HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR NEWBORN SESSION AT HOME | ST ALBANS HERTFORDSHIRE NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Are you thinking about a home newborn session in Hertfordshire? Here are my five top tips to help you get ready for your photoshoot at home…

As a newborn photographer in Hertfordshire, it’s always incredibly special to be invited into your home to capture the most sacred time of your life & theirs. Those early newborn days can be such a big time for adjustment so for many of the families that I photograph during the newborn days, they chose to stay in the cosiness of their home. Our homes are our safe spaces, the place where we can feel most at ease & comfortable, but booking a home session for some can feel a bit daunting and often people worry that their homes are “photoshoot ready”. Your home doesn’t need to be spotless with the DIY list ticked off… no home with babies & children in will ever be without a little bit of mess. It’s family a life, a home full of love & life, a home that is lived in. These are what tell the story the most. There is not a home I haven’t stepped into that I haven’t been able to photograph a session within, because the space perfectly sets the scene as there’s so much love adorned within the little pockets of space that we use. My newborn photography sessions are gentle and relaxed, I’ll always help adjust a space and we tend to use little pockets where the light is best. So, here’s my top 5 tips to help you get ready in the lead up to our time together…

GET COSY WITH YOUR BABY AT HOME

Our babies are used to the warmth of the womb, a cosy 37c temperature. And because of how tiny they are, they struggle to regulate their body temperature. Now, you don’t need to go this warm at home but keeping the space super cosy, particularly during the colder months, will ensure that your baby will be warm and comfortable throughout our time together. A lot of mothers that I photograph love to get some skin on skin imagery, so keep the space warm and cosy will ensure you’re both comfortable and we can get some beautiful intimate imagery for you. Whilst the newborn pieces that I bring with me are super soft and warm, we tend to have just one layer on for easier changing but also capturing more skin & tiny details like the newborn fluff.

FEEL RELAXED FOR YOUR NEWBORN PHOTOSHOOT

I know that a photography session can feel a little daunting, but I promise you’re in gentle and experienced hands. I’ve had the honour of photographing babies for over 7 years now. As a newborn photographer and mother, I know just how intense this time can be but also how important these photographs are for you. But it’s also so important to me that you enjoy the experience, feel relaxed, guided, nurtured and celebrated. Your body has been through so much and continues to do so much to nurture your beautiful baby. I will always help with moving bits around if needed, putting them back before I go. I encourage parents to see me as an extension to their village, bringing supplies & nurturing goodies with me on the day. I will also send you a session guide upon booking, and encourage you to curl up on the sofa with a cuppa to scroll through, get inspired and excited for our time together. I will also bring with me on the day some beautiful newborn pieces and a selection of dresses to help take the stress out of planning what to wear.

THE RIGHT BEDDING FOR YOUR NEWBORN SESSION

I tend to use the master bed for taking photos of your newborn baby, seeing your tiny newborn baby on your baby really does emphasise just how little they are. It’s also a good space to get you all cuddled up together if you have older children. I will tell you this about me now, since a young age I have been a little obsessed with bedding and I love a beautiful bedspread. For newborn sessions, I tend to recommend keeping it neutral & plain, texture is a lovely way to add interest so linen & cotton bedding & blankets. If you don’t have any please just let me know and I’ll bring some with me on the day.

IT’S A FAMIL Y PHOTOSHOOT AFFAIR

Whilst my newborn photography sessions are newborn focused, that doesn’t mean the whole family cannot be involved. During my newborn sessions we will capture an array of images of your baby on their own, including all their teeny tiny details, and then portraits with each parent, each sibling, and all of you together. It’s so important that everyone feels involved, if you have older children I will make as much of a fuss of them as I will the baby so that they feel completely a part of this beautiful celebration. This is your family chapter, it’s so important that you get this time together as a family. I get asked this question often, can grandparents get involved too? My answer is always yes! I absolutely love generational imagery and seeing your baby so wrapped up in love by those around you.

HAVE A ‘SORT IT OUT LATER’ BASKET

As a photographer and mother, I practice what I preach and so we have photoshoots at home regularly. I love nothing more than having a photographer come to capture us as a family at home. I am never as organised or as ready as I hope on the day, so I grab our washing basket and I chuck everything in there that I haven’t been able to sort out or tidy away before our photoshoot. I must emphasise that your home doesn’t need to be spotless tidy, a home with children in it will always looked lived & loved in, and I think that adds to the story telling. But just clearing the tops of cabinets or bedsides, decluttering away odds and sods would be my advice. I’ve actually found this method helpful when I’m having a clear out as it encourages me to actually sort through our stuff. We all live in a certain level of mess, there is no judgement here :)

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK IN FOR A NEWBORN PHOTOSHOOT IN HERTFORDSHIRE?

I get asked this question a lot, as it’s impossible to know when little ones will arrive. For my newborn photography sessions, we pencil into my diary what’s called a floating date. I recommend we pencil a date in for the week after your ‘due date’ and then we catch up once babies here. That means we can be flexible and move the date once little one has arrived and depending on how you’re all feeling. I leave 1-2 days a week available for newborn session dates to be moved, so that we can still move your date close to the original time booked in. My diary does tend to book up months in advance, so I recommend reaching out around your 20 week point of pregnancy to check my availability and get a confirmed booking. If you’re thinking of booking a newborn photoshoot, I’d love to hear from you.

To reserve your date in my diary, get in touch using the contact form linked or you can email hello@kimrosephotography.co.uk

So there’s my top tips for getting ready for your newborn session at home. If you’d rather come to me, I have a beautiful natural light, home from home photography studio on the outskirts of North Hertfordshire, near Baldock. You’re so welcome to come to me, I’ll make the tea and we’ll have a cosy newborn session in my studio. I really can’t wait to hear from you, lots of love, Kim xxx