How early is too early to book my Calgary newborn & maternity photos?
Many of my clients feel comfortable booking in as early as 12 weeks, with the majority booking in around the 4-6 month mark. I find many clients looking at booking around the same time they're shopping for strollers, cribs, maternity clothes, and baby feeding supplies / breastfeeding clothing/ breast pumps, etc.
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How to prepare for your newborn shoot:
(Please note that any references to "mobile studio" are referring to package 2, but there are plenty of hints and tips in here that can help with the Lifestyle Package 1 as well)
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1. Brand new babies with full bellies make the sleepiest babies:
All of my newborn sessions are on location, "mobile" sessions. I ask that you aim to be just finishing up your feeding as I am arriving if possible!) It typically takes me about 20 minutes to set up, so if our appointment is for 10:00 am, please aim to have baby fed and ready to go around 10:20 am. Our shoot "time" starts from the first shot out of the camera, and the shoot will continue on for 2-2.5 hours. In this example, an 10:00 am appt would technically start at about 10:20 am, and run from 10:20 - 12:20 or 12:50/1:00 pm. Tear-down and packup takes about another 15-20 minutes. I typically have a 10 am and a 230 or 3pm spot to choose from.
The younger your baby is, the easier it will be to settle, pose, and get them to sleep. I strongly recommend that newborn sessions take place within the first 10 days of baby's life. I typically do not take babies outside of the 14 day window, (unless they were premature, or held back in the nicu). The difference in a 1 week vs 3 week old baby is HUGE. Most of the babies you see here on my website were 5-8 days old.
There will be some different poses that I will ask that you help me in being a bit more "hands on" - ie shots that give the illusion of baby holding their head up on their own, or any kind of shot where baby appears to be "balanced". These sorts of shots are a composite of several images, and I ask that the parents assist in spotting the baby as I shoot. I do not bring an assistant to my shoots, as I find there are already enough bodies (and energy!) in the room.
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2. Reading Baby:
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As a newborn photographer, it is my job to "read" your baby's cues. Not all adults sleep on their tummies, and not all babies sleep in the same position either. So, my job is to read the cues that you baby gives. I typically start with more simple poses, and work into the more complicated poses. I can definitely try and create similar looks to what you may have seen online, but please keep in mind that if your baby isn't comfortable or can't safely be put into a pose, that I will not force them into that pose. I should also note that "hanging", "sling" and "froggy" pose are some of those more complicated poses. Some babies will do them, and some won't. Some babies have reflux and don't want pressure against their chest, and some are curlier than others, etc etc. I am happy to try more complicated poses at the end of your session, once we have a good number of top shots captured for you.
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3. Babies are more sensitive than we give them credit for:
If you are stressed, your baby is going to sense it, and react. Having a baby is a huge event, and this shoot is to celebrate your new love. Please try not to stress over "will my baby sleep? what if s/he cries"? 99.9% of babies will sleep - I have a few tricks up my sleep to settle, support, and soothe them during our session. Please feel free to sit back, and relax, and enjoy watching me document your baby at such a brand new stage.
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4. What I bring: (Packages: Silver + Gold)
While I do have a full "newborn kit", you are welcome to bring your own props and accessories into the mix. I often suggest: blankets, handmade items, stuffies, jerseys, etc. props/themes are often good ideas. Here is a loose idea of what is in my newborn kit:
Baby backdrop stands
Heaters, baby warmers
Lighting (if necessary)
Posing Pillow
Blanket backdrops
Blankets (various colours/ patterns available - white, blue, pink, purple, black, nova scotia tartan.......)
Baskets
Baby Bed/Crib
Wraps/Scarves
Hats
Posing Sleeves
Diaper Covers
Headbands
Tutus
Bowties
Cozies/ themed items - football cozie, mermaid outfit, tutus, ninja turtle, cowboy knit hat, super hero, pilot, froggy, so'wester........)
etc
Click here for a visual listing of all of the props in my kit. If there is something that you are looking for that isn't shown on this page, you are welcome to provide it to use in your photos.
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5. Poop Happens:
I want to address this one, because it seems to be a big concern for some parents. POOP (and pee) HAPPENS. Your newborn will likely poop on me, or you, or the blanket, (or your arm... the posing pillow... etc). This is 100% normal. All of my blankets and wraps are put through a sanitize wash cycle between babies. Please don't be embarrassed when it happens (it is a "when", not an "if" with about 99% of babies).
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6. Multiples:
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I do *not* charge extra for twins or triplets. Please let me know that I'll be working with multiples upon booking, so that I can set aside enough time to photograph your babies, and allow extra settling time.
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7. Booking: I only hold 10 spots per month, with "standby" bookings coming up as available. Please use this link to contact me. I typically do book solid with a waiting list, and many moms book in as early as 12 weeks along, to make sure their spot is held. Some due dates (months) are busier than others, don't be shy to contact me to ask!
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​​​What to Expect & Shoot Flow: (Silver + Gold)
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I'm often asked: how does the session go? how many looks do we get? (5-ish plus family photos) what can we expect!
(By the way, no question is a silly question, so please don't be shy to ask!)
As I arrive, I am for you to aim to be just finishing up your feeding as I am arriving if possible. Bonus points if baby is just in a diaper, and you already have your heart turned up to 24c. During this time, I'll set up, and about 95% of the time, we do the family session first.
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Once I'm set up, I wrap the baby. This wrap will stay on for the family photos. I typically do 3 poses mom, 3 poses dad, a setup or two with sibling (s), and then a full family portrait.
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After the family session is finished, my goal is 5-ish looks, (2 bucket/basket, a set of macro/detail shots, and a few up on the posing bag/blankets). All lightly edited images are yours to keep - with my most popular package this means 300 lightly edited images, not watermarked, not locked, not scaled down, etc.
Once the family mini (25min) portion is complete, I move to back-laying props (ie a bed, or bucket), with the initial wrap still on.
From here, I peel back the wrap to get macro shots - fingers, toes, ears, lips, etc.
I typically ask that 1-2 buckets/baskets are chosen so that I can shoot one in the beginning, and one at the end *unless* baby is still wide awake, in which case I do both at the start.
From here, I move to the posing beanbag blanket setup. This is where I'd get the squishy bum up type shots, transitioning to stomach laying poses. Here is where I will use more of the pre-selected props. (see available props here: ) At the very end of the session is when I would do "froggy pose", if requested.
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What to Expect & Shoot Flow: (Lifestyle Package "Bronze")
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As I arrive, I am for you to aim to be just finishing up your feeding as I am arriving if possible. Bonus points if baby is just in a diaper, and you already have your heart turned up to 24c. During this time, I'll set up, and about 95% of the time, we do the family session first.
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Once I'm set up, I wrap the baby. This wrap will stay on for the first part of family photos. Family photos can be shot in a bedroom setting, in front of a bright window, or even in your living room setup. Please make sure your home is nice and warm (min 24C, esp if we're shooting in front of windows - especially in the winter time!) From here, I'll move baby in their wrap into the basket or bucket that we've pre-selected. (all props can be found here)
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Once we've completed this portion, if naked or diaper only poses are requested, we shoot them last.
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Total Session time: 1 hour, firm. If you're wanting a bit longer of a session, the newborn mobile studio might be a better fit, as there is a longer time allowance with the newborn mobile studio (silver + gold packages)