Let's prepare for your newborn session with us. We are so excited to meet your precious little one! Here at Lilac Meadows we understand the importance of documenting those first moments of your newborns life.
As a reminder newborn sessions are best scheduled between 7 and 21 days of age. I recommend booking your session while you are still pregnant. During your second trimester is best to insure that I have space each month to accommodate your booking.
When you book your session with me it includes:
- Guaranteed session with paid retainer.
- My time, talent, and creativity.
- Stylized session just for you, with your color choice.
- Use of prop closet filled with buckets, bowls, clothing, backdrops, etc.
- Family/sibling poses with newborns with specific packages.
- Custom image editing.
- 5-7 day turn around of proofing gallery.
Let's talk about me, the session, what to expect and how to prepare:
- Lilac Meadows has a fully stocked prop closet, with everything you will need for your session. You only need to bring yourself, spouse, and baby. (And any other children if you wish for them to be included).
- We will fully stylize your session, what poses you like, and so much more through questionnaires, in person meetings and emails. We will discuss what colors you would like to use in your session, what kind of outfits you'd like to use and so much more. I have many outfits in a variety of color, a rainbow of wraps, and props that envy the best of them.
- I have dedicated the last 7 years to learning newborn safety and how to pose your newborn in safe poses. If at any point you feel uncomfortable with sometime, please speak up. Hands are on baby or within 2-3 inches at all time.
- My favorite age to photograph newborns is 14-21 days. They have usually gotten out of the cluster-feeding madness that is days 3-10, and starting to get into a routine.
- Make sure your house is be warm when I get there. Babies are used to being warm and cozy in the womb, so we try to make the studio as warm and inviting as possible for them. The best temperature is between 70 and 74 degrees for the duration of the session. I bring along some space heaters to help warm the spaces for the baby when we move around to the different set ups. I also have a white noise app that I will use for the session to help keep baby calm. With your permission, I may also diffuse some oils that can help keep baby calm.
- Sessions typically last approximately 2 hours, but can last up to 3 hours depending on baby and parent posing (if applicable).
- We have packages to suit each budget. All pricing can be found on the products page. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us privately.
- Once you have paid your retainer fee, let us know when baby has arrived, and we can get your session scheduled!
Preparing your newborn:
- What do I need to bring with me? Besides yourself and the baby, you can bring blankets with significance, heirloom items, or anything else that you feel you will need for you. I recommend extra bottles if formula feeding, pacifier, and extra changes of clothes (for both you and baby). If you are nursing and your milk hasn't fully come in yet, be prepared to feed baby at least once while you are here. I supply diapers and wipes, so no need to bring extras! Burp rags, and lots of patience are a plus. Baby is boss.
- Keep baby on whatever schedule they may be on. Sessions are generally scheduled for 10am for a full session, or 11am, 1pm or 3pm for a mini wrapped (baby only) session. But if baby is due to eat around the time of your session, arrive a few minutes early and feed baby once you arrive.
- Give baby a bath in the morning about an hour to an hour and a half before the session. If the umbilical cord has not fallen off yet, a sponge bath is totally fine! While they are in the bath, the baby will be awake and focused. This will help tired them out, so that they will sleep well for the session.
- When I arrive, I will undress them and prepare them for the session. Unless of course they need to eat, or be topped off with some milk before I begin. I will use this time to finish prepping some last minute things if necessary.
- Please dress baby in something that is zip up, or button down that does not go over baby's head. This will help not to jostle them awake too much when undressing them to prepare for the session.
- Loosen baby's diaper on your way over. This will help alleviate any marks the diaper may make, so that they will be less evident when I photograph. Also makes it easier to edit, even though I am fully capable of editing out small blemishes, it just makes editing images fast, so you can see your gallery quickly.
- There will be a fair amount of photos without a diaper on, unless you are not comfortable with bare bum. Please make me aware of this when you fill out the questionnaire so that I can accommodate it during the session. Don't worry, 90% of my props are washable. And if something isn't, I don't do poses without a diaper on those props.
Family posing prep:
- We want baby to be the star. So suggestions on what to wear is simple. Stick with the colors we have chosen for the session, or simple neutral colors like white, cream, grey, black, brown, etc.
- Polo's and T-shirts are best. Button down shirts tend to be distracting, and we want baby to be the star.
- Jeans, black dress pants, or khaki's are best. We will only be doing waist up shots, so we aren't concerned as much as what you wear for pants.
- Make sure your hands and nails are clean and well manicured. Even if they are not the focus, you do not want dirty hands noticeable in photos.
- A little goes a long way. Yes you just had a baby, but you don't need to cake on the makeup. Just a small amount of of powder/concealer and some lip gloss are all you need. We want to see that new mom glow! Don't hide it! Embrace it!