Newborn Session Prep Guide
The more prep you do before the session and the less time we spend feeding, the more time we will spend photographing. Because of the need for a quiet and calm environment, I ask that only parents (or one parent & support person if desired) attend the session.
THE most important
Part of prepping is to make sure to keep baby stimulated and awake for AT LEAST 90 minutes before leaving for your session ( a bath or getting baby naked helps keep them awake). Give baby a FULL feeding just before putting him/her in the car seat to leave for the session. Also please make sure you give a good burp so the gas doesn’t settle in their tummy. Even in the car please try and keep baby awake by playing with his/her feet, hands and face. Once you get to me I’ll gladly snuggle baby and put him/her to sleep.
“Does this really make a difference since newborns sleep all day?”
The answer is YES! Keeping baby up makes 100% difference. Remember, I will be constantly moving and posing a naked baby which isn’t something that’s typically done at home. If they’ve been sleeping all morning, I can guarantee they will not sleep soundly for their session and this will greatly reduce the types of shots and props we will be able to use. So PLEASE…If you don’t do anything else, KEEP YOUR BABY AWAKE!
Please dress baby in something that does not beed to go over their head and is easy to remove without disturbing them (PJs are preferred, no onesies please). Also keep the diaper slightly loose at the waist to avoid red marks on baby’s skin.
what to wear (full sessions only)
For parent shots: I love skin on skin, dads look best in plain (not wrinkled) t-shirt (white, back or a neutral color works best). Moms should being a white, black or neutral tank top (same color as dad & yes you can wear long sleeves instead if you wish). Don’t worry! All parent shots are close up from the waist up. Same dress code goes for the siblings. Simple is better; a simple single color well-fitting dress for girls, and a plain (not wrinkled) well-fitted shirt for the boys and bare feet. If you are choosing a color other than white for family photos, please also bring a white option for sibling(s). We do not want the clothing to be the first thing you notice when looking at your images.
what to bring
Pacifier: Please bring a Soothie brand pacifier (and a spare). I recommend a Soothie pacifier so it does not leave red rings around baby’s mouth. Even if your baby does not take one from you (specifically if you are nursing, they can smell you and will want to nurse over soothing with a pacifier), they will usually take one from me. A baby’s natural born instinct is to suck and sometimes having a pacifier to help sooth during posing will make or break a session (no exaggeration here). If you are not using a pacifier at home I encourage you to consider allowing me to use one for the session if we need it. It helps greatly in keeping baby settled and sleeping when transitioning between poses.
Diapers and wipes
Bottled milk (preferred, but not required): If you have already introduced a bottle to your baby, this is the preferred method of feeding if needed during the session. If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, that’s perfectly fine. We will take a break when we need to.
PLEASE NOTE: Baby is used to being 98.6 degrees in the womb and cold babies DO NOT SLEEP! In order to keep baby sleeping, I keep the studio around 80 degrees, so it gets WARM. Dress lightly or in layers that can be removed.
Remember: keeping baby away before the session can make all the difference!
after your session
Clients will receive a link to an online proofing gallery within 24 hours of your session. Your proofing gallery is a large gallery of unedited images straight from my camera. Here, you will choose the images you want. Your final edited gallery will be presented approximately 2 weeks after your selections are submitted. Artwork can take 3-6 weeks to arrive and a time for you to pick up your art will be scheduled at that time.
studio address
The studio is located at:
11420 Fortune Circle #2 Wellington, FL 33431
Call me if you have any problems finding it. My phone number is 561-632-6798. Be sure to TEXT me a photo of baby prior to the session.