Dear New Mom or Dad,

Congratulations on the arrival (or soon to arrive) of your new bundle of joy! It's an overwhelming, emotional and completely crazy time for you! A brand new little life just turned your world completely upside down (In the most wonderful way). You're in uncharted territory as  first-time parents or as parents figuring out how to go from 1 to 2 or more. Getting organized for a newborn session can be stressful, this guide will help with that and if you happen to have any questions or need anything I'm always here to help.

O... LET'S GET STARTED!

LET'S PENCIL YOU IN!

We recommend you schedule your newborn session PRIOR to your baby's birth to ensure a spot on our calendar (although far from required). Send us an email or text (805-236-0970) when baby arrives so we can arrange a time for your session. Click link for pricing and to set-up your session https://www.jotform.com/build/...

(And we always feel special to be on the "baby is here!" text list :) Just sayin')

BIRTH DAY!

Newborn sessions SHOULD be scheduled within the first 14 days of life. However, the BEST time is between 3-7 days after their arrival. (We realize life doesn't always permit for this.) I'll be moving them around and scrunching them into sweet sleepy newborn poses, so we want to make sure they're sleepy enough to allow us to handle them and pose them safely. Older babies take longer to get to sleep, sleep for quick bursts and are harder to pose. Somewhere around day 8 they discover the joy that is stretching! Once that happens...they're not about to let us get them into those curly squishy poses without a lot more patience and finesse. After day 14, it's rare to get baby into that deep sleep that came so easily in their first few days. And, keep in mind that newborn acne and colic are likely to flare up after day 14. Sessions after the 14-day mark are completely possible and done often but on average the session will run longer and some poses may not be safe or possible for your little.

WHERE?

We have a studio location (in Ventura) where most of our sessions take place but we also can do your session in your home. I travel between Santa Barbara & Los Angeles.

CRANK THE HEAT

We keep the studio VERY toasty around 80 degrees or so. Newborns are used to being all bundled up, warm and cozy... and then we come in and yank off all their clothes for those adorable nakey baby shots and they tend not to like it so much without it being very warm. We recommend coming in easy to remove layers so you don't get too warm and can remain comfortable.

WHAT IS THAT NOISE?!

To keep baby sleepy and happy we play a combination of white noise and a shoosher. We know this can be some what annoying but it works! We also will have music on as well.

LOOSEN UP

Please loosen your baby's diaper and clothing at least 30 minutes before the session. This gives those little imprint marks time to smooth away. Your baby will be naked in most of the shots, (unless you have special outfits for them or select some of ours) but we pose them so that all the "important bits" are not on display. PLEASE ALSO dress baby in jammies with buttons or that zip-up. Over the head onesies are cute but wake up a sleepy baby.

SLEEPY?

Most of the images we'll be shooting work best if your little is in a deep sleep. To encourage this, we recommend that you do whatever you can to make to keep baby up as long as possible before the session. I know this can sometimes be hard but often makes the session much smoother for your little one.

HUNGRY?

A well fed baby is a happy baby! Please feed baby 30 minutes before their session to ensure their tummies have enough time to get rid of gas and to expell. Please bring bottles with formula or pumped milk or be prepared to nurse in the studio. Baby usually requires 1-2 breaks to "top-off" during a session. It's tough being a model. (Make sure to bring plenty of formula if you aren't breastfeeding.)

PACI OR NO PACI? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

I understand as a mom that's breastfed that pacifiers aren't always ideal when establishing a nursing relationship. That being said for some littles the use of a paci for small spurts throughout an hour and a half can make all the difference between a sleepy happy baby and a cranky baby that refuses to fall asleep without it's boobies.

VOLUME CONTROL

Please silence your cell phones and tablets. If you have other littles and are incorporating them into the session please consider having a sitter or family stay with them. We do have a play area but we don't have an area for naps and tantrums can be distracting for baby. We play white noise throughout the session but it doesn't always successfully cover the sounds of the other littles. *If you have siblings you would like included in the photos, we recommend bringing them in at the beginning of the session and then having someone else take them if possible.

PATIENCE IS KEY

Newborn sessions can last anywhere from 2-4 hours. It all depends on baby's mood and willingness to sleep. Unfortunately... there is no predicting this! We ask that everyone remain calm, should your little not want to sleep, since your baby will pick up on any frustration in the room. And if sleep doesn't happen, that's okay! Wide-eyed newborn photos are beautiful too!

