There are so many things I hear from new mums before they come to the studio for their newborn photoshoot, and quite often they’re worried about things that really don’t need worrying about.
They’ll tell me they haven’t slept much, they don’t feel like themselves yet, they’re not sure what to wear or they’re worried that their baby won’t sleep for the photos. Sometimes they’re worried about all of those things at once, and I completely understand why.
You’ve just had a baby. Your whole world has changed in a matter of weeks, you’re probably surviving on broken sleep and you’re expected to somehow leave the house with everything you and your newborn might possibly need.
It can feel a little overwhelming.
So, before you come to the studio, there are a few things I’d really love you to know.
You don’t need to look perfect
I think this is one of the biggest worries for new mums, particularly when you’ve spent months looking at beautiful newborn photographs online and wondering how everyone else seems to have it so together.
You might have your hair done and put on an outfit that makes you feel lovely, or you might arrive in leggings because they’re the only thing that feel comfortable at the moment. Both are absolutely fine with me.
I’m not expecting you to walk through the door looking like you haven’t just had a baby.
In fact, I don’t want you worrying about that at all.
You’ve just done something pretty incredible, and I think there’s something really lovely about photographs that show you as you actually were during this little part of your life, rather than trying to create some perfectly polished version of it.
If you want a little bit of hair and make-up done before you come, go for it. If you don’t, please don’t give it another thought.
And if you’re wondering whether dry shampoo counts, I’m firmly in the yes camp and even have a bottle on hand at the studio if you need it.
Your baby doesn’t have to sleep
This is probably the question I’m asked most often!
“What happens if the baby doesn’t sleep?”
Nothing, I promise! Some babies sleep for most of their session and some are far more interested in what’s going on around them. Some need feeding several times, some want to be held and some seem determined to make sure we all know that they have absolutely no intention of following the plan.
That’s newborn life…!
I never want you to feel as though your baby is somehow making the photoshoot difficult because they’re awake or unsettled. We simply follow their lead and give them whatever they need.
If they’re hungry, we stop for a feed. If they need a cuddle, they get a cuddle. If they need a little bit of time to settle, we have that time. There’s no clock ticking away in the background and no pressure to get through a certain number of photographs.
The newborn photoshoot is built around your baby, which means there’s really no need to worry about what they might or might not do on the day.
You don’t need to know how to pose
If you’ve never had photographs like this taken before, you might wonder what on earth you’re supposed to do once you’re in front of the camera.
You don’t need to know.
I’ll guide you through everything, including where to sit, where to put your hands and how to hold your baby so that you feel comfortable rather than like you’re trying to copy something you’ve seen on Instagram.
There will also be plenty of moments where I’m not really asking you to do anything at all.
You might be looking down at your baby, cuddling them on the sofa or simply watching them while they’re in your arms, and those are often some of my favourite photographs because they feel completely natural.
You’re not performing for the camera, you’re just being mum.
If you have a toddler, they don’t have to behave perfectly either
This one is worth mentioning because I know how much pressure parents can put on themselves when they have an older child coming along.
You might spend the morning telling them how important it is to be gentle with the baby and hoping they’re going to be on their very best behaviour for the photographs.
And then they arrive and immediately decide that today is the day they’re going to test every single boundary.
Please don’t panic.
I’ve photographed plenty of toddlers and have two of my own, I know they don’t always do what we’ve asked them to do.
They might adore their new baby one minute and then be far more interested in what’s happening outside the window the next. They might want a cuddle, then decide they’d rather run around, then come back for another cuddle five minutes later.
It doesn’t matter..!
Some of the most precious sibling photographs come from those completely unplanned moments, because they capture their relationship as it really is rather than a perfectly posed version of it.
You can feed your baby as often as you need to
Never apologise for stopping photos to feed your baby.
Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, if your baby is hungry, we stop.
There’s no such thing as wasting time during a newborn session. Feeding, changing, cuddling and settling your baby are all part of the morning, and I’ve allowed plenty of time for exactly that.
Sometimes it’s actually the best thing that can happen because once baby has had a lovely feed and a cuddle, they’re ready to settle again and we can carry on.
And while you’re feeding them, I’ll make you a cup of tea.
Because there are some things I can’t fix, but I can at least make sure you have a decent cup of tea.
You don’t have to be comfortable in front of the camera
I hear this one a lot too.
“I hate having my photograph taken.”
You definitely aren’t alone if that’s how you feel, and you don’t suddenly have to become comfortable with being photographed because you’ve booked a newborn session.
I’ll guide you throughout the photographs so you’re never left wondering what you’re supposed to be doing, but I also want the photographs to feel like you.
There will be some where you’re looking at the camera, but lots where you’re simply looking at your baby or your partner, and those are often the photographs that feel the most like you when you look back at them.
The aim isn’t to make you into someone who loves having their photograph taken.
It’s to give you photographs of this time in your life that you’ll be so glad you have.
You really don’t need to have everything figured out
If there’s one thing I wish every new mum knew before coming to the studio, it’s that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you arrive.
You don’t need to know exactly what you want from the photographs, you don’t need to have a perfectly sleeping baby and you certainly don’t need to feel like you’ve suddenly become an expert at being a mum.
You can arrive tired, you can arrive with a baby who needs feeding, you can arrive feeling a little bit overwhelmed, I don’t mind at all how you come.
My job is to make the morning feel easy for you, to give you somewhere calm to sit down and enjoy your baby for a little while, and to take care of the photographs while you’re busy being their mum.
One day you’ll look back at these photographs and remember how small they were, how they fitted so perfectly into your arms and how you could sit for ages just watching them sleep.
I think that’s why these photographs matter so much – they aren’t about getting the perfect photograph, they’re about remembering what it felt like to have them this little.
So please don’t worry about coming to your newborn photoshoot and having everything perfectly under control. Just bring yourself, your baby and as many nappies as you think you might possibly need.
I’ll take care of the rest.
So if this sounds like a bit of you, I’d love to make it happen!
