Your baby has arrived and you are getting ready to bring her to the studio for her session.  You are so excited (so are we) but you are also nervous as you think

• will she sleep
• what if she poops all over their stuff
• will I even be presentable for pictures
• my baby is over 10 days old, will this even work

We know these concerns and thoughts well as we have been through so many newborn senerios in our 10 plus years of photographing newborns.  This information is to help you as you prepare and to hopefully put some of your questions and concerns to rest!  So while we are yes professionals and we have see so many tiny babies throughout our career, we also recognize that all babies are unique, including yours, and they all have their own little way existing.  Part of what makes Sara-Anne Photography so special is that we have been photographing newborns for so long that we are use to handling anything that comes are way.  We feel it makes us invaluable, our team work, our experience and knowledge of capturing newborns.

Let’s get to some frequently asked questions:

When will you do the session? We try to do the sessions in the morning (no later than 10am) and within the baby’s first 10 days of birth.  We know that there are always exceptions, maybe you didnt realize that you wanted newborn pictures until you held that sweet bundle in your hands, or maybe you had a c-section and just can’t do it earlier.  All of those are okay, but in general, we try to do all newborn photography sessions within the first 10 days.

Where will the session take place?  At our photography boutique located at 341 S. Main Street Burlington, NC  Our space was designed for newborn in mind.  You can read all about why we feel our studio is perfect for our tiny clients here.

What should I bring?

• extra bottles or be prepared to feed
• pacifier (even if you babe hasn’t taken one yet, if you are okay, please bring one for us to use…they are so helpful when it comes to soothing without you)
• diapers, wipes (though we have some at the studio too)
• clothes for you and your family members

What should I expect? Expect to be able to relax and let us do all the work.  Expect us to make sure you have a drink and a snack, and that we will handle your baby with the utmost care.  Expect that you may be moved to tears as you watch us pose your sweet baby, expect that you will be able to look around at all our beautiful products and fine art and dream about what your images look like on your walls and expect to have an amazing experience.

What if they poop or pee?  It happens all the time!  Just know that we have had baby’s who poop on every single blanket and we have had some that don’t pee at all.  We’ve experienced it all and it’s all part of what we do.  Please do not worry!

What if they don’t sleep?  Okay, so this is probably the number one question we get…and please let me put your mind to rest!  We ALWAYS get them to sleep for at least most of the session, if not all.  Its one of the reasons we love our studio.  It’s calm, quiet, the perfect temperature and enough space from you and the baby.  (we’ll explain that in a minute) Some babies take a few more minutes to sooth and get sleepy, while others just fall right asleep when they are posed.  We have all sorts tools that we use to get babies asleep and let’s face it, that’s why they call us the “baby whisper”

How does the Session Progress? This is a fabulous question and we feel the more you know the better as you will be more relaxed.

• We greet you and get your baby comfortable.  Remember our studio is calm, warm and spacious.  We will work our way through our natural progression of baskets/buckets, then beanbags and then family
• We will access as we go if baby needs a feeding break
• We will make sure you are taken care of with a beverage and snack
• We will hope that you will relax as you watch your beautiful baby truly “win” at their newborn session
• We hope that you will walk around and see all our products and dream about what you want for your home
• We will let you know when we are moving into the family pictures so you can change clothes and freshen up if you need to.
• Once we are through, we’ll set the appointment for your viewing ordering session

What should we wear?  We always suggest that you wear comfortable clothes to the studio, keeping in mind it will be warmer than normal temps.  We want you to be able to relax during your baby’s session.  For your family pictures, we suggest you keep it very simple.  A plain white or cream cami, a clean pressed shirt for your husband (if he’s comfortable a t-shirt) if not, then a button down.  Skin on skin is beautiful so the simpler the better, no heavy jewelry etc

What is our role during the session?  We want you to relax and just watch.  Your baby is so attached to you that the closer you are to them, the harder it will be for them to fall asleep.  They smell you and immediately get restless and want to eat.  For this reason, we have created a comfortable, relaxing area just for you as you are close enough to watch every detail, but not too close for baby to smell you 😉

Is there anything that I need to do before the session?  Nope..just try to relax as much as you can!  I do not require that you withhold feedings or keep the baby awake before your session, I try to schedule around what you think is the baby’s best time but typically that is the morning.