Sometimes parents spend months dreaming about and planning their newborn session. I get it, it’s fun to scroll through Instagram and pin all the adorable photos you see on Pinterest. You can shop for the perfect outfits. Repaint your bedroom. Splurge on some new bedding so that everything is neutral and coordinated. OR, you can completely forget to book newborn photos and reach out to your favourite photographer last minute in hopes that they have availability. In either scenario, none of those things matter if you don’t put all your trust in your photographer.
There’s a reason their portfolio images speak to you. There’s a reason you feel connected to their work, or their personality.
Trust your photographer and the magic will unfold.
When I first get to a family’s home I love to take a tour and come up with a bit of a game plan of places that would work well for photos. Usually it’s the master bedroom, the nursery and the living room. But sometimes it’s a hallway, or a kitchen. It just depends on where I visualize magic. It also depends on which areas the family feels are special and really would love to document, regardless of whether the natural light is perfect. (THIS is why I bring some backup lighting with me.)
This family looked amazing and were very prepared for their session. Big sister was very outgoing and enthusiastic about being in photos with her baby sister. Mom and Dad were very relaxed and trusted me to document their story. Their house was warm, tidy and their baby was well-fed. All good ingredients for a successful newborn session. 😉
I’ve arrived to houses that were in a bit of disarray, not everyone is dressed in their photo outfits, baby is still feeding and the parents forgot to crank the heat. Again, trust your photographer. I can quickly tidy the rooms we are going to use for photos. I can adjust your thermostat and run the space heater that I always bring along as a backup for situations just like this, and I’m not shy about giving husbands direction on how to help get things ready. HA!
Trust your photographer. We’ve got you. Be yourself. Relax. Love on your family. That’s it. I’ll take care of the rest.
Babies cry. They poop at the most inconvenient time. And sometimes they need extra time to settle or feed. I’m patient and don’t rush. Don’t get me wrong, I keep things moving quickly when baby is happy and siblings are engaged, but I’ll always make sure we’ve got a good variety of images and a large gallery of images before leaving.
All the images I post are from real families. Not models. The moms were probably all a bit nervous about everything being perfect right before I arrived. They have just given birth and are apprehensive about being photographed, all while adjusting to life with a newborn. When mom and dad relax and trust me, the magic follows and their gallery is full of many, many magical and beautiful images.
If you have recently given birth or are expecting a new baby soon, reach out and I’ll give you lots of details on my newborn sessions in-home and in-studio. I will hopefully answer all your questions and put you at ease. It’s my favourite thing to do.
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