Newborn Baby Guide
Thank you for choosing my studio for your newborn session!
Carrie has been a professional photographer for 9 years now! She specializes in children's photography. Our studio has everything you need for newborn sessions. This guide will help prepare you for your newborn session as well as hopefully answer any questions that you may have.
Please feel free to contact us for any other questions!
Studio location
300 W. Somerdale Rd #8
Voorhees NJ 08043
307-352-9269
Social Media / Websites
www.shuttershocknj.com
@shuttershocknj
(Facebook, Instagram, & Venmo)
Scheduling Your Session
Newborns are photographed in the morning only. We take newborn appointments generally at 9 or 10am. For babies that are older than 3 weeks, we schedule 10 or 11am, depending on the babies sleep schedule.
Babies arrive ready to eat, and Parents are given time to feed their baby before the session. Or you can choose to feed baby just before you leave-but be careful with timing, feeding before hand can generally make you late.
Newborn babies under 2 weeks generally are best first thing in the morning as they have been up all night. As they get older they are more awake in the morning, which is why we will schedule the older babies a tiny bit later. We have learned from experience that newborns in the afternoon or early evening are generally not as comfortable and therefore we do not photograph newborns at this time.
We schedule your due date so you are on my calendar, and then ask that you send us a message 24-48 hours after having the baby. Let us know if everything went according to the birth plan.
Your session will typically be scheduled 6-14 days after baby is born, but we can go out to around a month old depending on baby's birth story.
Session Day prep
We suggest that babies feed right before their session. Either at home, or bring a hungry baby and feed as soon as you get here. A newborn session usually takes about 2 hours. Babies generally feed every 2-3 hours, therefore; feeding right before a session can sometimes guarantee an uninterrupted session. With that being said, babies are babies and quite often will have growth spurts and feed more often during a photography session. In the event that the baby is fully fed, but still may seem hungry during the session we will take a break and allow them private feeding time. We suggest you give your baby their normal early morning feeding which is usually around 3 hours before your session and you are more than welcome to let that baby go back to sleep. You do not need to keep your baby awake. When you arrive, we will undress the baby to the diaper and then allow you to feed. At this point the baby will wake up and then be hungry.
It is very important to understand that we believe in baby led newborn sessions, which means that we never force or deny a feeding.
When you feed before a session, we suggest feeding as you normally do - whether breastfed or bottle fed. For bottle feeding, we do suggest you bring extra bottles. Moms are also welcome to pump at sessions if they need relief.
Session day Prep
We have a boppy pillow, and changing mat, that are cleaned in between sessions and are available for your use at any time for nursing or changing. (The plastic travel ones are cold, and can irritate baby.)
Please check your baby for diaper rash. Babies often will cry during changing if they have a painful diaper rash. This is very important, as even the happiest the baby on the block can be miserable with diaper rash.
We would love for you to tell us your favorite images for inspiration.
You can capture images from our site at the following places:
www.shuttershocknj.com
www.instagram.com/shuttershocknj- We are very active on social media!
Newborn packing list
Please bring the following:
- dress baby in loose pajamas
- pacifier (Even if you do not plan on using them we could really use it for posing baby)
- spare diapers
- baby's blanket
- extra bottles
- any newborn keepsakes or special items you would like to use (personalized blankets etc)
If baby normally does not take a pacifier, please bring it just in case. Newborn sessions are new to your baby and they often want to self soothe by sucking more often than normal. Using a pacifier during a session will not encourage bad habits - we promise!
We want you to be nice and relaxed during your session. Newborns generally respond to your energy and therefore the more relaxed and comfortable you are the more chances of a successful newborn session we can expect to have.
baby safety and composites
Baby Safety and Composites
It is important to understand that we take baby safety very seriously. Most complicated images are composites, and not all babies are able to, or want to bend in all poses. We will always discuss poses before we start the session and explain how we achieve the pose. These poses require our spotters and sometimes the aid of the parents.
This is an example of a composite. All Dream catcher and Froggy poses are composited images.
frequently asked questions
I forgot to schedule a newborn session is it too late?
It is never too late to have your baby photographed. It is important to manage expectations of a session. Curly sleepy newborn photos are never guaranteed but usually achieved with babies under 2 weeks. A 6 week baby may sleep during a session and have awake time, but may not be able to curl into womb positions or want to be wrapped. We do believe that generally babies can be successfully photographed at any age.
What if my baby doesn’t sleep?
Many babies do not sleep thru their session. Some are wide awake the entire time!! We can usually still achieve some amazing images, especially if they are wrapped. But again, it is important to manage expectations.
What if my baby cries?
Babies are babies and they will cry! We do everything we can to soothe and comfort them and surround them with a comfortable environment. Carrie has been working with newborns for 9 years and as a Mother herself, has many soothing techniques and tips.
frequently asked questions
What if we can not get any great baby photos?
