We do newborn sessions a little differently. We do the normal lifestyle sessions and the posed studio sessions. But we also know that sometimes you want lifestyle images with a few posed and that is OK! We want you to love your images, so on booking with us we will send you a newborn session questionnaire. This is to get to know you and your family, your preferences for colour schemes and how you envision your session. Remember partners – mumma gets the final say for putting in the hard work!
When do I need to book in?
We ideally schedule your session for between days 5 & 12, as this allows us to better capture their precious “fresh baby” state. To facilitate this, we recommend for you to pre-book your newborn shoot when you book your maternity, or between weeks 30 and 36 of pregnancy (in case they decide to make a surprise early arrival!). We use your EDD (estimated due date) as your hold date in our books. Once bub has arrived, we ask that you contact us when you get home to lock in a session date.
As not everyone has the same birth journey, it may not be possible to schedule bubs in for this window. If your baby is older than this, then it is no problem! We do studio newborn sessions up to 6 weeks of age, and modify the posing to suit their size and capabilites. As the baby ages, they become more awake and alert to their surroundings and give us stronger opinions of not wanting to be posed into the more curled or less natural positions.
How do you run the session?
In our sessions, the newborn runs the show – this means we do not push them and if they need a feed or a change or snuggles, we give them the break to get them what they need. It is because of this that we will also not force your baby into a pose that they are uncomfortable in, instead we will work with your newborn into an alternative.
As parents to a newborn, we also understand that this may be the first time you have let someone else hold your baby. We will always keep you in the loop with a running commentary of what we are doing currently, what we are planning on doing next and how you can help us. We also invite you to voice any questions or concerns at any point during the session.
Fresh-48 Photography
Fresh-48 sessions are typically scheduled in the 48-72 hours post-birth so often take place at the hospital or your birthing place. These capture that special small window of absolute ‘freshness’ and focus on the emotions and connections between you, your partner and your new arrival as well as those small details that disappear so quickly. Siblings are definitely also welcome at these intimate sessions and we advise that if allowed, an extra set of hands is invited along (e.g. grandparent, aunt/uncle, friend).
Packages starting from $399
Lifestyle Photography
Lifestyle photography is all about capturing you and your family – in your everyday moments. We come to you, so you get the added comfort of being in your own home and the benefit of getting professional pictures taken whilst doing the things you love – those precious baby snuggles on the lounge, your toddler showing their new sibling all the really cool toys, family snuggles in bed – the list can go on!
Packages starting from $649
Studio Photography
Operating out of our specially dedicated home studio in Harrisdale, we have a range of props, wraps and blankets, and a good knowledge of different poses that we can offer you. We are also very excited to include family heirloom items into your session and happy to try and incorporate inspiration photos that you may find on social media. Please note that we will always be upfront if there is something that we cannot or will not do, and give good evidence why, especially if it is concerning their safety.
Packages starting from $499
Some Tips:
- Please try to have your baby ready to start the session with a full belly and well rested – we can work with an awake baby but cannot with an overtired one.
- Remember to ensure baby has supplies to allow for one to three feeds, depending on the length of your session and how often they feed – budget for your session length plus an additional hour.
- Please set aside enough time for your entire photoshoot length plus up to an additional hour that we may need to use for feeding or settling
- Please pack additional nappies for your newborn – we always keep spares at the studio so do not stress if you forget.
- Remember to wear light clothing as we keep the studio nice and toasty for the newborn.
- If you are bringing older siblings for the entire newborn session, please bring snacks for them and quiet entertainment to keep them occupied. Our home studio is located near a few playgrounds, so you or your partner are most definitely welcome to take them out. If you plan on doing this, please remember to bring a change of clothes so they are not playing in their photograph attire.
Download our current package guide Here
How our sessions go
Booking questionnaire & pre-session consultation
After completing your booking information, we will send you a quick questionnaire to get you thinking about what you want your session to look like. We then go over this questionnaire in our pre-session consultation and organise your session around your preferences. This pre-session consultation is where we determine your shot list, like if your ultimate goal is to get the siblings coordinated so you can have a gorgeous mumma & bubs picture for the wall.
Open line of communication up until your session
We always keep an open line of communication with our clients, right from booking all the way to after you’ve received your final prints and images. This is super important to us as we know that it is key to making your experience with us special. We do have our own family and could be busy with other sessions or clients, so we may not always pick up the phone the second that you call, or reply to your 2am email right away… but we always will return your message as soon as we are able and typically on the same day.
Your session day
We typically arrive on-location at least 20 minutes before your scheduled time. This allows us to set up and scope out whether our favourite spots are available to use that day. We appreciate when you are at least 5-10 minutes early as we can start exactly on your session time. But we do acknowledge that sometimes we can’t help being a little late, if you’re running a little late for your session then shoot us a quick message so we know that you’re on your way. If you’re running a lot late, then we may have to reschedule depending on your remaining session time.
On your arrival, we confirm your shot list and check in with how everyone is that day. If little Jimmy decided to skip the nap and is grouchy, then we can reorganise our shot list to make those ones a priority. We work with your little ones and watch for their ‘I need a break’ cues, so are able to shoot as many of your ‘must-have’ shots as possible!
After your session
We choose a few (faintly watermarked) images to put up on our social pages as sneak peeks – this will be your first look at your lovely session! You do have the option to opt-out of these as we know that not everyone is comfortable or able to share images online.
Your proofing gallery is made available online after we have processed your images, usually about 2 weeks after your session. And we send you a booking link to select your preferred date & time for your complimentary post-session consultation. This post-session consultation can be done at our Harrisdale studio or via zoom and allows you to finalise your selections and go over your print ordering. If done in-studio, we display your images on our professionally colour-graded 32″ monitor and guide you through the optimal print sizes and our gallery product options.
We will also discuss final product and image delivery timeframes at this consultation as they will vary depending on your print and product choices.