Thank you for choosing me as your newborn photographer. I look forward to meeting your new addition and creating some wonderful memories for you. In order to ensure a successful session, please carefully read through the following information and try to follow it the best you can.

My studio address is 115 W Eighth St Rincon, GA 31326.

What to Expect

Your session starts at the time it is scheduled for so please do your best to be on time. Should you be late it will result in less poses/set-ups and in turn less images for you. If you are more than 20 mins late for the session I do have the right to cancel as per the contract you signed. Newborn sessions generally last between 2.5 – 3 hours so please plan for that. The studio will be VERY warm in order to keep your baby comfortable and sleeping. Please dress in layers so that you don’t get too hot. Bottled water will be provided but please also feel free to bring your own refreshments. I try to emulate a ‘womb’ like environment for your baby to keep them calm and soothed so I will have white noise playing loudly in the studio.

Please know that babies pee and poop on everything and you don’t need to worry. Everything is washable however I ask that you please bring extra wipes and at least 5 receiving blankets for such incidences. It is also a good idea to bring a change of clothes for yourself incase baby has an accident on you during feeding.

As my studio doesn’t have a lot of seating room and is kept VERY warm, I kindly ask that you do not bring extra family members/friends with you to the session who are not involved with the shoot.

It is recommended that you avoid scheduling doctor appointments or any other appointments on the morning of your session as this can disrupt or agitate baby if they are in and out of the car, especially if they are being poked and prodded by a Dr prior to arriving at the studio. Please also avoid having visitors to your home before you leave. The more relaxed you can keep baby before your session the better.

What to do before you arrive

About and hour before you have to leave to come to the studio please try to keep baby awake and alert as best you can via stimulation & playtime (baths work great). Interact with them as much as possible so that we are not spending too much time getting them to sleep when you arrive. Let your baby fall asleep in the car on the way to the studio. Please don’t get your baby out of the car seat and feed in the car before you come in as it may disturb them from sleep. Should baby still be awake when you arrive, I will get them out of the car seat, undress them and pass them back to you for a top-up should they need it.

Ensure baby has a VERY full belly for the session. It is advised to feed baby about 20 – 30 mins before you leave to come to the studio. Should your baby need a top up after I have gotten them undressed then I will have you feed a little bit more. Please bring extra bottles of formula and/or pumped breast milk to help fill up baby faster and get them into a sound sleep even if you are not bottle feeding. If breast feeding, please try to avoid eating the following foods 24 hours prior to the session as it may upset baby’s tummy: Spicy or gassy food (such as broccoli, beans etc), heavy dairy, caffeine & chocolate. If your baby has a tendency to be gassy then please bring gripe water or oval drops with you. **PLEASE DO NOT DRINK COFFEE ON THE MORNING OF YOUR SESSION IF YOU ARE BREASTFEEDING**

Dress baby in just a loose fitting button or zip up sleeper (no layers underneath please). Please do not dress baby in a onesie or anything that has to be pulled over the head to be removed. When you arrive at the studio please leave baby in the car seat. I will take the car seat from you and start preparing baby right away. During the session I will take care of your baby if he/she gets fussy or starts to wake up as I have many soothing techniques that will help settle baby down, I try to allow very little handling with the parents during the session as it can often make baby more irritable especially if they can smell ‘mommy’.

What to bring

Please bring the following: Extra bottles, wipes, 5 receiving blankets, gripe water/oval drops (if your baby is gassy) and a pacifier (very important). Even if you aren’t planning to use a pacifier, I still request you bring one as this could make or break your session. The short amount of time we will be using one will not affect any habit-forming behaviours for your baby. My goal is to help keep baby happy and calm during your session and is only used if assistance is needed to capture certain poses.

If you are wishing to have family photos done with your new baby, please wear a black or white tank top or equivalent and have Dad wear a plain black or white t-shirt (short sleeves please). Siblings should also wear a plain black or white top with no logos/motifs (Girls can wear a denim or white dress, keep as simple as possible). Due to the nature of the session workflow, we will do family shots and sibling towards the end of the shoot so that we get all of the beanbag poses and props done first while baby is sound asleep and full at the beginning. I don’t advise doing family photos at the start of the session as baby can get agitated from being passed around and can wake up and then become fussy with posing.

If you are bringing an older sibling to the studio is it advised that you bring someone who can take them out for a little while until we are ready for the sibling/family shots. The studio is very warm and in past experiences, siblings, specifically toddlers, can be a distraction if they are running around while we are trying to settle an awake or fussy newborn. As toddlers are very busy and still adjusting to a new baby in the home, most won’t want to lay down next to their new sibling for a photo, so please be prepared for that.

I have a variety of props, headbands and hats that fit within my style to use during the session. If there is something significant that you would like photographed, I will be happy to do that at the end.

I will go through various poses during the session. I will try my very best to get every pose and prop possible with your baby however some babies just don’t like certain poses. Should your newborn be uncooperative then I will move onto some simpler posing/props. A re-shoot will only be offered should your baby not settle at all and I feel I haven’t gotten enough images.

Your images will be ready about approximately three weeks after the session date.  If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me prior to your scheduled newborn session.