Session Prep Guide
The biggest and arguably most important thing you should do to prepare for your photo sessions is choosing the right outfit(s). We don’t all have “photo ready” clothing in our closets, so going for a shopping trip may be in order. But believe me when I say that your outfits can make or break your photos. To achieve the look you most often see in my portfolios, I recommend wearing neutral colors. Creams, whites, greys, browns, and blacks.
Maternity
Maternity photos are taken around 26-32 ish weeks (we want your belly to be big enough to see, but not too big where you’re uncomfortable or unable to get into certain positions).
Sessions are allotted up to 3 outfit changes. I encourage you to take advantage of that! Outfit changes help create different emotions and add variety to your gallery. A good variety example would be a casual outfit, a dressy outfit, and an intimate outfit. Another way to help add variety to your gallery is to include your partner and/or children in your session.
If family will be included in your photos, avoid having more than one person in blue jeans.
Below is a view of the dresses I have available for moms to wear. They can also be used for your newborn session.
Grey = Yes
Blues = No
Birth + Fresh 48
Prepping for photos in the hospital is no different than my other suggestions. Mainly, NEUTRAL COLORS! But more specifically, avoid shirts with logos or distracting designs. When we wear bright red shirts, or one with our favorite team logo on it, it can be very distracting for the image. We want the focus to be on baby and the moment, not your clothes.
Often times when we’re rushing to the hospital, what we’re wearing is the last thing on our mind. I recommend picking out a shirt (or two) for you and your partner to wear before hand and have them set aside (or in your hospital bag). That way, you don’t have to look for the item, you don’t have to think about it, it’s not in the dirty hamper. You have it ready to go without thought!
Additionally, I know that mom and baby matching floral robes is currently a popular hospital outfit choice. I recommend against this for your photos, as the patterns are very busy and essentially distract away from your newborn, and do not represent the style you’re hiring me to achieve for you.
Newborn
Once baby is born, please notify me asap so that I can clear my schedule accordingly. The sooner I know, the sooner we can get you in for your session. Ideally, I try to schedule newborn photos between 6-14 days old.
For clothing, neutral colors are preferred to help create the style you see most in my portfolios. Creams, whites, greys, browns, and blacks. Avoid blue jeans. Try to aim for different color bottoms, such as tan, black, or grey.
Mothers, you are welcome to wear one of the gowns I offer (shown above) if you’d like!
Newborn sessions are done at my studio, Collective. The session takes approximately 2 hours. This includes the anticipated feedings, diaper changes, and soothing time.
We begin the session with lifestyle images on the bed, near the windows, or white walls. The lifestyle photo list goal is;
* family photo
* siblings photo
* parents with newborn
* mom with newborn
* dad with newborn
* solo newborn
After the casual/lifestyle images are complete, we then take baby to the white posing beanbag for solo portraits of baby, where we do baby-led posing, shown below (read more about that HERE).
I typically ask for 14 business days to complete your gallery, which will be emailed to you with a link for download.
