Newborn baby tips
To ensure the most successful newborn photography session possible, we’ve compiled a list of tips below:
• The best time to schedule your newborn session is during your pregnancy. We will add your expected due date to our calendar to ensure we are not overbooked during any given timeframe. Our calendar fills up quickly, so we recommend booking early. When that day arrives (early, late or just on time) give us a call and we will finalize your session date.
• Newborn sessions are best done within the first two weeks of life. Why so early? After two weeks our little newborns lose their womb-like behavior. We want them curly, comfy and ready for some sleepy time. Additionally, baby acne usually shows up around 2-3 weeks, before that their skin is typically much smoother and gives that baby-perfect silky skin in the photos. Most of the newborns shown in our gallery are less than 10 days old.
If you happen to stumble across our site after the ten day mark and still want us to photograph your new love, give us a call and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. However, the earlier you can get in, the better. If your baby is older than two weeks we can still get great shots, but we may not be able to get some of the very curled up, scrunchy newborn shots showcased on our site, depending on the baby.
• Sessions take place at our home studio in Central Scottsdale. We maintain a well equipped studio full of baskets, baby hats, wraps, and all the other necessary equipment to create the gorgeous newborn artwork that we are known for.
During the session the baby(ies) will be naked or in light wraps for a lot of the time, and we need them nice and sleepy to achieve the poses. To achieve this, we keep the studio very warm during newborn sessions, and even use a space heater. Be prepared for a VERY warm shooting environment, and please dress accordingly.
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• Please make sure you feed the baby(ies) shortly before the session. A full baby is a sleepy baby, and that allows us to pose them into those gorgeous, snugly, womb-like poses.
• Dress the baby in just a loose diaper (to avoid red marks) and a cozy, swaddled blanket. We have a large stock of hats, wraps, headbands, baskets, vessels and blankets to use for your session. If you have a special outfit or blanket feel free to bring it along. Make sure they are clean and ironed, or hung out to reduce fold lines as much as possible.
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• Let me know if you have a special piece of jewelry I usually like to photograph a wedding ring, rosary, or other sentimental piece of jewelry with the newborn as part of the session. This shows scale and just how tiny those little toes/fingers are, and these shots are usually among my clients’ favorites. So if you have a special piece of family jewelry, or heirloom of some sort you’d like to photograph with your newborn be sure to let me know.
• Make sure to allow at least 2 to 3 hours for your newborn session. And if you have twins, triplets or higher order multiples, allow for even more time. We’re on the baby(ies)’s schedule here, and we need to allow for plenty of time for feeding, burping, posing, set changes, etc. This takes a long time to accomplish, but is well worth it in the end.
Be sure to bring enough milk or formula to last for 4 hours, just in case. If you are breastfeeding or pumping we will gladly give you the privacy to meet your needs.
• Take a step back and relax. Since parents of newborns can sometimes be extremely exhausted and sleep deprived, we will work to make the session as easy as possible for you. We will likely be working alone with baby and only ask for your assistance if needed. Believe it or not, when their mother is close by a newborn can sense/smell her and it makes them more restless. It’s best to stand back and let me work my magic with your little ones. Remember, I’m a mother of triplets, so I have PLENTY of newborn experience.
If you have any questions or special requests, please give us a call at the studio: 602-677-6402.