Preparing for a Newborn Session | Sarah Kane Photography
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Scheduling Your Session
Once you are headed to the hospital or at some point before you leave the hospital please text, call or email Sarah so that she can be sure to have dates availability for you within the 4 week window. Some families choose to assign this task to a trusted family member or friend.
Preparing For Your Newborn Session
The Goal is for your baby to be as sleepy as possible during their session. Even the sleepiest of babies can suddenly become wide awake once in front of the camera. Sarah uses several soothing techniques in studio, but there are things you can do at home before your session that will have the biggest impact.
1. Keep baby awake for 2 hours before your scheduled session, but NOT longer as baby may become overtired and difficult to settle down. A bath is a good way to try and keep them awake. After the bath keep them on the cooler side and unwrapped.
2. Plan to feed baby right before getting in the car to head to the studio. If your drive is longer than 60 minutes wait and feed him/her once you arrive. My studio is located in Chesterfield area code 23832 off of Ironbridge Rd. Once your baby arrives and your sessions as been scheduled Sarah will send complete directions to her studio.
3. Bring along a Soothie pacifier that many hospitals give. Please do not bring the pacifiers with a stuffed toy attached. These can get in the way of posing. Even if your baby doesn’t seem interested please bring one with you. If you are not using pacifiers you may want to consider one just for photos. It is not likely that your baby will become attached the few times it would be used to sooth them. They will be put in many different poses, wrapped and unwrapped and can become easily agitated. A pacifier really helps with these transitions and keeps your baby comfortable. One will only be used if no other soothing techniques are working. If you are absolutely opposed to using a pacifier Sarah will not use one.
4. What about clothing and props for your baby? You do not need to bring anything. I have an extensive collection of wraps, hats, headbands, baskets, buckets, baby beds, blankets etc. that I will use. Although you do not need to bring anything I am happy to incorporate a few items that you would like included from home.
4. Gas if often the reason newborns are uncomfortable and difficult to pose during a session. Sarah highly recommends bringing Mylicon gas drops (or any other type of gas drops). Even if your baby hasn’t shown signs of gas before please consider bringing drops. Every day new things are happening to your newborn and gas can be one of them. Drops are safe and can be purchased over-the-counter at any drug store. A gassy baby will be very difficult to settle and even wrap, so bringing these drops will really make a difference and keep your baby comfortable. Please check with your pediatrician with questions or concerns.
5. Keep Clothes Loose. Please do not put tight socks, shirts or pants on your baby to bring to the studio. These can leave unsightly red marks which will show up in your images. Dress them in something that does NOT need to be pulled off over their head. The less the baby has on the better. This will help keep them asleep while undressing them for pictures.
What to Expect During The Newborn Experience
FULL NEWBORN SESSION - The length of the session will depend on the needs of your baby. Most sessions last about 2.5 hours, but plan for 3 or longer just in case. You can enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks while relaxing just a few feet away from your baby in the same room. Feel free to bring a book, listen to music, fill out thank you cards or take a much needed nap, but most importantly relax. Your baby is in good hands.
Parents & Baby Only MINI Session - Session lasts approximately 1 -2 hours. Please note your baby will be completely wrapped during this session. There will be no naked posing.
Baby Only MINI Session - Session will last approximately 1 hour. Please note your baby will be completely wrapped during this session. There will be no naked posing.
real life image of baby in mother's womb
For FULL Sessions your baby will be photographed nude for a portion of the session and will be put into several safe poses. He/she will likely fuss or cry during posing and transitioning. This does not mean your baby is in any pain. Newborn babies are extremely flexible. They have spent the past few months curled up in your womb, so many of the poses may look uncomfortable to us they are actually quite comforting to your baby. During these transitions is when a pacifier will really make a difference.
Safety is Number One! The Froggy Pose is where the baby appears to be holding his/her head in his/her hands. This pose is a composite manipulated in Photoshop. Babies are NOT strong enough to do this on their own and someone will be supporting the baby’s head the entire time. The baby must be very sleepy to get this pose. If there is a pose you are uncomfortable with please let Sarah know prior to beginning your session.
