As you get ready for your Hershey Newborn Photography Session, there is a lot going on! You are getting ready to give birth and welcome a new baby into your home. Whether this is your first baby or your third, there are a lot of feelings and emotions!
My goal with this blog post is to help you feel ready and confident as you enter this season of motherhood. Keep reading below for my best newborn photography tips!
Book Your Hershey Newborn Photography Session In Advance
With all of the things you have to prepare before your baby comes, stressing about photography should not be on your to-do list! The sooner you book your photographer, the sooner you can check that off. Planning in advance means you can already figure out what you should wear and what the rest of your family should wear. That way you aren’t racing to Target the night before! I love to give guidance and help with styling advice – so let me take that off of your plate! You also have access to my Client Closet. Having all of that planned and ready to go before your baby arrives – takes so much stress off of your plate. I like to hop on a quick call a few weeks before and chat about the session experience and to answer any questions that you have. If you wait until after your baby arrives, not only are you trying to research photographers and plan outfits at the last minute (highly stressful!) – but the photographer you want to work with may not be available. Most newborn photographers (myself included!) take on a limited number of newborn photography sessions each month. With the flexible nature of due dates, I have to leave enough flexibility to accommodate all of my clients that month. So when a month is full – I am full and can’t add any additional sessions.
If you wait until after your baby arrives, not only are you trying to research photographers and plan outfits at the last minute – but the photographer you want to work with may not be available.
Ask Your Hershey Newborn Photographer For Advice
Not only am I the expert on how to work a camera – but I also know all about the best times to shoot during the day, tips to help your toddler enjoy their session, and when to feed your newborn. I love to give you advice and help you feel comfortable and prepared! I send over a guide for you to look through and we hop on a call a few weeks before as well. I want to make sure that you have no questions, concerns or stress as we plan your session! If you’re unsure on which room we should use, or what exactly matches outfit wise, just let me know. I’d love to give you my opinion!
Prep Your Other Children For Their Hershey Newborn Photography Session
If this isn’t your first baby, you’ve learned the wisdom of talking about and prepping your toddler or small child in advance. Most children do better when they have some sort of conversation leading up to the day. Let them know that I am coming over to take their picture so it can hang on the wall above the couch. Tell them that we just get to hang out and play during their session and that it will be lots of fun! However your children prepare best for a new situation is how you should prep them! My daughter does very well with social stories (and I’ve created one here for you!) and lots of conversations leading up to the day.
Prep Your Newborn For Their Hershey Newborn Photography Session
All of my sessions as a Hershey newborn photographer are baby-led. This means that we follow your baby’s cues! If we need to take a break to feed or change a diaper – we absolutely can. I do recommend feeding baby 30 minutes before I arrive for the best results. But we know babies will be babies – so if they need another feed or anything else, that’s ok. That will in no way ruin the session 🙂 Feeding your baby before and having them dressed and ready to go, means we can start as soon as I arrive! If you still need a few minutes to get ready yourself (or need to figure which dress from the Client Closet you want to wear), I can start with just your baby. Since we follow their cues, I can be flexible on what I photograph first. Sometimes babies are totally asleep and I can start with some solo shots, other times, they are fussy and need to be held first. If that’s the case, we can start with your whole family, and they might fall asleep as we shoot. There is no pressure here! You are still learning your baby, and I don’t judge that at all! Being a mom of 3 myself, I have been there! I am not critiquing you based on how well your baby feeds or long it takes you to calm them down. This is just a warm, safe session for you to cuddle with your newborn and to enjoy spending time as a family.
As a mom of three myself, I don’t critique or judge anything about you, your baby or your parenting. You and your baby are still learning each other!
Just Relax For Your Hershey Newborn Photography Session
This leads to my next point! The best piece of advice I can give to you is to just enjoy this time. So often we are running around with a to-do list and we don’t get to just sit and cuddle and play with our kids without feeling like we need to get something done! The more you relax and connect with your kids – the better your photos will turn out! This is not the time to discipline or correct them. Keep things happy and light – and they are not “bad” for not listening during our photo session. They are just excited (or shy!) and it’s something new for them. Just play and engage with them, and I’ll make sure everyone is doing what they need to do!
If this sounds like the kind of relaxed and authentic newborn session you’d like to have, let me know! I’d love to work with you!
