How to Prepare for Your In-Home Boston Newborn Photography Session

Tomorrow your newborn photographer is coming to take photos of you and your baby.  You aren’t sure how to prepare so you start to wonder  “What do I wear.?”, “Do I have to clean my house?”, “What if the baby cries the whole time?”

Newborn photography sessions should be relaxed and about capturing your growing family, not stressful.  The tips below will help you prepare for an amazing session with your baby.

Take care of yourself and the baby.

It might sounds ridiculous saying this but it is so important.  Take a break.  Get a glass of water.  Comfort the baby.  Just make sure you are comfortable. Bringing a new life into the world, whether through delivery or adoption, is joyful but stressful.

Don’t rush feeding the baby.

Getting a full feed is really important.  I always tell parents not to rush the feeding otherwise the baby will be hungry again and  we end up doing this dance of eating, crying, eating, crying. More importantly,we want to make sure the needs of the baby are met. The photos always take the same amount of time.

Turn up the heat at the newborn session.

Having your home be warm is essential to a successful photo session.  The heat helps calm the baby who might not wearing the same type of clothes we are wearing.  They are used to be warm and cozy in a belly.  It also keeps the baby’s skin looking warm and not purple and cold.  I’m sure you’ve noticed when your baby is cold the appearance of their skin changes.

If the heat bothers you, make sure to wear appropriate clothes.  There is no need to layer or wear sweaters, otherwise you’ll overheat and be a sweaty mess.

Block off time.

I find that no matter what I do sessions always last about 90 minutes.  It allows enough time for you to take care of the baby’s basic needs – feeding, changing and comforting – and for us to take photos. Some partners with more flexible schedules are on leave while others need to go back to work right away.  We can work around their schedule to set an earlier meeting time or when there is space in his or her schedule. Generally, I find that mornings work well for everyone – the baby is calmer, the light is adequate in most homes, and we don’t have much stress from the day yet.

Don’t stress about how clean your house is.

Seriously, you just had a baby and no one is judging.  No one will know if you didn’t vacuum or mop the floor. And, it won’t show up in the photos.  If you have limited time, just clear the clutter (if it will bother you).  At a session, we can take a minute to clear off a table if needed, or we can document life as it is.

Reflect on how you want to remember this period.

It is really important to reflect on how you want to remember this incredible time in your life.  It goes by so fast and I found that I barely remember the period since a lot of it was worrying about sleep, the baby’s health, tracking eating and bodily movements, etc.  Simple questions such as – Where are you spending your time? How do you hold your baby? Is there a gesture or movement your partner does that you’d like to document? – can help us document this time appropriately.

Are there items you’d like to include? 

Since I am a lifestyle photographer, I don’t bring props with me but that doesn’t mean we can’t include items that are meaningful to you and  your family.  Maybe there is a special once you received as a present? Or, a blanket someone made for the baby? An heirloom item that has meaningful to your family? Or, something like a wall hanging you bought specifically for the nursery.  These are all items that we can include.

Think about what you will wear.  

For women who just gave birth this can be a hard decision.  It takes awhile for our bodies to feel like themselves, plus there are all the issues that come with delivery a baby that I’ll spare you from here on the blog.  I’m not the photographer that will plan your outfit but I think the following guidelines will help.

While some women can rock a tight dress after delivery, many of us can’t.

Tip #1: Pick something that you feel amazing in. Don’t overthink it.

Tip #2: I recommend wearing a loose top or dress, something not form fitting, if you are worried about your post-pregnancy body.

Tip #3: If you don’t like showing cleavage then opt for a top with a higher neck line.

Tip #4: Avoid really bright colors.  They tend to leave color cast on your and the baby’s skin.

Tip #5: Think about the colors in your home so your outfit doesn’t clash. with the decor  If your home is neutral wearing a colorful top would work well.  If you have a lot of color in your home, then a more neutral grey, white, cream look will work best.

Tip#6: Avoid black tops.  Many of us are trained to think that black slims us but I find it doesn’t work particularly well in newborn photos, especially black and white conversions at in-home sessions

Despite everything I wrote, I think it is important to be yourself.  If you feel great and love your outfit choice, you’ll feel better at the session and love your photos more.

About 30 minutes before the session try to feed, change and wrap the baby up in a swaddle blanket.

This is pretty self-explanatory and it will help the newborn sleep and keep him or her calm for our session.

You know what is best.  

Despite all the information that you read online or that I give you, you’ll have a better idea of what is best for your baby . Everything you read is a recommendation and not strictly something that has to happen.