How to Have a Great In-Home Newborn Session

WHEN TO CONTACT ME

• Once baby has arrived, give me a quick text (574-780-2290). This gives me the chance to prepare childcare ahead of time and get the best chance of being totally available during any time slot in the days to follow.

• Once baby is home and everyone is calmed and bonded and somewhat recovered, call or text me to set up a time for your photos. (Sessions should happen during the first 10 days of being home and during daylight hours to optimize natural light).

  TIPS

• Keep in mind that a large portion of this isn’t your typical “say cheese” session. There will be minimal posing and direction; the goal of this session is to capture the candid, honest moments you and your new family share. Think of me as a talkative fly-on-the-wall who happens to have a camera.

• Don’t stress over the camera! (Easier said than done, I know). But really, the more you ignore the camera and just interact with your family, the better your images will turn out. It may seem counterintuitive but trust me, my favorite images and sessions were with the families who just “did their thing.”

• Avoid clothing with large, distracting graphics or patterns. Think solids and simple. As for baby, simple and neutral is also best. Cute bows or caps are totally fine, too, but don’t plan on too many outfit changes as this just annoys baby and feels more unnatural to the session. Matching mother baby outfits are also not ideal as baby tends to blend in with mom when being held; complimentary color pallets are totally fine though! We will also do some “down to the diaper” photos as well, because we want to preserve all that perfect newness.

• Physical proximity is key! The closer you and your family are physically, the better your images will be. Try and keep this in mind as you interact with one another. This session is the perfect opportunity to love on your baby and partner!

• If other siblings are included, keep in mind that young kids love cameras so don't scold them or redirect when (not if, when) they ask to see a photo that I just took. I'm happy to pause and share it with them! In fact, it makes them even more excited to keep going for the session.

• Try and have the area closest to a window and a bed clear of clutter and neatly made. There is absolutely no need to have a “HGTV inspired home” complete with zero mess and clutter; simply have the area you are most likely to spend the majority of your session in picked up but DO NOT stress over a spotless home; it rarely distracts from an image.

• Offer baby a feeding right before the session start time. This usually gets baby full, happy and sleepy…all great things for newborn sessions. **Nursing photos are also very common but I don’t take these unless requested so if this is something you want to commemorate, wait to offer the feeding until I arrive and we can start the session off with nursing!**

• Bump the thermostat up or put a space heater in the room baby will do solo photos. Newborns hate to be cold so having a warm, comfy space for them to be laid down in really helps significantly.

• Newborn sessions can take anywhere from 30 minutes if baby is sleepy and happy the whole time to 2 hours if baby is not in the mood and/or hungry. Don’t feel stressed by that! It takes however long it takes and breaking for feedings, soothings and outfit changes is all part of the process.