How To Prepare For An In-Home Newborn Photoshoot
When to schedule your newborn photoshoot?
I get asked often by expecting mothers how to schedule a photoshoot for a person who hasn't arrived yet. As a NICU nurse I know exactly how often things don't go according to plan. Babies arrive late, babies arrive early. It happens every single day. So, what do you do? I often suggest that my clients book their newborn sessions for a date 1-2 weeks after their due date. That way they are confirmed and in my calendar.
Once baby makes their grand appearance if the photoshoot date needs to be adjusted for any reason it then becomes as simple as a few emails and we will work around your little ones timeline.
The hard part is over, your baby is here. Now it's time to document the new addition of your little one while they are still... well, little.
Control what you can...
There are certain elements of a newborn photoshoot that you can control and will set us up for success. These things include the time, environment, posing/positioning, and our own expectations. We will dive deeper into each of these things below.
...Accept what you can't.
Despite all of our best efforts, some days babies are just going to be fussy. Even if you follow all of my recommendations perfectly and plan for weeks in advance- there are times when baby is just not going to want to sleep, or be laid down, or is spitty.
These things happen and it's okay. Let me say that again, it's okay. Your baby is a teeny tiny human with feelings and thoughts and a will of their own. And life is not picture perfect every single day- but that makes it no less beautiful. If your baby is having an off day we will do our absolute best to get as many beautiful images as possible and there is always the opportunity to try again another day.
Timing
What time of day should I schedule my newborn session?
As far as general time of day for scheduling- whenever the lighting in your home is the best is great. But more importantly we need to work around your baby's feeding schedule. A full baby is a happy/sleepy baby and that's exactly what we are after.
For about an hour or so before your photoshoot is set to begin try to keep your baby awake. Wash their hair, hold them, change them, bounce them. Just general loving and getting ready type activities. About 15-25 minutes before I am supposed to arrive to the shoot location feed your little one. The goal is for your baby to have a nice long, satisfying feed so they are full and sleep soundly. Don't skip out on enough burping time either! Nothing worse than getting set for your photos just to have baby burp up their breakfast on you.
How soon after delivery should you schedule your newborn photos?
Typically it is best to get your newborn photoshoot done within the first three weeks of your baby's life. During this time period newborns are spending most of their time sleeping and eating with short, peaceful awake periods in between. After the first three weeks the awake and alert periods begin to become longer and the baby may not settle as easily.
Now, this doesn't mean that after three weeks newborn pictures cannot be done. They certainly can and I have had those shoots go very smoothly. But the older the baby the less likely they are going to settle and cooperate with every pose and position that we try. Just something to keep in mind when planning.
What if my baby doesn't want to eat before the photoshoot?
Please do not force feed your child just to try to get them to sleep. If your little one doesn't want to eat- it's okay. They may decide twenty minutes into the photoshoot that they are ready to eat and we will stop and let them take all the time that they need. I intentionally build extra time into our photoshoots for this exact reason. We work on the baby's schedule and we will stop to let them eat and burp as often as they need.
Environment
Temperature
During your newborn photoshoot you want your baby to be nice and warm- for a couple of reasons. Typically you'll want to try and have your home be between 70-75 degrees. You know how sleepy you get when your snuggled up in your warmest, fleeciest blanket? Babies are the same way. When they are cozy and warm they are going to want to snooze. The second reason to keep your home warm during your newborn shoot is because babies don't have the best circulation. When they are cold their skin can get a blotchy purple look to it called "mottling". This isn't dangerous but does appear in your images. Keeping your baby nice and toasty will decrease the mottling.
Sounds
I will often bring a little sound machine with me to sessions to help soothe your infant. But please don't be afraid to hum to your baby or sing together. Whatever sweet, comforting sounds you would offer if I wasn't there are wonderful. Imagine how sweet a photo of you rocking your baby and humming quietly to them would be! So sweet. As far as sounds to avoid- it's pretty standard. Loud or sudden noises are going to risk causing your baby to startle and begin crying so we will avoid those if we can (but of course accidents happen).
Lighting
Lighting your home for a newborn session can sometimes mean being a little creative. I know that the natural instinct is to turn on all the interior lights to make the rooms as bright as possible. Please fight that urge! Indoor synthetic lights often give off yellow, orange, or red color casts onto you and your baby's skin which is difficult to edit. Instead, what I suggest doing is opening all of the curtains and blinds in the rooms that you intend to have pictures taken in. When I first arrive for our shoot I'll ask you to walk me around and will look for where the light is best. This sometimes means your images will be taken in an odd little corner of a room or hall that you never planned to have photos taken in- but please trust the process and I promise the images will be beautiful!
Posing and Positioning
Looking through my portfolio of work you'll notice that I don't do a lot of infant posing. There are no head on heads or froggy poses here. Instead I have a session workflow that most of the time works very well for keeping babies happy, comfortable, and adorable. We will generally start with prompting/posing of you holding your baby in different ways while sitting in a chair or on a bed or standing near a window. If your baby seems to be settling nicely I will get shots of them along on a pillow, in their crib, in a bassinette, etc. My main focus is always that you and your baby are comfortable and - most importantly- SAFE.
That being said, if you have a pose, position, or wrap that you would like to try during your photoshoot just let me know and as long as it can be done safely I'm happy to give it a go.
Expectations
Before your newborn photoshoot begins take a minute to think about why you want these pictures taken. Most of the time the hope is that these images are going to be a reminder of an important yet incredibly brief period of time in your life. You want your images to reflect joy and love and peace. In order to do this it's sometimes necessary to lower your expectations.
There is a chance that your newborn's sibling is just not going to sit still for pictures. There is a chance that baby is going to be fussy and not want to be put down for even a second. We may not be able to capture that one pose you saw on Instagram.
At the end of the day remember why you want these photos and focus on that feeling.
Hopefully this post has left you feeling a little more prepared for your upcoming newborn photoshoot. But if not please do not hesitate to reach out with any other questions that you have!
