FAQ for a Hampshire Newborn Photographer

I have been a Winchester Newborn photographer for over 10 years, and I know that as you start to think about booking a newborn photo session, you are bound to have quite a few questions. To help you prepare, I have compiled a list for the most frequently asked questions

Q: How old should my baby be for their Newborn Photography Shoot?

A: The first 2 weeks of an infant’s life is a unique and very special time, they are still able to rest comfortably in positions that they will soon grow out of and they are content to sleep for much of the day allowing beautiful poses to be achieved with minimum effort. For that reason it is advisable to book your baby in for a shoot within the first 5-14 days. It is always recommended that you book your shoot BEFORE baby is born. It is still possible to do most of these poses with slightly older babies with patience, but it does depend on the individual baby.

Newborn photographer Winchester

Q: How can you book a shoot when you don’t know exactly when baby will be born?

A: On confirming your booking I will pencil your due date into my calendar and ask you to save my mobile number and add me to the list of people you announce the birth of your baby to by text or email. I will then reply a list of available appointments in the next 5-14 days so that you can choose one that is convenient to you.

Q: How long does it take to do the shoot?

A: I have yet to meet two newborns the same, they all behave differently and for this reason some shoots take as little as 2 hours and some as long as 4 hours. It is not unusual for an hour of the shoot to be taken up with feeding, changing, cuddling baby, we always work at baby’s pace being careful not to rush things and to ensure baby is comfortable, fed and rested throughout.

Newborn photographer Winchester

Q: What can I do to prepare for the shoot?

A: The honest answer is very little. The session takes place in my home studio in central Winchester. I recommend you bring plenty formula is you are formula feeding (more than you would normally use), and if you have a dummy please bring that too (even if you don’t regularly use it)

There is no need to try and feed baby before you arrive at the session. I would normally ask you to feed baby at the start of the session while we are choosing the backdrops and poses that you would lie to use during your session. The likelihood is that baby will need to feed more than once during the session and this is perfectly normal and will help baby to settle.

If you are doing parent shots with the baby naked (which is what we usually do) I do recommend bringing a spare top for both parents. for you – just in case of accidents!

Newborn photographer Winchester

Q: What should my baby wear?

A: Most of the shoot will take place with baby naked unless you specify otherwise, and I also have a selection of outfits and wraps specifically for newborn photography for you to choose from if you would like to. I also use heater to make sure that the room we are shooting in stays lovely and warm for the baby. If you have a special blanket or toy you would like to incorporate into a few images please just let me know.

Will there be family pictures as part of the session?

Absolutely. Siblings and parent images are an important part of the session. I normally try to do shots that include siblings at the start of the session, so that young children can carry on playing afterwards, or often they leave with one parent.How many images will there be

There will be a gallery of 25-35 edited images for you to choose from.

If you have other questions that I haven’t covered here please let me know and I’ll update this blog.