Newborn Welcome Guide
Welcome...
Welcoming a new addition to your family is one of the most exciting, meaningful events, filled with beautiful moments that simply can't be replicated. Newborn photography sessions provide a unique opportunity to capture your little one within his/her first days of life, ensuring these enchanting memories are captured forever.
Each session is carefully designed with your little one in mind, from providing comfortable staging elements to soft lighting and swift shooting. With children, the days are long but the years are short - make sure you've captured these beautiful moments before they're gone.
Preparing for your session...
What should baby wear?
I highly suggest bringing baby in a zip up or button up pair of pajamas. That way I don't have to take anything off over their head and disturb them. I have a variety of wraps I can utilize throughout the session. Make sure to keep the diaper a little loose prior to the session to avoid lines or red marks on the skin. Also, avoid socks or bows which can also leave marks.
What do I need to bring?
The only thing that you need to bring is:
*baby
*Extra bottles if not nursing
*a pacifier
*any sentimental items we are including in baby's session. (please notify me ahead of time of what this item might be)
How should I prep baby?
Make sure his/her belly is full by feeding baby right before you leave to come to the session. The combination of a full belly and car ride helps to have sleepy babies. If you look at most newborn photography the babies are mostly asleep, that is because during sleep they fall into the best poses and that means adorable photos! Their eyes will definitely open during the shoot, so we can capture those "awake" moments too. Also make sure to put lotion on any really dry spots and clean any eye gunkies out. The less we can mess with them once you arrive the better. I will also have you keep them in the car seat and will take them straight into the studio that way. Going straight from car seat to swaddle is a great way to keep them happy.
My new studio!
I am so excited to share my new studio with you. It is located at 4954 E Maple Dr, Claremore (although it is much closer to Owasso than Claremore) My studio is 720 square feet which provides plenty of room to have everything ready so that we can get through as much as possible as quickly as possible. I do ask that mom and dad sit in the waiting area during the session. If I need you for any reason I won't hesitate to ask. If you are bringing other children I do have some toys in the seating area. Please keep the other kids with you there. Please do not let siblings run around the studio. There is a lot that can break and baby's comfort and safety are my top concern.
Session length...
A newborn session usually lasts about 1-2 hours (wrapped minis are 1 hour) but I ask that you allow 2-3 just because you never know what will happen. Sometimes baby needs to feed a lot or has a hard time calming down for pictures. We just don't want to rush the experience. While you wait you can take a break. I truly want this to be a stress free experience for everyone.
Parent's Turn...
I love parent poses! Your little bundle will only be this little for a moment and I love capturing parents holding them. Parent poses can be done on white or dark gray backgrounds. When choosing which background always think of what would look best hanging on the walls of your house. I suggest wearing light colors for your newborn session and try to avoid lots of pattern or tiny pin stripes or checkers because they throw off the camera. You can always send me screenshots of pictures and I will give you my honest opinion on if it will work or not.
Sibling poses...
Sibling pictures can be fun and very challenging depending on ages and how well the new little addition has been accepted. I have several go to setups for sibling poses which is determined by their age, your picture style, and how many siblings there are. Please know that baby's safety is always my first priority. During sibling sessions I do offer bribery such as suckers or balloons (if that is ok with you) and ask that parents be in the studio with me to help.
What's your style?
Usually there is one style that you gravitate towards. So when you look at these pictures which one do you immediately love first? Do you like the light and bright style with lots of light and soft colors or do you like the darker, moodier lighting like the blue picture? Please make sure to let me know in your questionnaire. Although your gallery will more than likely have a mixture of both, I would like to spend more time on the style you want to make sure you get the pictures you want.
Posed vs Unposed
Every session includes posed pictures like the one on the left, however some people choose to come to one of my newborn sessions because I offer unposed newborns too. Unposed is when we put them in a white onesie (I have them on hand) and lay them down just to capture their natural expressions and movements. I love these pictures because you can often capture the start of their little personalities. However, just because I love them doesn't mean you have to. Make sure you mark on your questionnaire if you would like unposed images included in your session.
I hope that helps to answer all of your questions but if you think of anything else please don't hesitate to ask!
See you soon!!
xoxo