How to prepare for a newborn photography session in your home...

•  PATIENCE IS KEY!
  Newborn sessions can last anywhere from 1-3 hours. It all depends on baby’s mood and willingness to sleep. Unfortunately… this isn’t something we can predict! We ask that everyone remain calm, should he/she not want to sleep, since your baby will pick up on any frustration in the room. And if  sleep doesn’t happen, that’s okay! Wide-eyed newborn photos are beautiful too. MOST babies take a while to fall asleep, which is why we've found that doing the following will help make the most peaceful session.

• Lighting 
  Please open all of the blinds and curtains in your home to enable us to find the best source of natural light in your home, so that we can set up our “mini studio” in the best possible location. Nothing flatters like natural light, so we prefer to use it whenever possible.
  For this reason, sessions are normally done mid-morning to late-afternoon when window lighting is as its best.
  When we arrive, we’ll walk through your home looking for the best light and that is where we’ll do a majority of the shoot. Sometimes the best location ends up being a foyer, by the backdoor or kitchen…usually wherever there is a large window.
  We’ll also bring additional lighting equipment to help out when needed.

• Warmth Matters
  We recommend that you keep your home a bit warmer than normal during the session.
  Newborns are used to being all bundled up, warm + cozy…and then we come in and yank off all their clothes for those adorable naked baby shots. This can be a little bit of a shock to them!
  Pushing up the thermostat is guaranteed to make the session flow more smoothly and help them sleep better. We may be sweating, but baby will be nice and warm…and that’s really all that matters!
  Crank the heat 30 minutes before our session to ensure that it’s warm enough in time for the clothes yanking…and we’ll can bring along a space heater to help keep baby in a steady warmth.
  Bonus points if you’re willing to make a few back and forth trips to the dryer to keep baby’s blankets warm! They love that!

•  Easy-off clothes
  Please loosen your baby’s diaper and clothing at least 30 minutes before the session. This gives those little imprint marks time to disappear. (You baby will be naked in some of the shots, but we pose them tastefully so that you can't see anything inappropriate.)

• Sleeping is bestMost of the images we’ll be shooting work best if the baby is in a deep sleep. To encourage this, we recommend that you do whatever it takes to make sure baby is nice and exhausted. Keeping your little one awake on top of your own sleep deprivation might feel like torture, but we think it will be worth it in the end!

•  Hungry?
  A well fed baby is a happy baby... Please feed and burp baby right before our session to ensure a happy, sleepy (“milk drunk”) baby. We’ll also be more than happy to take as many breaks as needed to help him/her re-fuel. 

•  VOLUME CONTROL!
  Please do whatever you can to keep the noise level to a minimum during our session. If you have other children that might create noise, try to find a sitter or family member to help them stay relaxed during the shoot. If you have children and would like them to be included in some photos, we recommend bringing them in at the beginning or end of a session and then having someone watch them, or put them down for a nap.