Getting Ready for your Newborn Baby Photographs

If you are pregnant now and you are planning on having newborn portraits taken, please contact us BEFORE the baby is here and let us know your due date in advance. We have limited availability and strongly urge you to RESERVE in advance, so that we make you our priority and GUARANTEE a spot for you. We will hold a date in the week following your due date and adjust accordingly as soon as the baby arrives. If your baby has already arrived, please call 978-744-6918 for availability.

The best results take place when newborn babies are fewer than two weeks old. We strongly recommend all newborn sessions occur when the baby is FIVE to TWELVE DAYS old.

In our experience, babies younger than two weeks will sleep more soundly, allowing us to position the baby in ways that create the very best portraits for our clients. Babies are also more flexible at this age. Older than 2 weeks, most babies tend to be more alert and a bit restless, and much more difficult to capture the images our clients have come to expect from us.

Newborn sessions take place on weekdays in my studio in Lynn, MA. Here, I have all the props, lighting, supplies and resources necessary to capture amazing portraits for you. In addition, I’ve got plenty of extra wipes, diapers and baby blankets on hand. I set aside as many as three hours for your special session.

I have recently relocated to a lovely studio in Lynn, MA, easily found along Route 107, just south of the Salem line. Be sure to see the directions page for how to find me.

I set aside up to three hours for your newborn session, allowing for feedings or short breaks we may need in order to capture your baby sleeping and awake. We’ll do a mixture of color and black & white imagery, with some portraits of the baby alone and others with you together. Ideally, we love to get some angelic sleeping baby images as well as ones with your baby awake and alert.

Typically, I begin the session with the portraits the parents and the baby together for a series of intimate black & white relationship portraits. Next, we move towards portraits of the baby alone, both naked and using simple props, such as blankets, hats & baskets, coaxing the baby to fall asleep for the sweetest images.

It’s not necessary to bring any clothes for the baby. Newborn babies are best photographed naked (or in just a diaper), or adorned with simple props such as knit hats, bows or tiny tutus. I have on hand a number of hats, wraps and blankets here to adorn your baby, so relax and let us do the styling! As a general rule, I believe the more skin showing the better. The bare skin of a newborn baby is so lovely and so perfect. Newborn clothing rarely looks good in portraits. Even if a parent is determined to dress the baby in an outfit that they have brought with them, 9 times out of 10, they see the results and agree that the unclothed portraits are the best!

If you have a special handmade receiving blanket, that would be great to bring with you to add to the portraits of your newborn baby. Or you may bring a special stuffed plush toy that you would like to incorporate into a portrait. Simple is best.
Bring a binkie or pacifier (if the baby uses one), extra diapers, extra supplies for feedings (if you are not breast feeding). You can pack a snack for yourself, or pick up a a bite to eat down the hall at the Uncommon Feasts cafe (if you’ve forgotten to eat before you come!).

We all know that there is an infinite number of baby ideas or props on Pinterest and Etsy, but not all items are made for newborns as small as a few days old. Be selective if you choose to bring any special props or costumes. Besides, we find that most clients honestly prefer the portraits that show off the baby more than the props! Check out the newborn getting ready guide for more ideas!

One of the best ideas is to choose a special stuffed plush toy that can be used in portraits over time, to illustrate the rapid growth of your baby in his or her first year. The best example is this little girl, who completed the full baby plan year and each visit, the parents brought with them this tiny stuffed animal penguin named Pudge. Read the story of this little girl and her toy Pudge on my blog.

At the studio, I keep on hand a selection of simple baskets, buckets, wraps, headbands, bowties, tutus, textured floor mats, and soft snuggly clean plush toys. Below are a few examples of them.

We welcome you and your loved ones and any caretakers assisting you. We encourage both parents to be photographed with the baby and we do these portraits at the start of your session. If there is an older sibling, these are also completed early in the session. We like to photograph the family images first, then concentrate our attention for the remainder of the session on the baby alone, both awake and asleep. We set aside the time in order to allow the baby to become drowsy and fall asleep in the latter half of your session time.

Yes, of course. We encourage it. We adore when the parents choose to be photographed with their baby, as there is a lovely connection between a parent and a newborn infant. The relationship between you and your baby at this early stage is precious to behold. You’ll want to remember just how tiny your baby was at the time

For the portraits of parents with a newborn baby, I have found that the classic black and white portraits are the loveliest, so I recommend wearing long-sleeved dark solid shirts, preferably black, navy or brown. This way, we focus our attention on the intimacy of the moment, and your connection to the baby, highlighting the baby’s skin next to your faces and hands.

For portraits of the older siblings in color, it is best to dress them in soft colors… pastels, creams, light blues, etc. Or even just bare skin like their baby brother or sister!

WApproximately one week following your session, we invite you into the studio to review all of your images, assist you in making your selections and to place your order. We recommend that all of the decision makers are present at the time of the ordering appointment. I’m happy to accommodate you in the early evening for these appointments as well.

While I may photograph dozens of captures in a given session, however not all are keepers. I’ll capture as many images as necessary in order to present you with a strong body of images. Typically, I’ll present you with the best 25-35 images in order to simplify your selection process.

Newborn portrait sessions are $300 for a 3-hour session at the studio (or only $200 if you reserve in advance!). Included in your initial investment is Bobbie’s time and talent during the session and a personalized follow up consultation to assist you in making your portrait order selections. The session does not include portraits.  

It’s entirely up to you how much you decide to invest in from your session, choosing from our gift portraits, framed wall art pieces, gallery wraps or custom hardcover books & albums. We offer personal, gift & desk sized portraits which range from $65 to $195. Our signature hand-finished wall art pieces range from $325 all the way up to life-size. In general, most clients spend in the range of $900-1500 or more.

We understand that personal emergencies, illness or inclement weather sometimes require sessions to be rescheduled. We kindly ask that you provide as much notice as possible in order to make the time available to other clients.

Generally speaking, we prefer that you refrain from any picture-taking during your session…. after all, we take the time and care to set everything up for that perfect portrait using our special props and years of experience! However, that being said, we understand that social media is a big part of our lives and if an opportunity were to arise where you were able to capture a fun behind-the-scenes shot, we are all for that. And if you do, we’d LOVE it if you tagged us in the post!

I have a wonderful selection of birth announcement designs available and are always adding new ones. Turnaround time on birth announcements is quick — we usually have them ready for pick up in one week’s time from your approval of the layout.

As an alternative to having us design and print your custom cards, I do offer an add-on service to link a few of your images to our partner Minted, that allows you to use your images with one of their stock design templates to make a birth announcement.

No worries — we see this all the time. Every portrait you select as part of your order will be individually enhanced for lovely skin tones. We will smooth and soften blemishes or boo-boos or dry skin, so not to worry!

Of course! In fact, we encourage you to come visit the studio in advance of your session, to preplan your session and to get to know us. This is such an exciting time for you and we invite you to see our work and discuss your wishes for a successful newborn session. We recommend that you schedule a specific date and time with us so that we are able to give you our fullest attention.

We’ve created a simple booklet to assist with a checklist of what to bring and sample images of what to expect. Be sure to download our Newborn Baby Getting Ready Guide.