NewBorn Session

When should I book the session?

Schedule your session early.

Newborn sessions MUST be scheduled within the first 14 days of life. However, the BEST time is between 3-7 days after their arrival.

We’ll be moving them around and scrunching them into those sweet sleepy newborn images, so we want to make sure they’re sleepy enough to allow us to handle them.

Plus, babies just tend to do a lot better with the session within their first 7 days.
Somewhere around day 8 they discover the joy that is stretching! Once that happens…they’re not about to let us get them into those curly poses without a fight!

After day 14, it’s almost impossible to get baby into that deep sleep that came so easily in their first few days…so it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to get them into any of the more bendy newborn poses.

And, keep in mind that newborn acne (and sometimes colic) is likely to flare up after day 14. While we can easily edit problem areas, we prefer to do as little retouching as possible to baby’s skin.

NewBorn Photo with baby eyes wide opened

How long does a session last?

Well, PATIENCE IS KEY!

Newborn sessions can last anywhere from 2-4 hours.

It all depends on baby’s mood and willingness to sleep.

Unfortunately…this isn’t something we can predict!

We ask that everyone remain calm, should he/she not want to sleep, since your baby will pick up on any frustration in the room.

And if sleep doesn’t happen, that’s okay! Wide-eyed newborn photos are beautiful too.

newborn_session_portrait_in_home_photography

Can you come to my home?

The majority of our newborn sessions take place in your home.

If the weather is warm enough and you’re comfortable with the idea, we can take the session outdoors. (Baby being all pose-y and cute in a big, open field or at the base of an old tree? SWOON!)
 

Worried because your house is a mess? Don’t even stress out! You just had a BABY! If you didn’t have dishes piled in the sink, dirty clothes and baby items strewn all about, we’d think you were weird.

Clutter is definitely expected! We’ve shot in-home sessions in the middle of moving in/renovating and in some very tiny spaces…and rocked them!

We really don’t need much space and can shoot around any problem areas.
We’ll also probably be moving furniture around if we need to make room for ourselves, but don’t worry – we’ll put it all back when we’re through!

Just keep in mind, Travel fees might apply for an on-location newborn session if your place is 20 miles away from our studio located in Sunnyvale.

We do bring our studio setup with black backdrop. 

Newborn session studio on-location portrait family

NewBorn session at your home Family of three for a newborn baby photography session at home

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL NEWBORN SESSION

Just the baby and anyone or anything else special you want in the photo. I understand what it is like to be home with a newborn. Your job is to focus on your new baby. Our job is to capture that new relationship.

Here few tips:

• Think about your infants schedule and attempt to schedule your photography session around your infant’s nap and feeding routine.  If possible, feed your infant prior to leaving home.  This will allow their little tummies to settle and reduce spitting up and fussiness.
• After the baby is full, make sure they are burped really well. Gas can take a sleepy, happy baby to an uncomfortable and irritable one in seconds.

newborn baby girl portrait

• Be patient. If the baby gets fussy or alert, don’t worry. A baby can sense your anxiety and we want to keep the environment as mellow as possible. We will try and get the baby comfortable again, but if that just doesn’t seem possible, we’ll take a break or we’ll work with what he’s giving us. Sometimes the best pictures are ones when baby isn’t necessarily doing what we want.
• Have music or the television on for white noise for baby or, if he is accustomed to being in a very quiet house, no noise is fine, too!  Whatever environment is “normal” for baby, that is when he will be most comfortable and resting peacefully.
• A fussy infant can be challenging at any time. It is important to bring essential items to comfort your infant including a favorite blanket, pacifier, diapers, wipes and anything necessary for feedings.
• CRANK THE HEAT!
  We recommend that you keep your home a bit warmer than normal during the session. (Like a toasty 80 degrees or so.)
  Newborns are used to being all bundled up,warm + cozy…and then we come in and yank off all their clothes for those adorable naked baby shots. They tend not to like that too much!
  Pushing up the thermostat is guaranteed to make the session flow more smoothly and help them sleep better. We may be sweating, but baby will be nice and warm…and that’s really all that matters!
• POOP HAPPENS!
  Your baby is going to be in the buff for the majority of this shoot. Please don’t panic if your baby decides to use our blankets (or us) as his/her own personal potty.
  This is natural and we expect it! Please don’t feel embarrassed or worry when this happens, because they all do it. 
  It would definitely be helpful if you had a stack of old towels, extra wipes and blankets available for when things get messy though.
  *If you would like shots in a diaper, it’s a good idea to have a cloth diaper, diaper cover in a solid color, bloomers, or something to put over the diaper. Diapers on their own tend to look a little messy and distracting in photos, but throwing a cover over it cleans things up.