WOW! how did we get to the middle of April. I’ve been home today, as it’s cold and WINDY here in NC and so my sessions have been postponed…so what did I do, edit, design beautiful albums, send lots of emails and took a nap! It’s been a great and productive day!
So when we photographed this sweet baby in the studio, I was showing my studio assistant Amy, the ropes of newborn sessions and she said “you are the baby whisper” well to be honest, a lot of newborn photographers get this title from their clients and it’s because we get these sweet little clients to sleep, into these sweet poses and to our clients it’s amazing.
So if you are just starting out and and you want a few tips, I thought I would share my top 5! We’ll dive into so much more of these at our Bellies and Babes Workshop
- Keep Calm: I never stress during a session, even if a baby isn’t doing what I need them to do, I am completely calm and assuring that all will be okay. By doing this, it keeps the atmosphere calm, something that babies need. They pick up on every little stress and it makes them uneasy. So keep calm, remember that you are the photographer and you have this!
- Exude Confidence: This is probably the biggest tip I could give anyone! When you are confident that you can do what you are suppose to, then you will. It’s when you doubt yourself that things start to go aray. Believe that you can do it and DO it! Your parents, clients need you to be the most confident you can possibly be!
- Know your stuff: Know how to read babies, know when they like a pose or when they don’t. Know when they are hungry or when they just need soothing. Spend time with newborn babies lots of them. Know when the absolute best time is to take newborn pictures (do you know that there is a small window of time? and there is a best time of the day?) Know what motions will actually stimulate a baby and what will put them to sleep. Know when a baby is too cold or when they are too warm. There are so many things that go into just one session. Know how to wrap a baby, know the poses, these things will help you gain confidence and also assure that you will have sleepy babies. There are poses that will put a baby right to sleep, there are things that you can do that will make sure that they are off to never never land, but this comes with lots of education and practice.
- Be the one in Control: I don’t mean this in a bad way, but you are the pro, you are the one that the new moms are looking to, you are the one that is suppose to know how to get the shots that you need to. This means that you are the one that has contact with the baby. You should be the one that says what poses you will do and when. You need to dictate how the session will flow. Not only will this help to create confidence for your client, but the more you are the one in contact with the newborn and the less that mom is, the better. (just for the session)
- Have a Plan: This is so important! Go into your session with exactly what props you will use, what poses you are going to do and when. The one thing nice about my studio is that I can grab something if it doesn’t work, but I have a plan for every session. Amy and I (mostly Amy) work and pull props and wraps and hats that we know we want to use. In my head I know how I am going to use each one and we have a definite flow to our sessions.
If you want to learn more about our approach to newborns check out this video here!
Sweet Issaac came to the studio and we fell in love! The sweetest little guy that just slept like a prince through his session.