RELAX

Let me say is again... Relaxx!

I'm extremely comfortable holding and handling newborns. I have a 6 year old daughter and 3 nieces and nephews. I've also been photographing newborns and babies for over 10 years. I've photographed micro premies, special needs littles and those as little as a few hours old. Your little is in good hands, I promise! So yes! Feel free to rest and leave the room, close your eyes for a cat nap or pull out snacks and watch.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THAT: RELAX :)

Moms tend to stress out because this is a new experience... and they aren't used to the waiting game that is newborn photography. They see their baby being fussy or having a difficult time getting settled and panic. "This is a disaster! They aren't going to get any good images!" It isn't and we will! We take the baby's lead: getting them to sleep before posing takes time and they may need to be fed or cuddled a few times first. In fact, we'd say that a good 50% of your session will involve feeding, diaper changes, and cuddling to get baby comfortable. If that doesn't work, we'll take a break or we'll work with what baby is giving us. Sometimes the best images have come from when baby isn't doing what we originally wanted. Just remember: Babies can sense stress and anxiety (especially from their mommy!) Keeping the environment as mellow as possible is pretty much the only way we're going to get the shots we're looking for.

POOP HAPPENS

Your baby is going to be in the buff for the majority of the session. Please don't panic if your baby decides to use our blankets (or us) as their own personal potty. This is natural and we expect it, it's rare when it doesn't happen! Please don't feel embarrassed or worry when it happens, because they ALL do it! (I get peed on at least once every session.)  We have all our blankets and props laundered after every session with special baby friendly detergent. 

PROPS

We have a collection  of bowls,baskets,furs,cheese cloth, wraps,swaddles,wagons,crates,buckets,baskets,blankets,headbands,knit hats & beanies, knit outfits, bloomers, and cloth diapers for your session. If you have family heirlooms,toys,hats,props,etc. that you would like me to use in your session, please gather them and bring them with you. We may not always have a chance to use ALL of the items, but we'll look through them with you to help determine what will work best. *We also STRONGLY recommend that you discuss any ideas,props or poses you have in mind the week before your session (or as soon as possible) so we can make sure to have everything available. We start planning for sessions weeks in advance, (depending on when your session was scheduled) so dropping a huge idea on us mid-session (that requires and unavailable prop) can cause stress to everyone. So talk yo us early on and let us know what you have in mind so we can make sure to have everything together for the best session possible.

THE NOSE KNOWS

As a mother, your smell is so recognizable to your baby, that it may be necessary for mom to step out of the room or sit on the other side of the studio for portions of your session. This is not meant to hurt your feelings, only to allow us to help the baby thinking sweet, sleepy thoughts... instead of  "where's my milk ?!"

SPEAK UP!

Your baby's safety comes first! If there is ever a point where you become uncomfortable, just let us know! We take every measure to ensure that your baby is never in any danger. For that reason, we will always make sure that a parent of assistant is nearby to lend support if needed.

BUT WHAT DO I WEAR?

I know! You just had a baby aren't feeling your best. But we think this is the perfect time to capture you and your new little. Remember these images are for you (not others unless you share them) and your little to look back on when they are older. As far as clothing? Keep in simple. Throw in a little color if you'd like, but skip the busy patterns. (unless they are your signature, then by all means rock it) Not everyone has to match either. Simple things that compliment are always best. For mom we suggest cotton knit-cami and knit tops. Comfty jeans and maxi skirts are always comfy and classic. We LOVE skin to skin portraits as well so tops or bras/tube top are great for these in simple solid colors.

FOR THE MEN

Your hands and possibly feet (depending on what poses your wife has planned for you ;) ) can come into play so please tend to them. Also we know you have probably been operating in "zombie mode" getting used to operating on such little sleep but shaving is always great. Long or short sleeve knits are best and classic in simple solid colors. We don't suggest button down shirts or shirts that have logos. They can scratch baby and distract from the images of the little one. *Wrinkles do show up in photos and are very difficult to retouch, so please make sure all shirts are as free of them as possible.

We can't wait to see you and your little one for your session :)

And don't worry we will confirm and text a 2hr. count down checklist before your session.