a deep breath and enjoy watching your baby’s precious moments being captured.
