Timing Counts. Get Booked in Early!!
It’s over. The pregnancy, the birth, you’re exhausted, have brought home you’re little bundle of joy and
are starting to get settled at home with babe. You’re probably not getting a lot of sleep, could still be a
little nervous, but in the grand scheme of things life is pretty good. You just welcomed a wonderful
addition to your family and are blessed to have him or her. Then it hits you. Your little one is so cute!!!
You need to capture some memories. You reach out to me looking to book. I respond back and you
either get I’ll see what I can do to squeeze you in or a very sympathetic sorry but unfortunately I’m
booked solid. It breaks my heart when I have to send that response. What I find many new moms don’t
understand is the timeline for newborn photography. I offer two session types each of which have their
own separate timelines.
By far the most popular session is the studio newborn sessions. This is the session when we can do
wrapped and naked poses with various props. We dress babe up in the cutest little outfits and pose
them to provide the most adorable shots. Capture those little pinky toes, their beautiful faces and the
odd butt shot cause hey, baby butts are really cute!!! Being in studio I have complete control over the
lighting and can make things look so so nice. But here’s the catch. Babe needs to sleep. Don’t stress I
have lots of tricks. We warm the space up, keep mom nice and close and keep a calm relaxing setting. If you need to feed the little one we take breaks to do so. What I have found is equally important though
is getting these sessions shot in the first two weeks after the birth. The 7 – 10 day old window is the
sweet spot. At this age the vast majority of babies are spending a good deal of time sleeping still. As
they get older they gradually spend more time awake which means our odds of having a baby that
sleeps through the session decrease. Because we are dealing with such a narrow time window last
minute booking often just don’t work.
The second session type for newborn photos is the lifestyle in home session. These are shot in your
home. They are very much photos of your family as you interact and welcome your new bundle of joy
home. I get a selection of shots of babe on their own in a place in your home that’s nice. Maybe their
crib or on a nice piece of furniture like your bed or your couch. If there is something or someone special we ensure it / they are incorporated into the session. We take lots of shots of mom and / or dad
cuddling with babe and also get sibling shots in with brother or sister getting to know the families
newest addition. Timing is less critical for this session type as we aren’t focused exclusively on babe and aren’t looking for them to stay still with eyes closed in a pose like we do in studio. I do recommend
trying to get them done in the first month after birth so you capture babe when they are still small (they
change and grow so fast), but we have some flexibility if your schedule dictates it’s necessary. Mid to
late morning is the best time for these sessions to start as we get good light into a home from the sun.
By setting aside the time mid-morning it also ensures you have time dedicated to the session where you can relax and just enjoy the experience.
So now we understand the timelines, but when is baby going to arrive? You probably have a due date,
but what if babe comes early, or delivers late? I’ve had lots of clients tell me I didn’t want to schedule
cause of this fear that babe wouldn’t come on time. Being a newborn photographer I expect some
juggling to occur. We select a tentative session date based on your due date. If it’s your second or third
baby and you know you always deliver early or late we can discuss that and book accordingly. I find a lot of babies come pretty close to their due dates, but if baby comes and the timing doesn’t align with what was booked we adjust as needed. Big thing is communication. Please let me know when babe has arrived. If there was any issues or is any ongoing health concerns with baby please also tell me that. We need to always follow doctor’s orders. For the studio sessions it’s an expectation that I may have to adjust the timing some for early or late deliveries. I purposely limit the number of sessions in my
calendar on any given week to ensure I have the space to accommodate these adjustments. Studio
sessions are shot Monday through Friday with a mid-morning start (9:30 am is a typical start time). I do
avoid weekends as this is the one time in life that parents can get time off of work with no issues. I’d
never see my kids if I started into regular weekend newborn sessions. So if your babe is delivered later
or early don’t stress. You will be given a couple dates to pick from to re-schedule to. Bottom line here is
get booked in early well ahead of your due date. I recommend booking anytime after you know your
pregnant, but no later than three months before your due date. My schedule books up and I hate saying no. Early bird gets the worm in this instance.
So now you did everything right. You booked early, you let me know if babe came early, late or on time,
you let me know of any concerns with babe from the doctor and your session date has now arrived. It’s
a day to relax. Enjoy the experience. I will have sent you a questionnaire ahead of time to attain your
preferences so I’m prepared and things will go well. Your job is to relax and have fun. A happy relaxed
mom leads to a happy relaxed babe. Babies pick up on your mood and react accordingly. We will take
the time it takes to get the session in (typically 3 - 4 hours) and will create some beautiful art for you to
cherish. Let me be the one worrying about making the session go right. Your job is to relax and have
fun.
