As an experienced newborn photographer, I have put together my 3 top tips for successful newborn photos to help you and your family have an incredible experience and be obsessed with the end result too!

Newborns are completely unpredictable…trust me! I’ve been in your shoes! The reason newborn sessions typically take more time than normal sessions is that you’ll likely stop to soothe, feed, or change baby throughout!  And that’s okay!! It’s incredibly important to choose a newborn photographer that is experienced to ensure they are patient and will work with you to have the happiest baby and best experience possible!

FEED JUST BEFORE YOUR SESSION TIME

I suggest keeping baby awake as long as possible before your session and then start feeding them about 20-30 minutes before your session. This way you’ll be finishing up feeding when your photographer arrives, and they are a happy, milk-drunk baby that’s ready to snooze!! 

Even if you feed baby right before your session time, sometimes they may need a little more later in your session to soothe.

DON’T STRESS IF BABY IS AWAKE OR FUSSY

At almost EVERY newborn session parents say exactly the same things!!

“Ahhh I hope my baby falls asleep!”

“I’m so sorry my baby is awake, I tried so hard to make sure he/she would sleep when you got here!”

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry my baby is so fussy!”

So guess what?! If your baby is awake…it’s OKAY! If your baby is hungry…it’s OKAY! If your baby is fussy…it’s OKAY!

As a mom of two, I know how unpredictable children are. We could do everything perfectly, then have a wide awake, hungry, and fussy baby on our hands!!

I actually love wide awake newborn photos!  Did you know babies eyes can change color as they get older?  So it’s neat to document their sweet eyes!  If baby is hungry, that can give you the opportunity to take a break and even get photos of you breastfeeding if you want to remember those sweet moments too! And if baby is fussy, your photographer can work their magic to get the in between, reassure you, and create beauty from the chaos!

LIGHT IS KEY

Light is the name of the game – in your clothing, in your decor, in your room choice.  For light and airy newborn photos, it’s critical to choose light everything! 

One of the most important things to help you prepare for light and bright newborn photos is to wear LIGHT colors (preferably white, cream, light blue, or light pink). Since newborn sessions are typically indoors, you will need as much natural light in the lightest colored room with the lightest outfits possible.  This will also help to avoid color casts and create natural looking skin tones.

Ready to book your newborn session with Madison Z Photography? Learn more about the MZP Experience here.