How To Prepare For Your Newborn Portrait Session | Clarksburg, Maryland Newborn Photography
Congratulations on your booking your newborn portrait session. You’ll be so glad that you booked this time to create timeless, beautiful portraits for your family. In this blog post we’ll talk about tips to prepare for your newborn portrait session.
The first thing to consider is where you’d like to be photographed. I have a home studio but have also traveled to my client’s home. There are pros and cons to each one so let’s take a look at what’s involved in each.
In Studio Portrait Sessions
I really prefer to shoot in my home studio. My studio is located in Clarksburg, Maryland just north of the high school. The biggest benefit to having your session here is that I have complete control over the lighting. I use studio lights with very large softboxes that are easy on everyone’s eyes. I know how the light bounces around in here and have learned how to control it to make sure every portrait is perfectly lit.
The second pro to using this space is you don’t need to do house cleaning! No need to worry about the chaos that having a newborn can bring. You can come to my studio, sit back and relax. I’ll have a spot in the driveway for you to park, water, and snacks to have during your session. This space is great for portraits that really focus on the intimacy between you, your baby, and your family.
In-Home Newborn Portrait Sessions
An in-home session allows you to have your session in the comfort of your own home. If you’ve taken the time to create the perfect nursery this is a great way to include your beautiful nursery in your portraits. I like to focus on rooms like your master bedroom, the baby nursery, and the living room. These rooms are often larger and have nice natural light.
One thing to consider when having a session in your home is natural light. I bring my own lighting but love to blend my lighting with window light. So keep track of what rooms get the best light and when.
No matter where we photograph your session my sessions are always lifestyle, meaning we focus more on beautiful moments and connections and less on posing. I don’t overdo the posing, so if you’re hesitant because you think you’re not good in front of a camera, no worries, I got your back and will coach you every step of the way.
What To Wear For Your Newborn Portraits
I always recommend soft neutral colors for your wardrobe. If you have some light pastel colors those work great. This keeps the focus on the sweet moments that unfold during a session and not on the 1984 striped shirt you have.
For your wardrobe aim for comfort and flexibility. Flowy fabrics are great for any kind of movement in your photos. Jeans are great with a nice blouse or button-down shirt. Women often come in wearing leggings with a nice blouse or flowy shirt.
Avoid watches or larger pieces of jewelry. Women, make sure that nail polish is either off or fresh. It’s an easy detail to look over as a busy new mom. Avoid any bright colors or crazy patterns.
For your baby, simple neutral onesies are best. Bring whatever outfits you have that you want them to be photographed in. This is a good time to think about the swaddles you have that you want to include as well. Try to avoid shirts or outfits with cute sayings on them, or pictures of animals. Make sure that your babies hands and feet are not covered in the out fit. Those make such great detail photos.
What To Expect From Your Newborn Session
My sessions generally take 1-1.5 hours depending on the number of people that will join in, and the number of outfits you’d like to be photographed in.
Try to feed your baby just before the session so we get some great sleepy photos. That being said, if your baby just won’t sleep during the session, no problem, we’ll photograph them awake! Make sure you bring extra onesies and diapers, extra milk, and a bottle.
The best time to take newborn portraits is within 1-2 weeks of their birthday. This helps ensure that they are pretty sleepy. And, again, if they don’t sleep it’s no problem, all my sessions are lifestyle so we focus more on moments that pose.
So, if you’re ready to book a session with me or have questions, hit the contact button below and reach out. I’m glad to answer any questions you might have.