Newborn and baby photography guide
Newborn
Tips for getting the most out of your session
Firstly if you or your baby are sick, or if you or your baby have been up all night with little to no sleep the night prior to the session please call and reschedule (please don’t Facebook message as I wont see it)
There is also the risk that if you bring a sick baby into the studio you could transmit germs to Marina, Marina is a newborn & wedding photographer and as such needs to stay away from sick people where ever possible so as not to be at risk of infecting other children or having to reschedule other clients because of sickness
If you do need to reschedule, or think perhaps you will need to reschedule please give me as much notice as possible, as setting up and preparing the studio for a newborn session takes quite a lot of time.
Try and keep your baby awake before the session for at least an hour if possible, I know this is not always possible but the sleepier your newborn is during the session the easier the session will be.
Some parents want their newborn to be awake for the session and although this is ok for a small part of the session, ideally we want your child to be asleep. An awake newborn baby will not stay in a pose for a picture, and awake newborn baby will continually request to be fed and for comfort. Newborns also have great difficulty focusing & often have glazed eyes, which is not ideal for photography
Plan to feed your baby at your time of arrival at the session, and plan for this feed to be a substantial feed (not a quick one) as a full feed will leave the baby content, sleepy and happy through out the session, where as a quick feed will leave them wanting more and possibly grizzly throughout the session. Of course if your child is hungry at any time during the session we will stop to allow them to feed, have a nappy change or just a comforting cuddle from Mum or Dad.
Timing
Understand that newborn sessions take time, and allow at least 2 hours for your session, if you have any other children included in the session then your session will take even longer (this is based on their ages and the amount of children).
Ideally newborn sessions are timed to take place in first 14 days of your baby being born, those first two weeks are ideal because your newborn will change very quickly and never look like this ever again, and in most case your baby will be a good solid sleeper and will be comfortable with a feeding routine. After this time newborns go though a new growth spurt were they want to feed more regularly and not sleep as soundly as they first did which makes them much harder to pose, its also about the time when conditions such as colic and reflux can start to occur; another thing which makes posing your baby more difficult.
Ideally your session time will start in the morning, as I have found this is generally a better time for newborns. In studio newborn sessions generally start at around 10.30-11am but we can work in with your babies schedule
If you are breastfeeding please avoid eating any foods the day before that may cause upset to your newborns tummy, things like chilli, curry, chocolate, onions, and coffee are often hard for a newborn to cope with in breast milk
What happens if we don’t get a chance to book a session in those first two weeks? Unfortunately some babies require a longer hospital stay and are not ready to be photographed within those first two weeks and that is fine, I photograph babies of all ages, its never too late to record how your child looks at any age, just know that there will be some newborn poses we may not be able to achieve, but there will be other images we can do as your baby may have passed other milestones such as smiling and using their neck muscles and have clearer focused eyes etc.
Siblings and what to wear.
If you are bringing other children to the session please bring a few snacks & a drink for them, keep the snacks easy to eat foods that wont leave sticky/stains on clothes and or skin, equally not high sugar so that your child is relaxed during the session and not on a sugar high.
Clothing choices for parents, try and coordinate without looking too uniform, if you are considering wall art from some of your images, then think about the colours you have used in your home and the rooms that it might be used in. Natural earthy colours work best with newborns, and skin tones.
If at all possible avoid tops with large writing logos or branding as this will not only date your images very quickly it will also detract your eye from the baby. Avoid heavy make up, shimmery powders and bronzer, instead keep it natural and fresh, otherwise post edit matching your skin to babies will be very difficult.
For your baby we love to photograph them wrapped in blankets and wraps, we often find newborn clothing doesn’t usually fit all that well or photograph that well, so don’t worry too much about the baby’s out fit. One of the first thing we do when you arrive is remove your babies singlet and bodysuits so we can get rid of the clothing marks that they can leave on the skin, we then wrap them (leaving on the nappy). We then suggest for the scheduled feed (or top up feed) to take place, so that when we start to photograph them we don’t have to go through the process of removing clothing which would then only require them to be resettled.
We have a selection of wraps and blankets which we use for our sessions, and if you have any that are sentimental please bring them along so that we can include them to make your session more unique
Skin on skin with newborns looks amazing so if dad is up for it we can look at doing a shot with baby on Dad’s chest and shoulder
Baby’s skin It’s quite normal for your newborn to have a few patches of flakey skin here and there and some minor skin sensitivity, and if its not too severe I can edit the images to reduce or remove it. If however your babies skin is highly reactive with excessive flakey skin/ cradle cap or milk acne etc. please contact me to discuss it as it may be better to set a new time for the session as in the more severe cases there really is not a lot I can do to edit it out, and it often settles down with in a few weeks.
Studio sessions versus in-home sessions
My studio is ideal for newborn sessions and for small groups with small children and works best with 6 or less people. Adult groups do not fit in my studio so please keep this in mind if you have a large group to be photographed.
In home sessions work well if you have a roomy light filled home, with open space to photograph in. Ideally a family room or nursery or bed make a lovely backdrop, and I will bring some props and blankets with me if you would like to include them too.
Studio newborn sessions are are currently unavailable due to COVID-19
The session fee includes up 8 people, additional people are $25 per person
3- 12 months.
Babies first year and beyond
I am often asked when are the ideal times to book a session during the babies first year.
Around 3 to 4 months your baby will be able to lift their head during tummy time and will be full of smiles and be more playful, this an ideal time to do a mini session as they don’t generally have the patience for a long session.
At 7-10 months your baby might be able to sit up unaided, and might also possibly be crawling, this is a great age to capture as your baby will look so different to the newborn they once were. I also recommend this age because once they get on the move either crawling or walking they become much harder to photograph as they don’t stay still for very long.
12- 15 months your child has become a toddler, this is a huge change for both you and them as they are now into everything and discovering the world at lightning speed, its important to document this change because again they will only be like this for a short time. Its at this stage that I can recommend some lovely outdoor locations for your session.
This also a nice time to consider doing a cake smash to celebrate your baby turning a year old.
With all of these sessions I request that you please bring a few snacks & a drink for them, keep the snacks easy to eat foods that wont leave sticky stains on clothes and or skin, equally not high in sugar, so that your child is relaxed during the session and not on a sugar rush. I also will request that we work around your child's preferred nap time, and finally I ask that if your child are unwell that you take the time to contact me and let me know to see if we can reschedule. As I have very little chance of getting the images you want from the session if your child is tired, hungry or unwell.