Congratulations on your baby! I’m assuming you are reading this because you are planning on scheduling a newborn session (or you already have one scheduled.) I absolutely LOVE in-home newborn sessions. It is such a special thing to be allowed into your home while you are figuring out how to be a new little family. My sessions are so relaxed and easy that most of my clients say they had a lot of fun! My goal is for you to remember your session as a time you got to really take in your newborn and make memories as a family. The best way to be successful with that is to be prepared. So with that in mind, here are my top 5 tips for your newborn session.
When To Plan Your Session
I recommend scheduling your newborn session during your second trimester. Usually this is the time where you have the least going on prep-wise, and you are feeling better than during your first trimester. This gives you more brain space to think about what you are looking for in a photographer.
Feed Your Baby Right Before Your Session
Feeding your baby right before the session starts makes for the smoothest session possible. If you want some photos of you feeding your baby then its okay to start right when I get there! Sometimes you are at the cluster feeding stage of having a newborn, and that is totally fine. Your baby is the boss of the session and it is totally normal for them to need to eat multiple times during the session. We just go with the flow.
Do You Have Heirlooms?
Before your session we can talk about different props we can use. Like if you have a special blanket someone made your baby, or if you have an absolute favorite part of the nursery. In my questionnaire I ask if you have any favorite parts of your house or the babies room so we can make sure to get photos there. We can take some polaroids and put them around the cards you got from people after birth to document all the little details. There are really endless possibilities!
What Do I Wear?
The MOST important thing is that you feel as good as possible. It will show through in your photos if you are uncomfortable in your clothes. I always recommend neutral colors to keep the focus on your family. For moms I usually recommend something flowy like a dress or flowy top and soft pants…you aren’t going to feel like putting on anything tight most likely! For your partner, I recommend something that coordinates with mom’s outfit rather than being matchy-matchy. Then pick 2 or 3 outfits for baby that coordinate with your outfits. Any more than 3 outfits and I find the babies are just totally done with having clothes pulled over their head.
Don’t Worry About The Mess
You just had a baby! It is natural that your house is a little cluttered. It’s expected, actually. We can rearrange things and clean backgrounds very easily. You won’t see it in your photos.
I hope these 5 tips for your newborn session gave you some ideas! If you are still looking for a photographer, click on my contact form below! You can also check out my Instagram for more tips and examples of my work.
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