Newborn Session Guide for Parents
- When should you schedule newborn photos?
- Should you do newborn photos?
- What age is considered newborn?
- when should I get newborn photos taken?
- Is it safe to take photos of newborn?
- Is the camera flash bad for newborns?
- Managing your expecations.
- What do you take to a baby photoshoot?
1: When should you sceduale newborn?
Newborn photographers tend to book up pretty far in advance. Some photographers provide an incentive to book the session early, like half the session fee off. I’m flexible I generaly recomend to book a session 10-15 days before the bookind date.
Some people are a little superstitious, wanting to wait until the baby has arrived before booking the shoot. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide when you’re comfortable booking in. Just keep in mind that you’ll get more choice on times if you book earlier.
2: Should you do newborn photos?
This is obviously a personal choice. Have you seen these sleepy curled up squishy newborn baby photos before? Are you mesmerised? Or are you repelled, wondering why anyone would want these? That’s probably your answer right there.
Some parents really don’t understand why you’d want to take baby photos when they’re asleep. Especially during those first 10 days. They want awake baby photos when the babies are full of character. These photos should usually be taken after the four-week mark.
3: When should I get newborn photos taken?
From a photography perspective, I would say the newborn stage is up to around six weeks. But this depends if the baby arrived on time or was premature. It doesn’t really matter, but I’d photograph a newborn up to six weeks and the next stage that is particularly good for baby photography is around 14 weeks when they begin to roll on their tummy and start lifting their heads.
4: What age is considered newborn?
There is no such thing as the perfect time, babies look adorable on all stages.
Parents don't need to worry about that they have missed that 10 days old photoshoot time, babies can be photoshoot newborns even 5 months old and I am perfactly happy to photograph older babies.
5: Is it safe to take photos of newborn?
Newborn photography safety is the most important thing to consider before booking a photographer. You should make sure that the photographer is safety trained and knows what he/she is doing. You will be trusting your baby to a stranger, so please do your research, ask questions. Do not look on Pinterest and start experimenting with poses yourself or ask a photographer who is inexperienced to replicate complicated set-ups.
6: Is the camera flash bad for newborns?
I get this question a lot. Parents look on the internet and find all sorts of stories. Mostly these ‘don’t use the flash’ stories are related to the fact that someone has literally placed a camera next to the baby’s face and flashed it. I’m not sure why anybody would do that.
In a photography studio, the flash is never right next to the baby’s face. In my experience I have never come across this as a problem.
7: Managing your expectations
If you’re considering getting your own newborn photos done, you have very likely looked at loads and got a few ideas. Parents send me all sorts of poses and ideas grabbed from google or Pinterest boards. My take is very simple: whatever we want from the photoshoot is not necessarily what the baby wants.
You should never force a baby into a pose. Indeed, it’s best to walk in with the expectation that you will get some nice photos, but not a list of specific poses. Have a chat with your photographer, find out how experienced they are and what kind of photos they are comfortable doing. I’ve done all sorts of things, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend that parents try these complicated set-ups at home.
Prepare for accidents and pauses to clean up or calm down the baby. A lot depends on baby feeds and calming techniques, whether we are doing a simple candid session at home or a more styled session in the studio.
what do you take to baby photoshoot?
I always send the following checklist to my clients. The checklist is focused on families who come to my studio for my usual three-hour newborn photoshoot.
Bring a snack and water for yourself and any siblings. The photoshoot will be long and you are in the warm room.
If siblings are coming, bring some entertainment for them. Don’t forget some bribing material for cuddly sibling shots.
Bring at least two changes of clothing, one for the official family photos and one just in case any accidents happen. I have a clothing guide on what to wear for newborn sessions here.
Bring a couple of wrapping blankets for the baby, to keep them warm during feeds.
everything for changing and feeding the baby, including any creams you use or special eco materials.
If the newborn has long hair, bring a brush.
Any toys or props you would like to add into the photos.
This one can be a bit controversial, but I always suggest bringing a dummy (pacifier). I know many parents are moving away from using these, but if chaos breaks loose and the little one doesn’t want to cooperate, the dummy can help us get through the session.
Try to keep your baby awake on the way to the session. Good practice is to arrive, feed and get going with the session.