Newborn Portrait Session, - What to Expect?
Newborn Photography Blog Part One
Welcome to SMK Studios by Sarah Kilduff photography. I am a portraiture photographer based in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland with a vast range of portraiture experience. As newborn photography is one of our trusted specialties here in studio I decided to write a short blog that may help parents know what to expect when preparing for their session!!
So When Do I Book?
Ideally newborn photography should be completed within the first 2 weeks of birth for optimum posing techniques to be achieved with that 2-week old marker (10 days) being the perfect sweet spot! So, due to the high demand for newborn photography, pre-booking is advised. It is recommended to give your photography a “date window” of 3-4 days somewhere around your 2-week old mark. Now of course with first babies, this is very difficult to do, but being prepared is always better than missing out and by giving a window of dates you can be on the radar for follow up! What a lot of couples like to do is give this responsibility to a close family member/godparent and ask them in advance to reach out to us a day or two after they have given birth so we can (firstly Congratulate them) and then try to arrange a date for their shoot!
What Does The Shoot Entail?
· Before the shoot we will always go through the different backdrops, props, beds and setups that suit the client’s needs and wants. We will advise to bring loose comfortable clothing, a specific outfit that you want included, and of course their favourite blanket or toy to be used in the shoot.
· It is perfect to feed your baby 2/3 hours prior to arriving so you can feed again upon arrival to the session, also, it is advised to keep baby stimulated at least one hour prior to the shoot. We always take up to 30 minutes prior to the session to get baby feed, settled and comfortable.
· Remember parents, this could take some time. We normally leave up to 2 hours for each newborn session to deal with any little melt downs that may occur. Now we may get everything completed within 1-hour but it is always better to be safe rather than sorry! Also remember, the studio will be very warm, wear layers so you can layer-off if you start to overheat. Babies need warmth, especially hen they are exposed or wrapped.
· We have a breast-feeding safe zone in studio so do not fear!
· And most importantly – enjoy these precious moments. You may get frustrated and upset that baby will not settle at first, - but for 5 minutes of radio silence, you would be surprised what beautiful imagery we can create!!
More To Come…!!!
