I can't believe we are planning the little Man's first year shoot! This year has seriously flown by. In a true nostalgia moment, I took a look back at his newborn photos, and I couldn't help but laugh. While we were able to capture some incredibly dreamy photos of the little Man, there were plenty of pictures that looked like this:
Having lived through the experience of a newborn photo shoot, I put together a few tips & realistic expectations for moms and dads. Here are our tips on how to get through a newborn or first few months photo shoot:
1. Keep the baby warm (turn up the heat, or invest in a space heater). Alternatively, you could ask your photographer, as they might already have one that they'll bring to the photo session. You can even opt for a heating blanket or pad to place under the blankets your little one will rest on. So many of the little Man's photos where he was screaming was due to the fact that it was the middle of March and he was naked and freezing.
1. Keep the baby warm (turn up the heat, or invest in a space heater). Alternatively, you could ask your photographer, as they might already have one that they'll bring to the photo session. You can even opt for a heating blanket or pad to place under the blankets your little one will rest on. So many of the little Man's photos where he was screaming was due to the fact that it was the middle of March and he was naked and freezing.
2. Be patient and flexible. I expected a newborn photo session to take an hour to an hour and a half, my expectations were a bit unrealistic, in actuality it was more like a half day. Work around your baby's schedule: if it's time to feed, change a diaper, or take a nap, you need to take care of their needs. A calm and rested baby will more likely tolerate a camera lens in their face. Also, be ready for accidents, think projectile spit up, pee, or the dreaded poop. We used a puppy training pad (extras from our pup) under the top most blanket, in case of an emergency.
3. Timing: starting the day off early, allows for the best lighting and more time to capture your little one. That being said, some of my favorite pictures of the little Man are when he's fast asleep. Most photographers like to work around a baby's nap time, as in right before they take a nap. Additionally, if you're looking for posed pictures those are easiest to achieve with a sleeping babe. The best way to make sure your little one is on their way to a long nap is by getting your little one milk drunk, as they say, well fed and off to bed.
3. Timing: starting the day off early, allows for the best lighting and more time to capture your little one. That being said, some of my favorite pictures of the little Man are when he's fast asleep. Most photographers like to work around a baby's nap time, as in right before they take a nap. Additionally, if you're looking for posed pictures those are easiest to achieve with a sleeping babe. The best way to make sure your little one is on their way to a long nap is by getting your little one milk drunk, as they say, well fed and off to bed.
4. Work with what you've got. When your little one has about had it, try taking a break or swaddling them. This is a great time to get photos with mom and dad. Detail, details, details: when the little Man was not having any of it, we were able to get some great detail shots of his hands, feet, bellybutton, etc.
5. Volume control. We (read myself, the Mister, my mom) were all yelling "look here" and clapping our hands, which in reality just frightened the little Man even more. Calm voices, so put away the dog if it'll bark, and soothing ambient noise is key. White noise machines are great at soothing babies. The little Man had one in his bassinet and we'd use it for nap times, I wish I thought to bring it out during his photo shoot.
Hopefully these come in handy, but the best advice is just to be able to roll with it. Babies will poop, cry or scream, and you might only get 20 minutes of calm photos. Odds are your photographer captured some incredible moments, and you and the little one survived.
All photos taken by our talented friend: Niraj Gandhi.
No comments:
Post a Comment