Simply Timeless Photography Newborn Session Guide
Congratulations on your pregnancy and thank you for booking your Newborn session with Simply Timeless Photography! Newborn Sessions are Sarah's joy, and as one of her main passions in photography has spent countless hours perfecting her craft and has even taken a specialist newborn workshop to learn how to photograph such young babies safely so you can know with confidence that your little one is in safe, knowing hands.
Booking
Once you have filled in your booking form and paid your retainer fee, we put you in our diary in the week of your due date. This is because of babies typically come on their own schedule, not yours! As soon as your little bundle of joy has arrived and you are able to contact us we can then set up your firm session date. Newborns are best captured within their first two weeks as they are still very sleepy and can be easily posed. Please don’t worry if your little one is older as newborn-style images can be taken beyond this, though baby may be more wakeful and curl up less.
Once your session is booked we can then talk about what you expect out of it. Let us know beforehand if there are certain poses, looks, colours, or props you particularly like or anything you have seen us do before that you dislike.
How to prepare
Newborns are best photographed when sleepy and on a full belly, so in the hour or so before the session please try to keep your little one awake as much as possible. In addition for a full session please try to schedule a feed for when you arrive at the studio or just before you leave the house, so they will be sleepy, full, and ready to go into the deep sleep that allows those special newborn poses. If this isn’t possible please don’t worry, we have time to stop at any time during the session for little one to feed.
We ask that you bring your little one wearing loose-fitting clothes so they create no marks and nothing that needs to be pulled over the head as this could cause your little one distress or to wake up if already asleep.
What to Bring
We ask that you bring extra milk for the baby if using formula or you are expressing and anything else you would normally bring when taking your baby out for longer periods of time i.e. nappies, wipes, muslin cloths, etc.
If parents want images with their little one we suggest wearing simple, neutral, and comfortable clothing free of distracting patterns, logos, and colours (like neons) for these shots as well as having your hair, nails, and makeup as normal. It is also a good idea to bring a change of clothes as accidents can happen!
If you wish to bring any of your own items please let us know in advance so we are able to plan for them and ask that you limit these items, if too many items are brought they may dominate the session and not allow the signature images we normally create.
Session
Our full newborn sessions typically take between two and three hours. Due to this, all newborn sessions are scheduled in the morning, around ten. We do not spend the whole time shooting as your little one sets the pace of the session. Much of the time is spent switching blankets and props, getting the baby fed or cleaning up little messes, and soothing your newborn into poses.
We ask that only the parents attend the session with their little one(s), however, we are happy to allow others such as a grandparent as the 2nd adult.
In the studio, we have a posing bed and a number of pillows so we can achieve a wide variety of different poses. We also have a number of blankets, hats, headbands, and props ready for you when you arrive.
Siblings
If you have older children and would like sibling and family images we are more than happy to accommodate them during a session. We do ask that siblings either only attend the beginning of the session when possible or that you bring some items and snacks along to entertain them as the session can be quite long.
We can also offer a free mini-family session after school on a Friday or on a Saturday (depending on availability) if you would prefer to do a separate session to get images with older siblings. This is a much less stressful option as there won't be the need to make additional travel arrangements or keep your other children entertained through the newborn session. If you would like this option please let us know as soon as possible as we need to ensure we can fit you in.
