What to expect from the newborn session by Susan Hennessey
I love photographing newborns, there is something so special about capturing a sweet newborn baby within their first few days of life and I am so honored that you have chosen me to do it! I hope you find my blog post, what to expect from the newborn session to be helpful!
When should the session take place?
I prefer to photograph newborns during their first two weeks of life, but if you have a premie or NICU baby we can schedule the session based off when the baby is discharged from the hospital.
How To Prep Your Baby:
In the perfect world, your newborn will sleep peacefully throughout the whole session but that likely won’t be the case! A few tips to prepare your newborn for the session are to try not give a full feeding for three hours before your session, I suggest giving them a big feed right before you leave so that they are nice and sleepy by the time you arrive at my studio. Before leaving your home, try your best to keep the baby awake as much as possible. When dressing your baby for the session, please dress them in an outfit that zips or buttons in the front, please do your best to avoid an outfit that needs to be pulled over their head. While I have everything needed for the session regarding wraps, blankets, props and headbands/hats, please bring anything else the baby may need for a few hours such as diapers, wipes, formula and a pacifier. If you are bottle feeding, please bring extra.
How long is the session?
I usually set aside 2-3 hours for the newborn session. This gives baby time to feed, diaper changes and time to soothe. Expect to feed your baby at least 1-2 times (sometimes more if they’re cluster feeding) during the session. Additionally, please make sure you have enough formula or bottles if you’re bottle feeding.
Styling The Session:
Before the session, I send the parents a questionnaire and from there, they get to choose a main color for me to use for the session as well as an accent color. I love neutral white/cream sessions but also love a pop of color!
Family & Sibling Photos:
I feel as though your first family photos with your precious newborn are so important, which is why I have created a spot in my studio for these. Siblings are welcome and portraits of your new newborn with their older siblings melt my heart every time!
Examples of Props:
I love styling newborn sessions and because of this, I am constantly buying new props. One of my favorite websites is Hello Little Props and I have several of their props, backdrops, wraps and headbands! I even use their education to learn more about newborn photography.
The Everlasting Bucket – I love The Everlasting Bucket as it’s magnetic and Hello Little has a huge line of “bucket huggers” that stick to the bucket so you can swap them out based on the session. I have several colors and patterns and even have Valentine’s Day & Christmas themed huggers! This is one of my most used props.
I am a bit of a prop addict and have tons of container props and bowls for newborns and am always adding to my closet! Some of my props include: rectangular props, circular props, a star, heart and beds.
For overhead prop photos – I have wood floors (ranging from white to dark brown and everything in between), textured backdrops, solid color backdrops, patterned backdrops – you name it! I can create images that are classic, rustic, simple, modern and themed. I also have teddy bear props, florals and greenery that can also be added to enhance these images.
Bean Bag & Poses: For these special shots, I have several colors in various shades and textures and choose what to use based on your questionnaire answers. I love to photograph the baby in both an outfit and without one on the bean bag.
And finally, my studio is equipped with plenty of outfits in several colors, hats & bonnets, headbands and wraps.
