You see all those amazing newborn photographs on Instagram and Facebook of peaceful newborn babies all curled up. But what really happens behind the scenes at a newborn photography session? LOTS! Here are a few behind the scenes tips to help you feel prepared for your upcoming newborn photo session:
1. Your baby WILL poo/wee/spew (or if I’m really lucky all 3!) on my blankets, props, floor… and perhaps even on you!
Sometimes parents get really worried or concerned about their baby making a mess on my things and apologise. It is so very normal and natural so please don’t be concerned about it. It’s rare that a baby won’t do at least one of the above during the 2 to 3 hours they are with me. Over the past 5 years I have gotten pretty good at hand washing! It is a good idea though to bring a spare change of clothes for you and your partner as for some crazy reason, babies tend to like to poo for the parent photos! I try to leave nappies on where possible (e.g. for wrapped shots, or when baby is awake), but will remove it for the naked posed shots.
2. Your baby doesn’t need to sleep for beautiful newborn photos
Newborn photography is all about the peaceful, sleeping posed photos…. or is it?! Personally, some of my very favourite images are of awake babies. When I first started as a baby photographer I was fixated on getting the sleeping shots. I soon realised that I was missing capturing their beautiful newborn stares. If your baby isn’t a great sleeper, please don’t feel worried about it. I am very conscious that all babies are different. It is my job to photograph them and their different personalities and how they are at that moment so you can remember it always. Some babies arrive asleep and stay asleep the entire time. Others are incredibly awake and may have a short cat-nap and then be wide eyed again. We can always get beautiful photos regardless. I am used to thinking on my feet during a session and although I have a rough flow of how my sessions run, I change this as and when needed to suit what the baby wants to do.
3. You will find it hard to get out of the house for your newborn session For many of my clients, their newborn photo session is their very first time out of the house since getting home from hospital. It is very normal to feel stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. A lot of people tell me that they are so glad that they arranged their session while they were pregnant as they probably would not have gone through with it once baby arrived if they hadn’t already booked it in. It does take a bit of effort to get to your session, but trust me, it will be worth it for the beautiful photos you will have for a lifetime. I try to make my studio area as comfortable as possible for new parents. There is a comfy lounge where you can relax and watch the session unfold. The best part is that unless your baby needs feeding, I take care of the rest! It’s a great opportunity to rest and to admire your new baby without having to DO anything! A rarity for new parents.
4. It’s not the end of the world if you forget to book in your newborn photographs and your baby is older than a week It’s true that the best time for the curled sleepy newborn photos is when babies are about a week old. If you’ve missed this tiny window of time though please don’t feel disheartened. I photograph babies at any age. Of course, they change so rapidly so the sooner you can come in for your baby’s photo session the better. The most popular times for photos are 6 weeks and under, then again at 3 months, Little Sitters (approx. 7 months), and 1 year. It will blow your mind how much your baby will grow and change in their first year. Be sure to capture every beautiful stage! Do you have any more questions about my newborn photography? Check out more of my work in my newborn photography portfolio, or find out more about my pricing. I’d love to hear from you. >>Get in touch! Amy is a multi award winning newborn and baby photographer in the Sydney Inner West (Balmain).
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