This photo.

Looks pretty normal right? Mom, Dad, baby, cat. What you don’t see in this photo is that baby was fussing a little so Dad was bouncing the whole family up and down on the sofa over and over in order to soothe baby. It was a sight. I couldn’t help but laugh. I’ve seen parents do many things to calm their baby but I think it was the visual of the entire family (and cat) going up and down that made me lose it. It worked though, Mom and Dad could laugh through it and we got the photo. There’s always a story behind newborn photos and what you see often may have taken more work than it appears. So today I want to talk a little bit about setting expectations for your newborn session.
#1 – If this is your first baby, expect that you MIGHT do something ridiculous to soothe him/her. This is normal, I encourage it. Don’t mind me because I’ve seen it all.
#2 – Those perfect photos you’ve pinned on Pinterest? We MAY get some that are similar if you’d like and I’m always up for seeing your inspiration as it guides me to what type of photos you’d like but please don’t expect that I’ll get every single one you want. If I did studio photography where I could buy the same background and outfits then yes I could copy but I think you’re hiring me because you want my creative eye and interpretation of the scene. I don’t want to copy another photographer and I don’t feel I’d be doing the best job for YOU if I did. We’ll make our own Pinterest worthy photos and other people can Pin YOURS for inspiration!
#3 – Please don’t stress about baby sleeping or not during the session. I promise you I am not worried about this so you shouldn’t be either. If baby’s fussing there’s lots of time to feed him/her. Take all the time you need as a fed baby is USUALLY happier. I’ve been photographing newborns for 8 years and I can say for sure that calm and happy parents absolutely make a difference in baby’s temperament. I’ve only had to come back to a client’s house 3 times so I’d say it’s pretty good odds we’ll get the photos you want and if I do have to come back (and hey, this happens, baby’s are unpredictable) it’s totally fine, PROMISE.
Now as you look at the photos below you can imagine all the silly things that had to be done to get them 🙂