What to Expect at a Newborn Photoshoot.

So, your baby is almost here!!! How did that happen? The time between those little lines appearing on your pregnancy test and becoming a parent disappears in a mass of morning sickness cravings and pram shopping. And believe me, once your little one arrives, the time seems to fly even quicker!

As a Newborn photographer in East Yorkshire near Hull at Bluebell and Lace Photography in North Ferriby I love being able to capture these precious fleeting memories for new parents in the perfect newborn photoshoot. They are the perfect way to celebrate this precious time and the memories we capture are treasured forever.

Our Full Newborn Photography sessions take place in my beautiful purpose built studio. Our shelves are bursting with a rainbow of props and outfits to suit every taste so you don't need to bring anything but your baby and their usual changing bag and milk. I have a comfy sofa for you to relax on with a cuppa while I take care of photographing your beautiful baby.

Our sessions are led by your baby, I have worked with babies and children for over 18 years as well as having 4 children of my own so I know every baby is different. I only book one newborn session a day and start sessions at 10am so there is never any pressure if your little one takes longer to settle, needs extra feeds or cuddles. In my newborn photoshoots I always ask that you feed your baby on arrival at the studio. A good milk feed, whether by breast or bottle will help your baby settle into a good sleep making achieving the gorgeous poses we want more likely. I offer a video consultation a few days before your session so we can plan the colour theme or at least get a couple of ideas so we can see what suits your baby on the day. This means that when you arrive at the studio I can have everything set up so we don't waste those precious sleepy moments!

I always start by photographing your baby on my posing table on a backdrop to suit your colour choice. I pose all my babies without a nappy on. nappies are chunky and affect the way that babies can curl up. They also look ugly in photographs. Posing naked or with just a delicate wrap over your baby means you see those perfect little back rolls.

I am fully aware if the fact that I play poo roulette everyday. I know the risks and am happy to take them. The risk is on me so you absolutely do not need to apologize if and when your little one poos, wees or is sick on me. Even if they do all 3. Remember I'm a mum of 4 myself and also do this everyday so it is not a big deal.

This said some of the session I will wrap your baby which is a useful tool to aid sleep and part of my newborn posing flow. Babies love being wrapped as it mimics being curled up in mummy's tummy. Wrapping your baby safely and securely is a skill I'm trained in. While midwives don't recommend swaddling your baby to sleep for long periods, wrapping in the studio is a completely different thing and they will only be wrapped for a few minutes. Your baby will never be out of our eye line, and I regulate the studio temperature so that it is just right for whether your baby is naked or wrapped.

I know that babies can often have dry skin flakes, jaundice, baby acne and all manor of spot and pressure marks left from birth. We can discuss during your session how you would like this edited. I usually remove dry skin flakes and any spots other than milk spots and colour correct jaundice or very red skin as they are not permanent and will be gone in a few weeks. When my own son was born, his head had been "shaped" by the birth and he had an undeniable cone shape to the back of his head. This went down in a couple of weeks but I am always pleased that I do have photographs from this time. When I have clients in a similar situation I always ask their thoughts and often edit the majority to the way it will look in a couple of weeks and leave a few as a memory of that time but the choice will be your's.

I always encourage family images in my newborn photoshoots. I know you may not feel at your best with sleepless nights but these memories will be as precious to your baby when they are older as their photos are to you! I know the best angles and poses for new mum's so don't panic and I even have a handy guide to help you coordinate your outfits here.

Once your session is finished, I take time to edit your photographs so they are perfect and will then arrange a time for you to pop back for your viewing session. This is always an emotional viewing and when you can choose your package and wall art. The best part of choosing your wall art from my studio is not only do most of the packages have wall art credit, saving you money, but I help advise you and design and organise your favourite photographs from your gallery into the perfect, stunning, timeless framed portraits and canvases that you will treasure for years to come!