Making a decision to have newborn photos done and choosing a photographer that you feel comfortable with and gives you the images you want is important.

You make the decision, we plan and then ...... your beautiful new baby is the boss. 

We will have prepared our set ups and have planned the images we wish to capture for you, but depending on whether our baby is awake, asleep, settled or unsettled, we will adjust accordingly.

Your baby’s safety is our no. 1 priority.  Ciara has photographed hundreds of babies in a studio setting and Pauline has assisted her for years now. Both are mothers and Ciara also has the added advantage of having had a previous career as a nurse. 

We want your baby to be safe, comfortable and we want you to be able to relax knowing that your baby is in safe and professional hands.  

The average length of time in studio for newborn photoshoot is 2 hours. A lot of that time can be time for feeding, changing, cuddles, soothing…. everything your baby needs. Happy baby…. Happy parents….. Happy photographer = Great Images!

Before the session

During the booking process we may have chatted and you have filled in a questionnaire. This gives us information about the type of images you like and how you might be intending to use / display them. 

Approximately 3 days before session, we send you a preparation guide which will give you tips on getting you and baby ready for session. Clothes, feeding, what to bring etc.

We have private parking right outside our front door, so that is one less thing to think about.

Before your arrival, we ensure the heat in studio so that is suitable for a newborn baby.  It is warm and cosy and has a calm atmosphere. There is a couch for parents to relax and we have a kitchen where there is always tea, coffee and snacks.

After all the introductions and welcomes, it is time for you to relax while we get to work.

As well as the obvious tools of the trade, camera, lights, reflectors, our studio is full of props, backdrop, wraps,outfits,hats & hairbands …. in every colour of the rainbow. We invest a lot in having the most up to date equipment specifically designed for newborn photography.  We love getting creative with all our props and putting them together in new and different ways and we are always adding new pieces to further enhance that process.

During the session, we try keep the sound at a steady constant level. We may use music and or white noise which helps to settle baby

We love and encourage you as parents to have your photograph taken with your new baby and also to include baby’s brothers and sisters.  

If young siblings are included, we usually do the parent and sibling shots first so that Dad or another carer can then take the young children away from studio…. Before they get bored!

If no siblings photos but there are parent photos, we tend to do them at end of newborn session.

We also sometimes get to capture very special Generation images, like this one below, which features Pauline's mother, daughter, grandaughter and of course Pauline herself!

HANDLING YOUR BABY

Your baby’s safety is our number one priority. 

We are trained and experienced in handling babies. 

Gentle touch, warm blankets, slow movements are the order of the day. When baby is in a deep sleep posing is easy and effortless. If baby is awake or unsettled, they may “complain” a little more. We work with them to settle them. Sometimes baby does not like certain poses. They are the boss, we do not persist and we will find alternative poses.

Ciara will wrap, dress, settle your baby in props or on bean bag and Pauline will be 'spotting' . This means that our hands are always either on your baby on inches away.  Certain images are achieved by capturing two separate images and merging them together using our professional editing software after the session. This is done to ensure baby's safety at all times

Eg. This baby was not on the guitar! 

Baby may need to feed during session. If bottle fed, bring extra, just in case and if breast feeding, we can leave you in privacy if you so wish.

We do ask you to bring a soother. It can be a huge help to us if baby is unsettled. It can give us precious seconds to capture that perfect photograph! Please don’t worry, if a soother is not part of your plan for baby, be assured baby will not leave session attached to it or confused by their brief encounter with a soother

Because there are two of us working with your baby, you get to relax. We are not suffering from sleep deprivation! 

On a practical note, wraps and blankets used in session are all washed before being used again. Studio and props are cleaned after each session and we use hand sanitiser during session. 

We will never handle a baby if we have a cold or are feeling unwell. If this is the case we will postpone a session. While we understand that you may have booked in months in advance, it is better be safe than sorry.

Whoops! 

Babies may have nappy off during some poses. They may pee or poop. Please do not be concerned…. We are prepared for this.  It’s the most natural thing in the world!

At the end of Your session.

With all the beautiful images of your baby captured, we finish with a chat around next steps. You can have a look at all our sample products and wall art, which can help you make a decision on which wall art products you would like to invest in.  We will agree a date ( usually about two weeks after your session) with you to come back to view and order your images.

As you head home with your brand new little person, we get down to the business of the next steps in the process which ensure you will have images to treasure for a lifetime.

We will transfer the images onto our computer, back them up in three different places, select an image for your 'sneak peek' on our Social Media pages, select the very best images for us to begin our post processing workflow. Each image is individually edited by Ciara using the most up to date professional software.

Next blog coming soon: What happens at Reveal Session?