Today I have a guest post from the lovely Chantele – blogger at Two Hearts One Roof and photographer at Cross-Jones Photography. She is sharing her hints and tips for newborn photography, and how to capture those precious moments.
Hello all! Chantele here from Two Hearts One Roof , first I want to say a quick thank you to Kate for letting me hijack her blog today. For those of you who don’t know me I run Two Hearts with my hubby Jon and we also run a photography company called Cross-Jones Photography . We specialise in weddings and gorgeous tiny newborns! Kate asked me if I would write a post about newborn photography for you all today so I thought I would give you some tips on how to prepare for your newborn shoot and some ideas of what you should expect during your shoot.
Why and when you should have your newborn photographed?
Your little one will grow so so fast in the first year of his or her life, and they will only be that tiny for a very short space of time. So many of the families we work with tell us that they don’t remember their son or daughter being a baby by the time they are 1 year old, so our cute photos are really important to them. We advise you schedule your newborn shoot in when your little one is 5-14 days old, at this age they are at their sleepiest, so are easy to manoeuvre and pose for the photographs. Most newborn photographers will take bookings from your 12 week scan and pencil you in to a few weeks block. Obviously you cant know your exact birth date (unless you are scheduled a c-section) but most will only take on a certain amount per month.
What to expect from your newborn photoshoot
If you book a photographer like us we come to your home, we found that many new parents just didn’t want to be leaving home and having to pack up all the items that are needed for a newborn, so this way you can be more relaxed, baby is calmer, you are calmer and everything is just a bit easier.
We bring a selection of baskets, blankets and props with us and we schedule 3 hours for the shoot, so we have plenty of time for feeds and changes. The shoot is dictated by your newborn, you can’t force a baby to sleep (although we have secret methods to get them off!), and you can’t stop them from needing a feed or a change. We are often told we have the patience of saints because we don’t get stressed if after an hour we still haven’t taken even 1 photo because the little one just doesn’t want to go down. We’re happy to wait, because it will be worth it in the end. The best thing is for you to just keep calm as your energy will rub off on your little one.
If the photographer does nude photos of your little one don’t panic too much about them peeing, pooping or being sick, believe me us seasoned pros are more than used to it! 🙂 It happens all the time and it all washes out!
Tips for preparing for your newborn shoot
Now not all photographers will work the same way we do, but here are our tips.
- We need a plain wall or clear space to shoot against or set up our backdrop against. Don’t worry if you have pictures hanging or plug sockets we can usually deal with these. Plus we often shift around peoples furniture so don’t worry if the only wall you have is behind your sofa! (and no one hoovers under their sofa so don’t freak out when we move it and there is lots of dust)
- A sleepy baby. Like I said we can’t dictate when a baby is going to sleep but there are plenty of ways we can make the process easier. Aim to feed and change the baby just before we arrive, and if possible have them just in a nappy (wrapped in a blanket to keep them warm) so you don’t wake them up by removing their baby grow right at the start. We are big fans of milk induced naps so don’t worry too much about feeding them little and often throughout the shoot as it will often keep them asleep.
- Try to keep the amount of people in your home during the shoot to a minimum, having extra people shifting around when we are trying to work is a distraction, not to us but to the baby. If there are more people in the room, it is more likely the baby will be disturbed during its sleep.
Lastly I want to say a quick thing about choosing the right newborn photographer for you. Good newborn photographers aren’t cheap, they produce high quality photos and have the experience on how to handle your baby in the safest way. Look for a photographer who’s work you love and who has a back catalogue of other shoots you can see. Check out their testimonials for what past parents have to say, or ask your friends for any recommendations they have. Make sure you know exactly what end product you are getting and what the price is for their packages.
Finally, enjoy the experience! Your little one will look so cute posed in a basket, you may even shed a tear.
If you’d like to see anymore of our work check out our website (Cross-Jones Photography) or Facebook Page (Cross-Jones Photography)
A huge thank you to Chantele for sharing these amazing tips! Have any of you had a newborn photoshoot? How did you find the experience?
