Before your big day of newborn photos, let’s talk about how to prepare yourself and your home for the best, most stress-free session possible. I know, you just had a baby and I’m asking to come into your home to take photos. I’m sure you think I’m a little crazy, but I promise, it’s worth it.
First, think about the rooms you want in photographs.
Did you make a beautiful nursery? Let’s take newborn photos in it! Especially as a military family, it can be hard to decorate a nursery you know you’ll only use for a year or two before moving again. If you’ve decorated one, let’s make sure to include it. If you didn’t, that’s fine too! We can be very flexible about your session. This should be as stress-free as possible.
We’re probably going to do some family shots in your master bedroom. The bed is a great place to get family shots and make sure everyone has room to be comfortable.
If you have other children, siblings love to show off their bedrooms. Your photo session is welcoming your baby, but it’s also a chance to capture your whole family in beautiful photographs. We may do some photos of the new big brother or sister in their bedroom as well.
Second, think about the light in the rooms you want photographs in.
Do you have large windows? Are the rooms painted dark colors? Are all the windows facing different directions? If your room is exceptionally dark, I will have artificial lighting with me, but natural light is always best.
If your master bedroom window is facing East, and your nursery window is facing West, but the nursery is the most important to you, we can plan your session in the afternoon. Sessions are usually planned for around 9:30-10:00am, which allows everyone to be more fresh for the day and a little less frazzled. But don’t worry about it, we will get every room that is important to you, whether that is with natural light or otherwise.
If your rooms are painted darker colors or very bold colors, you may have “color cast,” where the color reflects from the paint onto your skin and around you. While I will do my best to correct the way this appears in your photos, you may prefer those photos in black & white.
Third, plan your clothing for your session.
Everyone thinks this is the most stressful part of having a photo session, and it can be, but you don’t have to let it. For timeless photographs, choose light, neutral colors within the same color family. Texture in your clothing photographs beautifully. Avoid poplin cotton and fabrics that wrinkle easily, or anything with very bold patterns or colors.
Most importantly, dress in what you’re comfortable and confident in. If you’ve never worn anything like that outfit in your life, and you feel self-conscious in it, it will show. Lastly, you don’t want to look back on these photos in 10 years and say, “what was I thinking? I never wore things like that.”
Fourth, clean your home for your session.
Okay, sounds daunting, I know. But mainly, make your bed, de-clutter the tops of your dressers and nightstands, and clean up any areas you want photos in. If you’re planning to use your master bedroom, don’t shove everything in there to get it out of sight. But you don’t have to go crazy. If I notice anything that will look off in photographs, I will move it. We will have a beautiful session.
Lastly, enjoy your session.
This time goes by way too quickly. Before you know it, this will be a distant memory. We will have a fun, somewhat chaotic (because isn’t life always), and memorable session. For more information about what happens during your session, read this post.
