Newborn Photography – my approach & philosophy

Lifestyle Newborn Session

At Your Home – 2 hours

Short & Sweet

Fresh 48 – 1 hour

I have been photographing newborn babies for over 10 years now, and as any other artist, my style and approach has changed over the years. In the beginning, I wanted to own every single prop, wrap and hat I saw on social media, Pinterest and other photographers sites around the world. Honestly, I spent a fortune and all the equipment. However, I am finding that what makes me really happy as a photographer these days, is focusing on the baby and not so much on the set-up.  My style has shifted away from dark, strong colours to only neutral, light and pastel colours. And I LOVE white!

My comprehensive style of photography is my Lifestyle Newborn Art Photography. It combines the relaxed lifestyle family photography at your home with precious portraits of your new baby.

I started offering Lifestyle Newborn Photography from the experience of having young toddler siblings in the studio. Parents are often overwhelmed by the prospect of taking a baby plus toddler out of their home. How much more relaxing does an in-home session sound? But Lifestyle Photography is not just for growing families. It is also more suitable if you prefer a more organic look. The emphasis of Lifestyle Photography is to document how your baby is now part of your life.  I would also recommend this session if you’ve had a difficult birth or c-section.

My Lifestyle Newborn Art Photography now extends to dedicated Newborn Portraiture. I will bring props, wraps, hat, headbands, backgrounds and studio light to your home. All I need in your home is a clear space on the floor to set up, a powerpoint nearby and my studio is set up.

The best time to achieve newborn portraits is when your baby is between 5-12 days new. Babies still like to curl up like they were in the womb and they usually sleep quite deeply. Newborn Photography sessions in your home are totally relaxed and I’ll go at yours and baby’s pace, with plenty of time for breaks & nursing. it would still be best to have your newborn tiny for this session, but if you have missed the first magic two weeks, then this style is also more forgiving.

Lifestyle Art Photography – Newborn Photography

For more detailed information, prices and what to expect please click here Lifestyle Newborn Photography.

My passion – I simply love Newborn Photography

Newborn Photography is extremely valuable as it provides you with a lasting record of this gorgeous early stage of your child’s life.  The fact that you are reading this page shows that it is important to you. The art of taking photographs of a newborn baby isn’t just done with good photography skills. It also takes time to read a baby, to position a newborn safely into a cute pose and to whisper baby to sleep.

In a couple of month’s time, you will look back at your beautiful baby’s images, the little hands & feet, the wisps of hair and the tiny features and wonder how your baby was ever so small. You will have the photographs to cherish forever.

However, as with anything in life, we are all different and our preferences differ. How you wish to have your baby photographed comes down to your own style & taste, circumstances and yes, financials.

Pricing

I strongly believe in clear, transparent and prices with no hidden cost. My price list is easy to access on my website, simple to understand and without all the extras attached to it. Please click here to view it: Pricelist Newborn Photography 

Timing

From time to time, I get asked what is the best time to have baby photographs done. For me, the newborn stage of a baby is so precious. In the first couple of weeks, newborn babies are tiny and their growth is phenomenal in their first year. So for a newborn photographer, it’s a fine balance to weigh up how many days after birth to ask the client in. I need to give mum some time to recover after birth, but not too long so that baby loses the ability to curl up like in the womb and be comfortable. If you are breastfeeding, I’d definitely recommend waiting until your baby has worked out latching on properly and mum’s milk has set in. My standard recommendation is between 5-12 days after birth, however, I always discuss this in more details with my clients after their baby is born.

If you have missed the first 4 weeks for professional photographs (unless your baby was born early), it might be an idea to wait a little bit longer to capture the next big milestone. In her article in a Parents Blog, Kate Callahan describes Baby’s milestones perfectly. If you are interested in my Milestone Photography packages, please click here. Just contact me to discuss how you feel and we can make plans then.

Training, Health & Safety

Training

My tiny newborn clients’ health & safety is my utmost priority during any photo session. Training with leading newborn photographers has taught me vital safety precautions every newborn photographer should know about and follow. Certain poses are outright dangerous if newborns are not being supported all the time. Please be assured that I am very aware of this fact and during the session, I may ask mum or dad to assist me in supporting baby’s head and keeping a watching eye on baby while I take the shot.

Last year, I attended a Safe Posing Workshop with the Academy of Newborn Photography as well as a First Aid Course for Babies in February 2019. The First Aid Course is run by Tiny Hearts First Aid as well as CPR Kids. Although I have handled hundreds of babies, it’s never a bad idea to get a refresher on safety. I hope I’ll never need to use First Aid on babies, but this is also a course I wanted to do for a while.

Health

I am pleased to let you know that due to my special job as a newborn photographer, my GP agreed to give me my booster against Whooping Cough (please see blog here) despite the fact that this vaccination is in short supply at the time.  Since I don’t have kids at school anymore, I don’t usually get sick. However, in the event that I was to feel unwell the day before a scheduled shoot, I would always inform you and re-schedule the appointment.  I strongly believe that your newborn child should not be exposed to any illnesses in the early days.

Covid-19 has shown us all the importance of hygiene, personal care and responsibility. As with any other illness as described above, I would postpone a session if I felt unwell and be on the safe side. Please extend the same courtesy to me: if you or any other member of your household who is present during the photoshoot is unwell, let me know as soon as you can and we postpone the session. Please understand that I may see another client the following day, and I do not wish to spread any viruses from client to client. Please have the COVIDSafe Government App running on your phone when I come to visit. You can be assured that I have.

 

Overview

If you wish to find out more about my other types of photography, please return to my homepage.