Parent's Guide: How to Prepare for your Newborn Session
By Emily Brooker Photography
Newborn photography is a wonderful and humbling part of my job as a photographer. Being a part of a baby's life when they are only days old is very exciting. As a mother a three, photographing newborns never gets old!
Newborn photography requires some prep and planning to turn these challenging sessions into a success. To make the best of our time together, I have compiled some helpful tips for parents as you plan your baby's arrival.
BEFORE YOUR BABY ARRIVES:
SCHEDULING- you are going to want to schedule your session before your child is born. i know that babies tend to arrive when THEY want to so giving me your estimated due date is a good guide to go off of. then once the baby is born shoot me an email and we can schedule a definite date and time. the best newborn sessions are when baby is between 5-7 days old
TIME- a newborn session takes a minimum of 2 hours. i will not shoot a session less than that. since babies are unpredictable, i want enough time to deliver you enough shots of your bundle of joy. since feeding, diapering and rocking all happen during all session we need to allot time for that to occur do our little model can be at his or her best!
INSPIRATION- if you have certain shots you know you want then save the pictures and send them to me in an email or we can start a Pinterest board. this will ensure that we get all the shots that you want and certain poses that you are looking for
IMAGES- since even the best babies have a mind of their own and as hard as i try to get as many photos as possible, from a two hour session you can expect 30-40 images. all images will include skin softening to hide imperfections and any other artistic edits per my professional discretion.
BEFORE YOUR SESSION:
FEED ME- you are going to want to feed your baby 30 minutes before your scheduled session. this will maximize the amount of time of actual shooting time if your baby is fed and sleepy.
UNDRESS ME- when you feed your baby you are going to want to undress them and wrap them in a blanket with their diaper on but not velcroed. this will prevent red creases on the baby's skin and will allow for easy undressing.
LOCATION- the best room for us to shoot your session is going to be where there is a lot of natural light- near a glass door, windows. have an idea where this place is before i arrive so i can set up my gear quickly
TEMPERATURE- make sure that the room that we will be shooting in is about 80-85 degrees. this will keep the baby warm when we undress them since most shots are done in the buff. i will bring a heating pad for the poser that the baby will be laying on and a small space heater to supplement if needed
ACCESSORIZE- gather all the hats, headbands, blankets that you want to be photographed so we have an assortment to choose from. i will bring some props and backdrops for your session but heirloom items and gifts make great props too- a favorite stuffed animal, a blanket made by grandma, dad's favorite baseball hat
DURING YOUR SESSION:
COMPANY- i know that newborn photos are an exciting this but i ask that my audience be limited to two adults. this will keep the noise level down so the baby can settle and be positioned and so i can concentrate on getting you the shots you want!
SIBLINGS- big brother and sister pictures are a must but i ask that they be after all the newborn pictures are complete. this allows me to focus my time and energy on the photos of the newest member of the family.
PEE & POOP- your baby will either pee or poop on the blankets, wraps or backdrops that i bring and it is OKAY! accidents will happen and sometimes more than once. everything is washable... so don't worry!
CRY, BABY, CRY- i understand that babies are unpredictable and though a time is scheduled for a session not knowing how or what baby is going to do, i will be as time effective as possible to make sure you and i are happy with the end results.
AFTER YOUR SESSION:
SNEAK PEAK- after your session, i will pick our my favorite images and edit those right away. i will post them on the Emily Brooker Photography blog and email you a link to your preview
GALLERY- one week after your sneak peak, you can expect an email from me with a link to your online gallery. you can share this link with family and friends but since it is password protected only those with the password will be able to download the images
PRINTS- since printing rights come with your session, you can take your images to any printing venue and have them made in whatever size or prints you would like.
COPYRIGHT- printing rights does not mean you have the right to change your photograph. if there are some changes you would like made to a photograph- say you want a photo done in black and white-please contact me.
also if you have any concerns about a newborn session or would like to book a session,
please contact me at emilybrookerphotography@gmail.com or 610-393-4540
Emily Brooker
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