What to Expect at your First Joey Club Session

Your first baby photography club session takes place when your baby is about four months old (we’ll come back to that in a sec) and here’s a little bit more about what to expect when you come to visit.

If you’ve been to a newborn session at the studio then the first thing to know is that this is quite different.  Rather than being tucked up in the ‘dark side’ of the studio keeping everything warm and calm, this will be a lot more lively -we’ll be working in the light side of the studio which will still be toasty of course but it’s a large, light bright and airy space.  .  It will also be a lot quicker you’ll be pleased to hear – usually sessions take 20-30 minutes and you’ll be a lot more hands on that with a newborn session in terms of positioning your baby and getting those lovely smiles from them.

Before you come, I’ll be in touch to check in with you and get you to tell me any particular shots you had in mind and colour schemes that you prefer so I can have a selection of items waiting for you when you get here.

When you arrive, I will have my giant beanbag and backdrop supports set up along with an array of blanket backdrops plus some other supporting cushion options so we can make sure your baby can pose safely and comfortably.  We simply work through some options to create your images.

When to Book

On this note, the timing of your first session is quite important. I say when your baby reaches four months old but that’s really just for ease of reference. I recommend booking your session when your baby has grown confident enough on their tummy in order to be able to lift their heads up and support themselves there. Obviously they don’t need to be able to do this for hours on end but being able to do it for a few minutes at a time without getting too tired and frustrated means that you will have a lot more variety in your finished image gallery.  Some babies are comfortable doing this earlier and some take a little longer to warm to the idea so don’t be afraid to wait past the four month mark if they’re not quite there yet.  The Joey Club will still work just fine if you leave it later and I honestly think you’ll get better pictures at the end of it.

So when babies are unable to support themselves whilst sitting (which is most four month olds) we work with a combination of cushions to allow them to sit, and also capture them on their back and on their tummies.  When it comes to tummy time, I have a range of cushions that we can use to give them a little extra help in holding the position if we need to.

What to Bring

There’s always time for a change of outfits so bring along anything you’d like to have them photographed in – if you’re not sure, then I always say bring it.  We work through in a priority order so we get your favourite outfits done first and then if they get fed up, we have covered all the important stuff. Other popular items to bring along are favourite toys and blankets though you can bring whatever you like and we’ll include it. Some people like to also capture their little one in their birthday suit, a great shot for this is to get them on their tummy so you can see their cute little bottoms.  It’s a sweet shot and also aces for embarrassing them with when they get to their 18th birthday!   Everything in my studio is washable and protected so there’s no need to stress about them peeing on things.

Using Props

A lot of props aren’t suitable for babies before they can sit steady but if they’re really confident on their tummies, then there are a few we can include if you’d like to including my miniature bed and vintage suitcase.  Not everyone likes props in their pictures but the option is there if you need it. We never pose a baby on a prop unless there is a parent really close at hand and able to catch them if they look like they might fall – safety first always!