Firstly, thank you for booking me to capture one of your bubba’s very first days on this planet! Pretty awesome responsibilty!

So, you are all booked in and now you may be wondering if you need to get anything ready for the shoot. The answer is yes! Your baby will be photographed undressed. Clothes never seem to fit babies, especially when you are trying to place them in cutsey poses. They roll up under their chin and cover up their little fingers. So, if you can get them undressed down to their nappy and swaddled back up in a cosy blanket to keep them warm about half an hour before I am due, this will save disturbing them too much just before we start.

Babies lose their body temperature pretty quickly, so it would be well worth keeping your house nice and toasty for the duration of the shoot – we will sweat but baby will be nice and settled (hopefully!).

I am fully aware that babies work to their own schedule, so the next thing I advise will be completely dependant on timing. If you can give baby a feed before the shoot, that will also help keep them settled throughout, however, DO NOT stress yourself out if it’s not happening. I work completely at babies pace and stop whenever they need something.

The ideal scenario is for baby to sleep for as much of the shoot as possible. The snuggled, curled up poses are simply not possible when they are awake as they fidget too much. Of course, if baby is awake and laying happily on the posing bag, then I will capture some ‘eyes open’ moments too and then work on getting them snoring!

Why not get involved and get in the pictures too! Obviously the main focus is baby but I think it’s super important to get a few snaps of you with them. It’s not often you get the opportunity.

I bring everything that is needed for the shoot… a posing bag, various blankets for varied looks and a few props to use if baby settles well enough. The idea of the shoot is to keep things very simple and timeless.

Natural light is key to the shoot. I prefer not to use flash as it can be quite harsh on a babies skin tone and can also prevent baby from settling with the constant flashes of light. A room with patio doors or a good size window that lets in a lot of natural light is perfect. If you think your home may be too dark for the shoot, you are always welcome to travel to me in Biggleswade.

Now let’s cover pee and poo! A subject that makes most people cringe but not me! I’m too used to it now for it to bother me. Please don’t worry about any accidents throughout the shoot. As baby is undressed, including nappy, there is a very high chance of them peeing or pooping on the blankets and me and yes, even you!

I will collect the payment from you on the day of the session.

Finally, I place a few images on my photography Facebook page to show you some sneak peeks before the full gallery is ready. Please let me know if you would prefer them not to go on my page.

See you soon!