I’ve been meaning to give some helpful advice about preparing for your newborn session in your home, and how to help that run smoothly. The Lens Loves asked me to prepare some info on that last month, so I thought I’d share that here as well! I love lifestyle newborn sessions. There is something so beautiful, and sacred about capturing new life, especially in your own environment.
A few tips…Be patient & don’t stress, babies are amazing at picking up on anxiety.
Newborn sessions take a good 2 hours, so there are lots of times for breaks! Don’t worry about a clean house, photographers don’t care, at least I don’t. 🙂
Decide before hand if you’d like to be in the photos, or just baby alone. I LOVE it when parents are in the photos. There isn’t anything more precious than capturing a parents love for their new tiny human being.
Newborns will typically sleep better in the afternoons unless they are sleeping through the night already. In that case….I hate you because that is just NOT fair. 🙂
Open all blinds so there is plenty of natural light in the rooms we’ll shoot in. I typically shoot in the nursery, and parents room. Sometimes the front room too. What ever room has the best light...
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Babies photograph best asleep, so have the baby fed, burped and changed- diaper loosned so there are no diaper lines about 30 minutes prior to your session.
Capturing them within the first 10 days of life is best, this way they are still moldable and sleepy. However, sometimes that’s just not a possibility, that’s OK, anytime is fine! 
Keep the house warm. Newborns will sleep so much better if it’s a cozy temperature (80-85 degrees)..jpg "utah photographer 16")
Plan ahead. If you can plan what your “vision” is for your session you can plan accordingly before you have your newborn in your arms with no time for thinking. 🙂 Collect any things you’d like to have in your shots, heirlooms, a special blanket, something that represents your life..jpg "utah photographer 17")
White noise is really helpful as well. Don’t be surprised if your baby, who usually sleep all-day-long wakes up a lot while their being photographed, they’re not used to be picked up and posed every few minutes. They’ll eventually give in and let themselves go deep into dreamland. Last, ENJOY your session.
Hope this was helpful! 🙂
