First of all… please marvel at my awesome graphic I made. I’m not too great with Photoshop when it comes to making these sort of things, and even with all it’s imperfections, I sort of like it.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about baby photos (which, I’m thrilled about), so I thought I’d just put this up to answer any questions you might have about maternity/newborn shoots, and also, if you were planning on booking a maternity/newborn shoot, you’d know what and when.
When should I book my maternity shoot? If you are in your second trimester, it’s time to book. You want to book us at least a month in advance, and you’ll want your photos done between 32-36 weeks. The last month of pregnancy *CAN be pretty unflattering for some because our bodies tend to retain a lot of water, and I know personally I wouldn’t have felt ‘beautiful’ if I had my photos done at that time.
When should I schedule newborn photos? Newborn photos are best between 3-14 days… babies quickly realize they can stretch out and don’t want to be in a ball anymore right around two weeks. To capture their newness, and to make the shoot easier on everyone, it’s best to do it early.
Where will the newborn shoot be? Do I have to pack up everything to get the photos taken? I prefer taking the photos at your home, where you and baby will be most comfortable. I’d love to have my own studio, but until that happens, I’m happy to come to you. Also, I know with my first baby it took me two hours, four new diapers and two new outfits before I left the house for the first time. If you don’t have a beautiful home you are proud of, that’s fine, I bring backgrounds and can work magic in any size space.
How long will the newborn shoot take and what if I need to feed my baby? Typically, newborns will tolerate about an hour of shooting time, but it will take at least two hours to accomplish. Most of our time will actually be spent getting baby to sleep and taking our time to pose them as we need. A lot of babies will need to eat too, and that’s perfectly fine!
How many photos will I see from my photo shoot? For a maternity and newborn 25-50 are typical.
Do you take photos of births? Sure do! As a mom myself, I’m not scared of birth or weird about it, and I actually love birth. It’s like no other experience in life. I especially love births attended by midwives, but if you want your hospital birth photographed I do that too! Booking a birth needs to be done at least six months in advance as I’ll be on call for you and will have to schedule life accordingly.
And there you have it. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me! rachel@nickelimages.com