Mom, Dad & Siblings Photos
Sarah recommends solid colored clothing with very little patterns for family portraits. The focus is on the love and connection between your family and busy clothing & jewelry can become distracting. Keep clothing simple. You want your images to be timeless, so it is recommended that you avoid very trendy clothing which will be out of style in a few years. Think classic simple clothing.
FOR BOTH MOM AND DAD Make sure your finger nails are clean, well groomed and free from chipped polish. They will show in the images.
Mom you just had a baby, so be kind to yourself and your body. Sarah will be photographing you from angles that are flattering and focuses on the connection between you and your baby not your body. Many woman believe that loose and larger clothing will cover the parts of their body they are uncomfortable with, but this can acutually create a bulky, larger more frumpy look on camera.
If you are feeling insecure about your body It is recommend that you wear formed fitting shirts (long or short sleeves) and pants that are completely solid. Darker colors make you look slimmer. Sarah can also do some minor body contouring and adjustments to your final images during the editing process. This can be very difficult to do though if clothing has patterns or is very bulky.
Makeup
Moms if you don't typically wear a lot of makeup I wouldn't go overboard for your pictures, but do consider the following:
Foundation or powder. I would bring powder with you if possible to eliminate any shiny spots that may occur or any touch ups that Sarah sees may be needed.
Lip gloss or lipstick is great, but again, if you don't normally wear lipstick don't, but consider a light lip gloss. Also try and make sure your lips are not dry or chapped on the day of your session. You can help prevent this by applying a good amount of Vaseline every night at bed a few days before your session and drink lots of water!
Mascara will really make your eyes pop!
Blush or bronzer to add a bit of color and accentuate your cheek bones.
Dad should also wear a formed fitted neutral solid shirt (t shirts are fine as long as they don’t have prints on them) with a formed fitted pair of pants or jeans. Avoid clothing that is bulky, heavily patterned and too trendy. The nape of your neck will show, so make sure your hair line has been shaved. That goes for facial hair and nose hairs. It ALL shows so make sure you are well groomed.
Siblings should also wear clothing that is formed fitted. Depending on their age they may be lying on the ground for some images and loose fitted clothing will ride up & look bulky. Solid colored clothing is also recommended. With this being said it is most important that your child is comfortable and happy, so if wearing their favorite shirt is going to make them super happy consider letting them wear it. It doesn’t matter how perfect your outfits are if your child is unhappy and uncooperative then the outfit isn’t going to matter.
When it comes to the color of your clothing stick to neutral colors that are not too bright. Bright neon or pastels will create a color cast on your skin. You can never go wrong with whites/creams, blacks, greys, browns/tans, reds, blues, greens etc.
Everything Shows!
My camera will pick up the smallest specks of lint and animal fur, so please check your shirts carefully (particularly dark colors). Run over them with a good lint brush or masking tape. Although some lint can be removed during the editing process, large amounts of tiny lint can become difficult and could require an additional fee.
Iron all clothing wrinkles are very difficult to edit out and will require an additional edit fee so please be sure to steam or iron all clothing prior to your session. It is recommended that you bring your outfits on hangers and change at the studio.
Please feel free to text or email Sarah with clothing options if you’d like her advice!
More on Siblings
Kids are unpredictable and as much as we would like to be able to control our children the bottom line is we can’t. As a former teacher of 12 years I strongly suggest you have a discussion with your child about what to expect while in the studio. Let them know they will be coming to Ms. Sarah’s studio to take pictures with their new baby and that Ms. Sarah will be in charge with rules to follow. Your children will be more likely to listen to Sarah then they will you. It’s just the nature of kids! Especially if they see Sarah as a bit of an authority figure.
Sarah will spend the first few minutes establishing a rapport with siblings and discussing the rules. I know it will be difficult, but the less you intervene as parents the more cooperative they are likely to be. The best thing would be to leave the room and allow Sarah and her assistant to handle sibling poses for kids who are having a difficult time.
Keep It Clean!
Please Remove Shoes Sarah often lays blankets, hats and other props used for baby on the floor, so she asks that you remove your shoes before entering the studio to keep things as sterile and clean as possible. Consider wearing shoes that can slip on and off easily.
I can not tell you just how truly honored I am to be able to document this incredible and brief time in your lives. I look forward to getting to know you and your family. Please do not hesitate to reach out via email, text or phone with any questions or concerns.
Thanks so much,
Sarah