Ready to book your at-home newborn photos?
If you made it to this page, congratulations! Chances are you’re expecting a new addition to your family and you’re wondering how exactly to prep your home for newborn photos. We’re going to dive right in, and you’ll walk away with several practical tips to make your newborn session a breeze.
Find Your Light. You know your home best! You know what windows get the best light at different times of day. Use that to your advantage by suggesting a timeframe for your session that brings in the most light into your home.
Clean the clutter. Who has time to clean when you have a newborn? Don’t worry about having a clean house when I arrive. Instead, de-clutter only the areas that will be used for photos. Whether that’s the nursery, the living room, or your bedroom. (See: "find your light" if you want to know where we'll be shooting!) Remove as many background objects as possible so that nothing distracts from the focal point of the image—your newborn!
Have props ready. It’s up to you what blankets, pillows, and swaddles we use, so make sure to have all those items set aside so we can go through them and discuss our game plan. I always recommend having at least one plain white or cream blanket for the baby to lay on, and to avoid blankets with heavy patterns or big words.
Narrow down your favorite outfits. There are so many adorable baby clothes, but for your session, it’s best to limit how many you put your child in. I say that only because of this: the more often you change your newborn, the more awake and disgruntled they will become. Pick your favorite two, and stick with that. Also, baby clothes that have text on them can become distorted when the baby is wearing it, so steer clear of onesies or sweaters with words and aim instead for solids or little patterns.
Play white noise. Every once in a while I encounter a baby that’s jarred or awakened by the click of the camera shutter. A great way to counteract this is to have white noise playing in the background even before I arrive so that baby can grow used to it. Newborns find the noise calming.
Place your newborn in the first location. Have your baby swaddled or dressed in their first outfit when I arrive, and place them in their crib, or on a blanket, or on the bed so they can get comfortable and fall asleep. When I arrive, I can grab my camera and immediately get to work instead of waiting while the baby is calmed and placed in position.
Make baby as sleepy as possible. Keeping your home warm is the first step in prepping for your newborn session! Next, keep baby up as long as you can before I arrive, only feeding them within 15-20 minutes of my arrival. The goal is for your newborn to be as sleepy as humanly possible when I arrive!
Have fun. This is a sweet moment you’ll remember for the rest of your life, so savor it!
