Mistake #1: You wait until after the baby arrives to call a newborn photographer.
Many photographers fill their schedule well ahead of time, and without advance notice, you may not get a booking!
In order to plan for a newborn portraits, we always reserve a block of time on the schedule and adjust that time as needed to align with the actual arrival date.
Tiny only lasts so long.
The magic of newborns is that they only are tiny for a short time, and you might miss out on the chance to capture it.
One of my favorite moments during a newborn portrait session is to capture the scale of a tiny newborn… illustrating how the baby is able to nestle into the palm of the parent’s hand. It’s truly remarkable.
Mistake #2: You wait until the baby is older than 2 weeks
After years of 22 years of experience working with new parents and newborns, I’ve found that the very best timing to schedule a newborn session is right around 5-12 days of age. Any older and you may not get the best results.
5 – 12 days?
Yes, that’s right. Other than the doctor’s office, the studio is often one of the very first trips outside the home.
why so early?
When a baby is under two weeks of age, they will still easily curl back up into the fetal position, and are able to be coaxed gently back to sleep… to create the most beautiful and peaceful portraits.
After two weeks of age, babies tend to become more alert and active, wanting to stretch and move their arms and legs… and less likely to rest quietly for the classic portraits you see here.
Mistake #3: The baby arrives and without a plan, you forget.
Life moves pretty quickly once the baby arrives, and time is a blur! More than likely, you are totally sleep-deprived, and essentially have no sense of time.
If you choose to work with a professional studio, it’s best to plan ahead, reserve time on the studio schedule, and know how to get there!
it’s best to plan ahead.
Why risk missing the moment?
Mistake #4: You haven't given any thought on what to bring.
The better prepared you are, the better results you’ll have with any professional portrait studio.
Being prepared helps!
To prepare for a newborn portrait experience in the studio, we provide our clients with a comprehensive list of commonly asked questions (the Newborn FAQ) plus a Getting Ready Guide.
We invite you to take a look.
The guide is downloadable and free.