Congratulations on the arrival of your beautiful baby! I'm so excited to meet you soon for your newborn photoshoot

As well as feeling excited I know that you'll also be feeling nervous and apprehensive. Will my baby cry sleep? Will my baby cry the whole time? If you're anything like I was as a new mother, you'll probably be feeling self-conscious about your role of being a new mum, worrying if people think you're doing a good job! Please rest assured, you are in very understanding and empathetic hands!

I know that you'll have a lot to think about as you prepare for your session so here are some simple, practical tips for helping your session get off to a good start.

Well done on bringing your new tiny human into the world! You are amazing. If you've had your session with me booked for months you'll have been dreaming of this day to arrive. You get to finally make beautiful and creative images of your wonderful new family that you'll look back on with pride and joy for years to come.

I'm so looking forward to meeting you, or indeed if you had your maternity session captured by me, seeing you again! Every single session in unique as every baby and family are unique. They are all beautiful though and I can't wait to create magic with you!

Getting ready for your studio newborn photoshoot

Dress baby in something easy to take off

When you arrive at the studio, baby will likely be sleeping in their car seat. If baby has had a good feed and is settled I will take baby out of their car seat and try and disturb them as little as possible. I will wrap baby straight away if they stay settled and start the shoot with their individual portraits. This is made significantly easier if baby only needs one layer taken off which is easy to remove. So a long sleeved onesie and nothing that needs to be removed over their head. The more tricky they are the undress, the more likely it is they'll wake up! If they do though no worries, a quick feed usually settles them back down!

01

Plan your journey

Have you ever heard the phrase that leaving the house after children is like a military operation? It is so true. It feels a bit like you're leaving the house with everything except the kitchen sink at first with all the extra paraphernalia they require, don't worry you soon get used to it. Leaving the house with a baby does take extra time though so plan what time you'll need to leave to get to me then add extra time for last minute bum-splosions, feeds getting lost finding the studio. Don't worry too much though if you're running late, I joke with most new parents not to expect to be on time for the foreseeable future!

02

Bring plenty of extras!

You'll be with me in the studio for up to 4 hours, usually about 2.5-3 hours but just incase bubs is having an off day or growth/developmental leap which can result in the need for extra cuddles and feeding. So do bring plenty of nappies, wipes and if formula feeding, more bottles than you might usually require. Bring along spare T-shirts for dads incase of weeing accidents (baby not dad!) and a back up top for mum too. I have outfits and t-shirts in the studio which you can use but if you have something you'd rather wear bring these.

03

I can't wait to welcome you to the studio!

I hope you have found these simple tips helpful! You should also have your session guide which will give you lots more detail about your session and things to think about including outfits for the day, preparing siblings as well as the studio address and my contact details.

If you have any other questions about your session with me, just drop me an email!

Lastly, I hope you enjoy your session with me.

Let's make magical memories!

Rachel xx