You may have read or been informed that your newborn must be asleep during their newborn photography session.
Imagine this scenario; You’ve done everything you needed to; followed the guidance provided by myself (or your other chosen newborn photographer) ensured baby has a full tummy and a clean nappy and now you’re at the session. However, baby is wide awake and showing no signs of falling asleep! Help! What do you do? The clock is ticking - your photographer must be getting impatient, have other clients booked in and be generally getting fed up, right?
First and foremost – DON’T PANIC!
An experienced newborn photographer will be fully prepared for this and be as cool as a cucumber!
Every baby is different; I’ve had some tiny clients that have barely cracked an eyelid during their entire session meaning we were done and dusted in under two hours, and I’ve had others that have been wide awake for most of the morning. I’ve known seven-day old babies who wanted to stay awake for hours and four or five-week-olds who’ve slept like Sleeping Beauty.
Anyone advertising their services as a newborn photographer should be prepared for this.
I have 19 years of experience as a newborn photographer, so please don’t worry. Whatever happens, my main priority is to capture some gorgeous images for you and your family, and whether your little one wants to be wide awake to keep an eye on me or fast asleep because I’m so boring, that is what I will do.
In my experience, your baby will most likely fall asleep… eventually.
It is true that a sleeping baby is preferable for a couple of the poses I routinely use, and over the years I have perfected several techniques to gently lull your little one off to the land of nod. I carefully control my room temperature and use white noise, along with soothing techniques and gentle massage, to help your baby feel calm and drift off to sleep.
With its peaceful country village location, warm and relaxing atmosphere, and comfy sofa, I have even had many parents fall asleep in my studio during a session - never mind baby!
I am fully prepared for all eventualities during a newborn session and, as long as your little one is happy and not crying, I will simply adjust my way of working to accommodate photographing an awake baby rather than a sleeping one.
I've always preferred to take a mix of images - some very gently posed, but mostly natural and organic - so it honestly doesn’t concern me if your baby wants to be awake.
Many babies will spend at least part of their session awake, and I absolutely love capturing those gorgeous wide-eyed photographs which I know mum and dad will treasure.
If your baby is unsettled or crying and not quite ready for photographs, I will either comfort them myself or, if that doesn’t work, hand them back to mum or dad for a quick feed or some cuddles.
One thing I do ask is that you don’t arrange your newborn portrait session on a day when you need to rush off after an hour or so. No one can predict exactly how long a newborn session will take, as I always work around your baby’s needs, including feeds and nappy changes. I only book one newborn session per day to ensure we have as much time as needed to settle your baby, and most newborn sessions last between two and four hours.
I hope the above has reassured you that you really don’t need to worry if your baby doesn’t instantly fall asleep for their newborn portrait session.
An experienced newborn photographer will be prepared for all eventualities and have the knowledge and techniques needed to create a peaceful, comfortable environment in which your little one can settle.
If you would be interested in booking a newborn photography session with me, you can contact me through my website or on 07765 718415.
Many thanks for reading!