Patience is the keyword! It might take up to three hours before you are satisfied with that specific pose you have in mind. And in some cases after three hours you still don’t have hundreds of photos to choose from. In those three hours the mother fed the baby about three times, changed the nappy twice and tried to get baby to sleep for about two hours!

Tips for moms:

According to Alta van Wyk, from Picture You Photography, new born shoots must be done within the first two weeks of birth when the baby is still very sleepy and can be “moulded” into to any posing position. “When I photograph new borns, you are more than welcome to bring the siblings along for some photos of their new baby sister/brother, but make sure you do the family photos first. Rather send daddy and the sibling’s home after the family photo session, so that it’s a quiet and relaxing environment when doing the new born shoot.”
Alta says she prefers minimal clothing for the new born. “There are the most adorable props for new borns (see Lavender Blommes). And don’t feel bad if your baby has an “accident” without a diaper, there’s nothing that soap and water can’t clean!”

What to wear

All photographers have their own opinions. Alta says it’s important that the mom is always comfortable. “You can wear the same colour as baby’s clothes to stand out. But normally I like it that clients bring an extra outfit. There’s some cool ideas on Pinterest.”

What to bring

You can bring anything that is special to you. Maybe something with baby’s name on or your wedding ring or anything that makes you feel special. And then off course everything that is needed to make comfortable. Milk, boob, diapers, dummy, whatever.

Doing a new born shoot is very hard work for both the baby and the photographer, but if you have a passionate photographer, she will love every moment as much as you do. Here’s where patience kicks in. It’s quite normal for a new born photo shoot to take more than three hours, so when the editing times comes – more patience.

Enjoy your new born photo shoot!