How Do I Prepare for my Newborn Photoshoot?
Plan Ahead
A photoshoot is a big day for anyone, but its a huge day for your newborn!
Photoshoots can be complicated so making sure to plan ahead would minimize chances of running into any complications.
It’s ideal to plan your newborn photoshoot before or as soon as your little one arrives. Babies grow so fast, and if your want your photoshoot to have a “newborn” look, a few weeks after
Some newborn photoshoots also take place in the hospital, or place of birth. You can work with your photographer so that they can be available around your expected time of birth.
Be Patient
As usually on a big day everything that can go wrong, will be very likely to go wrong. So plan to have patience. I have worked with babies who were known to sleep through any noise and then had a hard time staying asleep during the photoshoot. On the contrary, I’ve also had babies who never sleep fast asleep the entire photoshoot. But this photoshoot is their’s and we will do our best to work together on your baby’s terms.
My goal is to follow your baby’s lead. If your baby needs a break, we take a break. I say plan for 2 whole hours extra for your newborn photoshoot. We would likely not use all that extra time but it is good to have a time buffer in between this photoshoot and your next scheduled appointment or task, just in case the photoshoot runs overtime.
Prep Your Baby
It’s best to keep your baby awake as much as possible during the day to get them to be tired during the photoshoot. Start feeding your baby extra milk a couple hours before the photoshoot shoot. This ensures a full tired baby during the shoot.
If your photoshoot is not a your house, bring a few items from home that remind your baby of the comfort they are used to. Blankets, pillows pacifiers, or a soothing playlist your baby likes are all things that might help to bring.
If you are just doing a newborn shoot it is best to arrange to keep extra family members at home, or occupied otherwise. This would help minimize distractions that might steal your baby’s attention. If part of your photoshoot is with other family members, see if you can arrange for them to arrive when that part of the shoot starts. Or even better, see if it can be scheduled on a separate day.