Location

I will have a look for the best location in terms of light, but we will most likely use your bedroom or the nursery as our primary locations and if you are ok with it, I will quite possibly move things around if I need to. Have the house nice and warm so if we are moving or changing baby he or she is comfortable.

The best thing you can do is work on “hidying” this does NOT mean tidying while exhausted. This is effectively decluttering and hiding any untidy. Grab a bag and dump everything that’s on surfaces by the side of your beds, or on coffee tables. Just move things out of the way. Don’t worry about vacuuming, or making it all neat as you want less stress rather than more.

Try and have light and non-patterned covers on the beds as this can lead to distraction if its bold patterns on a bed. So if you have a white duvet cover set, that is the best time to put it on.

Timeframe

For first children, we can generally get it all done in 45 minutes, for subsequent children it is a little longer. For twins it is a different ball game altogether, I will work with you on a special timeframe but generally allow 2 hours. 

Baby

Babies are simple beings at the beginning, they like milk. Lots of milk. The best time for a session is right after a big feed with hopefully a clean nappy already on. If baby is more than a couple of days old, try and give baby a full feed before the time I am due to arrive. For breastfeeding mama's I am talking an hour feed over both breasts, for formula mama's a full feed and potentially a top up bottle in the warmer.

My suggestion is have baby in a nappy + shawl/cute muslin as opposed to clothes. If you want baby dressed and have an outfit that is great, but we often do the sleepy baby by themselves towards the beginning and if they are less clothed that is easier!

Mama

YOU! You are as much a star of this show as baby! If you are still sore or have had complications we can always reschedule so please do not stress, however, if you have a hearty feeder he/she will lose the “floppy/teeny” newborn nature by about 2 weeks. But we can settle and rest when you need to! For you personally, If you have the chance I would recommend either getting your makeup done professionally or doing it yourself if you have the skills. This is definitely not a necessity, however, being “made-up” provides vibrant yet natural images where you will look way less like “I just had a baby and I haven’t slept”. Genuinely no stress either way, but it is worth thinking about, especially as you are paying to capture these memories, you do want to love the way you look.

Some great Hamilton MUA’s if you want some suggestions can be found at the bottom of the page.

Outfits

So family outfits, try and have them non-clashing and something that reflects you guys. If you are into pastels that is fine, if you favour darker colours also fine but try and avoid patterned clothes where possible. Depending on how many people there are, it is worth potentially laying out your outfits the night before on a bed or floor and seeing how they match together.

If you have a husband or partner involved in the shoot, I would recommend not forcing him into clothes he reserves for weddings and funerals as he may look super dashing but he will feel awkward and that will show in the images! If you can find a middle ground where he is comfy but not in board shorts/stubbies and a singlet that would be fab!

Chinos and a nice T-shirt or even Jeans is completely fine.

At the end of the day, the main thing for you two is to feel comfortable and good about yourselves!

The last thing, if you have other daughters involved in the shoot, be aware that dresses and skirts do NOT stay in place in photoshoots if you have bike shorts or leggings they may be a great idea for underneath if you want girls in dresses.

Members of the family

If this is your first baby, this section is not quite so important for you. But if this is a subsequent child you need to consider the needs and involvement of your elder child/ren.

If you can have a beloved person; grandparent/aunty/friend/neighbour come over to help, play and support that makes life a lot easier. There will definitely be photos of your whole family, photos of JUST the children (fingers crossed) but there will be a significant focus on new baby, and parents without the other one/s.

If you do not have a “helper” it is worth planning something for the older ones to get excited about. TV is a great choice, especially if you do not watch lots of it, or for older children, activities or new toys.

Also bribery.... chocolate/lollies something they are not often allowed is great!

What do I need from you?

If you have any special things, blankets, wraps, teddies, or family heirlooms, have them all ready for when I get there so we can make a plan for how to use them.

I genuinely love these shoots and I cannot wait to capture your precious baby!

Hannah x