Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Newborn Session Tips

I've been doing a lot of newborn sessions lately. I absolutely love them, but they are a lot of work.

Newborns are tricky to photograph. Here are some tips for you -as the client- to make your session run more smoothly.

  1. Relax! I know that new moms are very protective of their new little ones. But I promise I know what I'm doing, and you'll be happier with the results if you trust me! 
  2. Try to pick a session time around when baby is normally sleepy. Feed baby about 15-30 minutes before I come. This way we will be able to get those sweet, sleepy shots of your little one. 
  3. Be patient. Newborn sessions always take longer than a normal session does. Plan on 1-4 hours. Don't feel guilty or stressed if baby wont sleep right away, or is cranky and uncooperative. It's very normal. Some poses can take up to 20 or 30 minutes to get just right. That's how it is. I'm expecting it, and you should too. 
  4. Newborn sessions also take a long time because generally they require a lot of breaks for feeding, changing, and so on. We're running on the baby's schedule. Don't feel bad making me wait. I've had a baby before too. :)
  5. Baby will sleep better if the conditions are right. When I shoot newborns at my home, I crank up the heat to about 90*. Really. And then I turn on a space heater next to the baby, to provide extra heat and "white"noise. These are the conditions they just spent the last 9 months it. It's soothing to baby, and really helps them be calm and sleepy. Just remember that you might want to wear lighter clothes yourself. 
  6. I have about a zillion props (blankets, wraps, hats, etc). I'll bring a lot of them to your session. We wont use them all, but if you see something that you really like, let me know!
  7. I always love it when people bring special items with them - a handmade blanket, booties, or hat, or other special items will really make your photos that much more special.
  8. I will get pictures of the little details like hands, feet, etc. Please be sure to have baby's nails trimmed and clean. Also watch for things like boogers and drool. We don't want those things messing up the shots! 
  9. I shoot with natural light. If I am coming to your home (and not you to mine), please keep in mind that we will set up in the room with the best window light. Make sure the rooms we might be in are tidy, so they we can get some lifestyle-type shots in addition to the posed ones.
  10. Don't feel bad if your baby pees on my stuff. It happens at almost every newborn session I do. Everything I have is washable. Don't stress it.
  11. It's nice to have some shots with mom and/or dad in them. Please dress very simply and in something that will flatter that new body you're rockin'! Black or white is great, then the focus can be on baby, not your shirt. 
  12. Minimize the amount of people that will be there. We don't need all the extended family at the session. They'll see the pictures when they're done. If there are older siblings that will be in some of the shots, try to have another room with some activities set up for them, so they're not making a lot of noise while we're trying to keep baby sleepy.
  13. Absolutely NO other cameras are allowed at the session besides mine. It's distracting for everyone, especially baby.
  14. Newborn sessions usually take 3-4 weeks to process and get back to you. I do usually post some sneak peeks both on my blog and on facebook. If you don't want me to do this for some reason, you need to let me know that.
  15. Feel free to contact me with any other questions you might have! Thanks so much for choosing Luminosity Photography to capture those special moments!


1 comments:

Unknown said...

Sooo precious. I'm so excited! I'll have to go back to these tips in a few months :)

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