There’s no denying that any baby born now is likely to have more pictures taken of it in its first year than our grandparents had in a lifetime.  And don’t get me wrong, there’s an incredible amount of value in all of these captured memories.

However, newborn ‘formal’ photography is still a specialist area which is difficult to replicate without the right skill set, experience, environment and equipment.

My Studio is Designed for Newborns

My studio is especially set up to deal with newborn photography.  Firstly, and most importantly, there is an extremely comfy sofa for you to crash out on while I create your images.  Vital stuff.

Secondly, it’s fully insulated so I can keep it nice and toasty.  Babies can’t regulate their own body heat and lose it four times faster than adults especially when they’re naked (which they will usually be for some of their shots).  This means that the temperature stays perfect for them, even if it’s a bit warm for us.

Hint: Dress Accordingly.

Newborn Photography Experience

I’ve been photographing children for the best part of 20 years and working specifically with newborn for 6 or so of those – which is when newborn photography started to hit the mainstream photography world in the UK.  So I’ve got a wealth of experience in working with these tricky little beings.  I’ve learned that patience is a key asset and also that they will settle and sleep in the end even if they don’t look (or sound) like they will at the start.  I’ve also learned that, even at a few days old, some babies are already showing their personalities and they can have strong ideas about what positions they like. So, instead of fighting the tide, I work with your baby always with an eye on keeping them safe and comfortable.

Newborn Safety

We use composite shots that are a series of shots digitally merged where there is any chance that your baby would be unsafe.  So, for example, the pose you commonly see where a newborn is resting their head on their folded arms,.  They can’t support their head weight at this point and so I enlist a parent (usually whoever hasn’t just had the baby as they will need to sit on the floor for a minute or two) to provide the necessary support and taken their hands out of the shot in post production. The same is true when you see pictures of newborns sleeping in crash helmets, firefighter helmets etc.  Safety first – always.

Shelves Full of Stuff

I have a good stash of mini cushions in all shapes and sizes that can use to support your baby comfortably while they snooze on my giant beanbag. Plus, like every good newborn photographer, I have a huge and growing collection of blankets, wraps, props and accessories which we can make use of. Honestly can’t think of a professional newborn photographer who doesn’t have more stuff than they need, and still want more.  Blame the fact that there are just too many pretty things in the world.  And yes, that’s what I tell my husband when he complains about the space my stuff takes up in the studio we share.  And I’m sticking to it.