By Florent Vidal Photography

Welcome to the world!

Welcoming your baby (or babies!) into this world is an unforgettable experience. Naturally, you’d want to remember and record all the tiny details about your baby.

Our aim in this photoshoot is to do just that and also, to have fun!

We are mindful of the fact that as much as this is an exciting time, it is also an exhausting one. We have compiled a list of pointers to make your baby or newborn photo session much more enjoyable for bub and easier for the whole family.

Keep your place warm

We recommend that you keep your home a bit warmer than normal during the session (around 26 degrees celsius or so) when the weather is cold.

Newborns are used to being all bundled up, warm and cozy. We will be doing some nude shots and we would like for them to be as comfortable as possible.

Pushing up the heater a bit is guaranteed to make the session flow more smoothly and help them sleep better.

Turn on the heater 30 minutes before our session to ensure that it’s warm enough in time for the clothes to be removed.

Loosen up!

Please loosen your baby’s nappy and clothing at least 30 minutes before the session. This gives those little imprint marks a time to disappear.

Hungry

A well-fed baby is a happy baby! Please feed and burp your baby right before our session. We will also take as many breaks as needed to help him/her re-fuel.

Quiet please

To help you and baby relax and be more comfortable, only those being photographed should be present. If you would like your other children to be included in some of the photos, please consider childcare for the beginning of the session, and they will join us for the remainder of the photo session.

Time

Please allocate two hours for our photo session so that you and baby can take as many breaks as required.

Props

If you have any family heirlooms, toys, hats, props, etc. that you would like to use in your session, please gather them before we arrive. We may not get the chance to use all of the items, but we’ll look through them together to determine what will work best.

For Mums

If at all possible, make this day about you, too, and if you can.. even pamper yourself!

We may do skin-on-skin portraits with you holding your baby against you. For portraits like this with your newborn, consider a strapless top as an alternative and don’t wear anything that will leave marks on your skin

Your hands will be a focus of the photoshoot so make sure your nails are well-groomed.

Your make-up - focus on your eyes and lips. There’s no need to put too much foundation. Just enough to even out your skin tone. Less is more! Keep it classy. Keep it natural.

For Dads

Your hands will play a major role in this session, so it’s important that you tend to them, too. It’s preferable to not wear a watch, so the focus remains on your hands and the baby.

Trim and tidy your nails and apply lotion to any dry skin. It also never hurts to dab a little moisturiser on your face to help you look more refreshed.

A little clothing advice? Long or short sleeved shirts with solid colour are best and make sure your shirts are free of logos or writing. Wrinkles do show up in photos, so please make sure all clothing is ironed or steamed.

Jewelleries

Please try to avoid large watches, bracelets or rings – we will be doing a lot of closeup shots of your hands holding your baby. Jewelleries, unfortunately, distract from the beautiful subject, that is your bub.

What to wear?

Keeping your attire simple allows for the focus to stay on you and the baby, but this doesn’t mean you have to be all matching. Your wardrobe should be free of logos, pictures and writing. Avoid wearing items that constrict your skin leaving behind marks.

Requirement - Plain black top – this will allow us to do photographs of baby as if he/she is suspended in the air

More cuddles…

Having the new family cuddled up in bed together can make a great photograph. If this is something that appeals to you:

Make the bed.
A solid blanket/comforter or something that isn’t too busy is best.
White to light cream bedding to keep things light and simple.

Turning your home into a studio

So we could turn your home into a ‘studio’, we need a room with a minimum area of 3 x 3 metres and be completely empty (if you need to move furniture please do so prior to our session). The longer the better. If you’re unsure, don’t worry too much. Florent will also be happy to help you once he gets there.

Now that we’re all ready! Let’s have fun and enjoy the shoot!