Newborn Session Prep Guide
Once your baby has made their arrival and you have settled in, please reach out to me (text or email is great) and let me know. From there we will confirm your session date, or adjust as needed. Ideally, that date will be within the first 2-3 weeks of life. I only accept a certain amount of newborns per month to allow enough flexibility to move session dates as needed. So, whether your baby arrives early, late, or exactly as expected, I have room for you!
Your newborn session will take place at my in-home studio space. I’m located in Uniontown (Green) at 3690 Myersville Rd. Uniontown, OH. Depending on which session package you chose, your session will last anywhere from 1-4 hours. An all wrapped sessions take about one hour, all others typically take 3-4 hours. I know, 3-4 hours seems like a really long time! Why so long? Because, as you will soon learn, or maybe you already have kids and already know, little Boss Baby is running the show! To pose baby safely, I need them to be sleeping. Feedings, diaper changes, burps, and hiccups all cause a pause in posing and taking photos, and that’s ok, because we want baby to be comfortable and asleep.
I typically start with family poses. I recommend parents (and siblings) choose one color and have everyone wear a solid colored black, dark gray, white, ivory or cream colored shirt. (Either have everyone in all dark colors, or all light colors.) I have coordinating onesies for baby to wear. (You can check out my Instagram or Facebook pages for examples of what my previous families have worn.) If there are siblings, we will take those shots right after family shots. Once we are done with family and sibling shots, one parent is free to take the sibling(s) and go. If there are no siblings, this is a great time for one parent to go grab some food and bring back lunch for the other parent. Alternatively, you welcome to pack a lunch, since we typically work right through lunch time. I can’t stress how important it is for a new mom to stay hydrated and nourished, so please eat and drink while you are here!
While we are on the subject of food, please bring plenty of formula, bottles, (or mom) for baby to eat . Like plenty EXTRA! Babies eat extra on session day because 1.) modeling is hard work 2.) a full belly means a sleepier baby. I have a bottle warmer as well as a nursing pillow for your convenience.
So what else should you bring, besides food for yourself and baby? Diapers, wipes and a pacifier. But, if you forget any of these things, I do have extra. Why a pacifier? As I’m transitioning baby from pose to pose, a pacifier sometimes provides just enough distraction and comfort to baby to keep them calm and asleep.
You don’t need to bring anything else to your session, unless you have a special heirloom piece or something of that nature that you would like baby to be photographed with. I have all the bonnets, tiebacks, baskets, fabrics and accessories we will need!
One more note, please don’t stress if baby doesn’t sleep well the night before. At this age, this is pretty normal, and it means that they will most likely sleep better for me during the session.
After your session, with your permission, I will post a sneak preview photo on social media within a day or two. I will send you a lightly edited gallery of your session (within 3 weeks) where you will choose your favorite images, which I will then fully edit. Once I have fully edited your images, I will send them to you to download and you are free to print, post, or share as you wish!
I’m excited to see you and meet your newest family member! If you have any questions at all about your session, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!