So your expecting a baby- the world is suddenly a different place and there’s so much to know! If your google searches start to throw up beautiful images of tiny babies curled into beautiful poses then chances are they were taken by a Newborn photographer and if your here to read this blog then you must be considering me as your photographer. If that’s the case then here’s everything you need to know about your Newborn photography session with me.
When to book-
When you have chosen your newborn photographer the best time to contact them is as soon as your into your second trimester. You want to have passed that first milestone and be ready to make plans for babies arrival. Making a booking is easy, you simply notify me of your due date. If I have the space to see you on your expected delivery month I will accept your booking and you pay your session retainer fee. That’s it- all we need to do now is wait for baby to arrive.
When baby arrives-
Once baby comes along and your home and settled you get back in touch. Please do not feel rushed or pressured to get in touch too quickly. I will always have some options for you and I do everything I can to make sure I can see you on your preferred day. Some exceptions may be weekends as these are booked in advance for other session types.
I like to catch newborns under two weeks old but I have done older newborn sessions and we can always get beautiful images of your baby at any age. Your session will be held at my studio during mid-morning so be sure you will be able to travel to me and get there sometime between 10 and 11am.
Before your session-
Once your session is booked I will send over all the information you will need to get ready for the big day. Including information on how to get yourself and baby ready, what to wear and how to get to the studio.
I will also send you a questionnaire to fill in with your preferences on styling the session. Try to give as much information as possible at this stage so that I can create looks I think you will love. The best place to find inspiration is on my website or social media pages. This is where you will find my most up to date images- everything you see in the images belongs to me (apart form the baby of course) and it will be available for you to use.
On the day-
When you arrive at the studio we will sit down together and have a chat. I’ll be asking more questions about your styling and what you want from the session and we will plan together on how the session will go. I will talk about set ups, colours and poses you would like. I’m really trying to create a picture in my mind of your perfect gallery. I’ll then leave you to get baby ready and I’ll finish setting up. Before I take baby I will show you all the sets I’ve created for you and let you know in what order I plan to shoot them. (Usually based on your priorities) You can input at this stage and let me know if there’s anything you don’t like or want to change.
Next it’s all up to me. I will handle baby for the whole of the session. As soon as I take baby from you I’m getting to know her and what she will and won’t do. My sessions are always “Baby led” so I read baby and work to her comfort level. Some babies are floppy and curly and will slip into any position and others are more tense and prefer to be in certain positions. The main things to bear in mind at this stage is that I know babies well, I’ve worked with newborns for a long time and can read them just by handling and holding them. Usually new parents marvel at how I can settle and relax their baby and I always say that’s because it’s my job- the fact is it’s down to training and practice. (I will joke that when my babies were born I was as incompetent a parent as everyone is!)
After the session-
Baby will decide on how long she wants to be photographed for and she will tell me when she is done. That’s when I call it a day and hand baby back to you for cuddles- you will have missed her!
Before leaving the studio we will schedule a date for you to come back to your ordering appointment and that’s when I spend time editing and preparing your gallery.
Your ordering appointment can be anything from 1-4 weeks after your session depending on how quickly you would like to come back in.
You will be viewing anything up to 30+ images and I have a range of packages to choose from. I always recommend you have a look through my package options before you return and have an idea of how much you want to spend and what types of products you want to purchase. It’s a great way to start the viewing appointment as it gives us something to work towards. I am not a salesperson- (I hate salespeople) but I do have ideas on how images go together and good ways to display them so you can ask me for my advice and I’ll do my best to guide you.
After your ordering appointment-
Any digital images you order will come to you on that day. I will upload and send them as soon as you have made payment. Any printed images or wall art products will be ordered that week with orders going in on a Friday. The print lab I use usually has a few weeks turnaround on products so I aim to have your artwork to you within 4 weeks.
There can occasionally be delays but I do my best to minimise and I will let you know if they are delayed.
I always enjoy watching your baby grow through the stages so please let me know if you would like to book milestone or birthday sessions. As always, if you have any questions just get in touch!