Do I get a refund or a reshoot?
Carrie has a very successful record for being able to achieve a wide variety of newborn images even with fussy babies. We will do everything we can to achieve newborn images and soothe your baby. In the event that photographing your baby seems impossible, we will discuss options with you during the session.
How many images do you provide?
Sessions are usually around 1-2 hours and the amount of images captured depends on how well the newborn is doing during transitioning of the poses. A newborn solo session can have anywhere from 30-100 images captured, whereas a family newborn session can have anywhere from 75-200 images captured. These will be a lot of duplicates, and different angles. You will be able to see all of the proofs the evening of your session. Once you decide which images you like we will edit and return digitals or order printing products.
Can we include parent poses, our other children and our dog?
Yes! All are welcome. Dogs are welcome if they are smaller, and a parent can take them home after we are done with them. Dogs may not stay the full time and may not run around the studio.
frequently asked questions
My baby just got circumcised should we still come?
As long as he is healing well yes. Most babies have healed by their session. Many Parents use Vaseline or another gel that the Dr. has recommended for healing. We will keep the area protected and we can avoid naked images if you wish. We photograph tons of babies that have been circumcised with no issues. If your baby has had a later circumcision, they can still have their session and all normal precautions are made. Please feel free to discuss this with us during your session. We want you to be fully involved in the process.
My baby still has their umbilical cord on, is it ok to take photos?
Yes! Most babies that come still have their cord on, as it may take a full two weeks for it to fall off. Some babies even loose their cords during their session! When babies are wrapped, we wrap with their diaper on and cover the cord so that it does not catch on the fabric. When they are naked, we gently can cover the area to keep it protected. We are very cautious with newborn babies and we are aware of the post delivery care that is needed.
Newborn Baby Guide
What if my toddler does not cooperate?
Children are children, and we do the best we can when working with them at any age. We have quite a few tricks up our sleeves and with your permission we can offer them treats or incentives for capturing sweet images. Some children won't cooperate, and that's ok. We just work with whatever they will give us.
Is there retouching? My baby has acne and my toddler has a scratch on their nose!
YES! There is always retouching available. Standard retouching is included, such as removal of acne or assistants who are spotting. For more advanced changes such as headswaps or color changes, they require an additional charge.
How quickly can I see the images?
You will see your proofing gallery the evening of your session. This will be straight out of camera with no touch ups. You will be able to look through the images we captured to select your favorite facial expressions. Once you choose your images to fit your package option, I will edit and send them back. If you need help with any of this just let me know!
Toddlers and newborns
Over the years, many of Carrie’s clients come back again and again with their growing families. We welcome children of any age and we are well aware of how unpredictable the behavior of a toddler or child can be, regardless of the prep. More often then not, naps are skipped, tantrums happen and finding a perfectly well behaved toddler is rare.
In newborn sessions, we start with one set of the newborn first, as this allows us to focus on settling the newborn and making sure they are comfortable. We will discuss with you the order of photographing sibling and family sessions. We generally try and get your newborn settled and sleeping first and then add the toddler afterwards. We try to shoot quickly keeping in mind short attention spans. Generally, the first hour is spent with the family shots and toddler and then we finish up with individual newborn shots at the end. If dad wants to take the toddler/other kids home, he is welcome to. If not you're welcome to bring toys or books to read.
I do ask that grandparents not come for these sessions. It is too many people in a small space.
Newborn and family wardrobe
We have a collection of newborn outfits for boys and girls. Our collection includes wraps, hats, headbands, bonnets, stuffies, props, backdrops, wreaths and more. We obtain new items all the time, however; we do suggest that if you have special ideas or request that you text or email us before your session.
For boys and Dads we suggest simple solid clothing that is void of distracting patterns and matches the idea Mom has for her wardrobe.
Keep clothing in similar tonal ranges for complimentary couple and family posing. Little or big boys should compliment the rest of the family. We suggest long pants and shoes are optional. Bare toes are always a favorite!
You can take a look at the galleries on our website for ideas.
Important Note: If we are posing babies naked, they quite often poop or pee on Moms and Dads! If you are planning on leaving the studio to another appointment, lunch or work, we suggest bringing a change of clothes just in case!
Ready to Schedule your due date?
Read through my newborn guide above for a lot of great information. I schedule your due date, so I know you're coming in soon. As soon as you have baby, send me a message and I will send you my available dates in the next two weeks.
***I always pre-book my newborns!***
Sometimes I may have a random available date if your baby has already arrived, but it is NOT guaranteed. If you want to be on my schedule, PLEASE pre-book in your due date.
I will message you back to confirm your submission, or answer any questions.
Did you already have your baby?
Check my last minute availability- This is not guaranteed, but I will confirm within 24 hours.
