It can be quite overwhelming to prepare for a shoot especially with a new born, thats why I thought I would share some helpful hints and tips to ensure you get the most of your shoot.
1. TRY AND KEEP THE BABY AWAKE ON THE MORNING OF THE SHOOT.
This will tucker them out for the time of the shoot and ensure they are not startled by the new environment or flashes and have a relaxing shoot.
2. TRY TIME THE FEED FOR THE SHOOT TIME
Obviously a baby is a baby so if they need a feed or sleep it's going to happen but we want to aim to bring a nice tired hungry baby to the studio so that we can get them undressed wrapped up in blanket and fed so we get a nice milky drunk baby that we can pose and work with.
3. DON'T USE LOTION ON THE BABY ON THE MORNING OF THE SHOOT
Parents are always worried about dry flakey skin on their newborn, however it is much harder to edit shiny skin then it is to edit dry skin.
4. BRING EXTRA MILK
If your baby is bottle fed, please bring extra milk for the shoot because it provides extra comfort as well as food. The studio gets really warm so you will find that baby may want to drink a little bit more than usual for that added hydration.
5. BRING A BLANKET FROM HOME
When we are trying to settle a baby if they are a little bit restless sometimes having a blanket that smells like home and mum can help soothe more than blankets from that we provide.
6. DUMMY IF THEY USE IT
If you baby uses a dummy for soothing or falling asleep then it can be really helpful to bring the dummy just for the added comfort during the shoot.
7. DRESS IN LOOSE LAYERS
If we are having a long shoot then the studio can get hotter as the day the day goes on so wear layers that you can easily remove or bring extra clothing.
8. SIBLINGS
If you have siblings that you want to be included in the shoot, let me know in advance so we can have the siblings come in, in the first or last half an hour of the shoot as the studio can get pretty hot and is not the ideal environment for a toddler to express themselves in freely.
9. SHOOT TIME
We won't spend shooting the whole time shooting, instead it would used cuddling, soothing and settling the baby. we am for two x 20 mins of shooting when shooting with babies.
