Preparing for your newborn photo shoot is something that new parents always prefer a little advice on and luckily, I’ve been doing this long enough to be able to offer you lots of great tips to make sure your session goes as smoothly as possible.

With all that being said, man makes plans and newborns laugh! There’s never any guarantees that a newborn will play ball with all of our ideas and one of the first things you learn as a newborn photographer is to be flexible and always have a Plan B through to G to enable a happy newborn, a great session and no stress for parents.  One of the really common questions I get asked is ‘do you ever have a session where you don’t get any images’ and the answer (so far, though I might be tempting fate a bit) is no, that’s never happened to me.  I’ve certainly had challenging sessions where I haven’t been able to get every image that we’ve had on our agenda but we always get something.

Before your Shoot

Preparing for your newborn photo shoot starts all the way back when you book which is a great time to take advantage of some quiet time before your baby arrives to think about what you’d like to do with your studio time.  You’ll receive your session options form the day before your session so you can let me know exactly what you’d like but before that, you can always scroll through my blog or social media to get some ideas.  If you see things you like from other photographers, that’s fine too of course but do be aware that we are all quite different in how we shoot and the props / facilities that we have so  it might not be something I can automatically replicate.

You can also start to put aside any personal items that you’d like to bring to your photo shoot to make it really special to you. Examples might be gifted or handmade blankets, personalised items, nursery décor items like signs or special toys. If you gather them all into a bag ready, you won’t have to hunt when you’re getting ready to leave the house for your session.

The Day of your Shoot

If your baby’s cord clamp has already come off before you are due to visit the studio, then it’s worth giving them a little bath just to make sure that they’re at their sparkling best for their photos.  It doesn’t matter if it hasn’t come off yet though, we can work around it and just have a gentle wash with some baby wipes.

When you’re changing their nappy before you come, if you can avoid the use of any sticky nappy creams that’s really helpful.  They quite often leave a white or yellow residue on the skin that doesn’t come off easily (which is of course the point) and it’s really hard to not have it show if your baby is going nappy free during their shoot.

Dressing them simply with a baby sleep suit and no vest is also really helpful to me and I always appreciate it.  It’s not essential, I can worm a baby out of almost any outfit but it’s considerably simpler if I don’t have multiple layers to take off when I’m settling them in the studio.    The studio will be toasty warm when you come so they won’t get chilly.

If you can, and this one is a tricky one, try to keep them awake just a little bit longer before you visit.  Now, that’s not always possible and it’s not worth stressing anyone out over as babies in the first two weeks are pretty sleepy for the most part.  If you think they’re getting overwrought by being kept up then definitely skip this part but in an ideal world, they’d be awake for an hour and feed just before you leave so they arrived tired and with a full tummy.  Of course we can refer to the quote above about man making plans and newborns laughing when it comes to this as they’re kind of going to do whatever they feel like doing in the session but that’s why these sessions are scheduled for longer – we have plenty of feeding and settling time to play with.

With all that said, a newborn photo shoot should first and foremost be a relaxing experience for all of you so all that really matters when it comes down to it is that you turn up with your normal baby bag.  My studio is designed for tiny visitors (and their parents) and so we have everything we need from blankets, wraps, props, accessories, hats and headbands to create your images when you arrive.

What If…

What if your baby cries, pees, poos or vomits at the studio?  Yeah, they’re probably going to do at least one of these.  Don’t worry about it, I’m used to it and it doesn’t phase me one bit.  We just settle or clean up and carry on.  Their comfort and safety is at the forefront of the session, so as long as they are happy, we are all happy too.

What to Wear?

If you’re not planning to get involved in the photos, honestly you can turn up in your PJs and I won’t mind a bit.  You’ll be parking on a private driveway and, as long as you don’t need to stop for petrol, I’m the only person that’s going to see you.

If you’re planning on getting in on the images then neutral, plain clothing is best.  Try to steer clear of large logos and patterns as they can be distracting in the finished images and long sleeves work best as we want the eye to be drawn to your faces in the final photo.  Given that we’re programmed to seek out skin tone in any image that you see, sleeveless can mean that we pull focus a bit – obviously that doesn’t apply if you’re featuring tattoos or other body art.

You don’t need to match outfits but it’s a great idea to coordinate in terms of colour or tone as this really helps to tie the photo together and gives a really polished result. We tend to work with your baby wrapped in family images as they are a little bit easier to handle that way (I can match colours with my range of fabrics) but if you have a special outfit that you’d like them to wear for a family portrait, then I would suggest making sure that it fits them well and probably avoid anything like dungarees that they tend to sink into and we can end up losing their chins a little bit.

When you visit, the studio will be pretty warm so I’d recommend wearing layers to keep comfortably cool.  You can always bring along your camera ready outfit and change into it here – there’s a changing room and toilet facilities at the studio.

The Main Thing to Know

My studio is is a ‘come as you are’, no stress environment.  If the thought of following any of the advice here gives you the slightest bit of worry, then just ignore it.  A newborn photo shoot should be a calm and relaxed thing and happy memory for you to look back on. That’s the main thing, in fact the only thing that matters.