I’m not even sure how to explain what it meant to be able to photograph this particular newborn. If you’ve been here for a bit then you know I taught theatre classes for more than a decade at Davenport Junior Theatre. This new mama was a student of mine from the time she was 13 until she graduated. Then she became a co-worker when she started working at the same theatre. Then she became a friend. Then she became a client when she got engaged and asked me to photograph her engagement session and wedding day.

And then she became a mama and I was the one lucky enough to photograph her newborn baby, Auden. I am honored, humbled and absolutely giddy to be able to be among the first people to meet Auden and pay witness to this new little family!

This session was doubly fun because I am using it to create an education course for Unraveled Academy! Newborn lifestyle sessions are my favorite type of session and after providing them for my clients for the past few years, I figured I had enough knowledge up my sleeve to share with other photographers, so I applied to Unraveled and was accepted as an instructor! The full video will be available later this summer to students of Unraveled, but I figured in the meantime I could tell you all a little bit about my approach to newborn sessions!

Before I get into that, I want to stress newborn safety and its importance. Newborns are squirmy + squishy and they twitch and jerk so making sure you + your clients have a good hold on baby is paramount. NEVER take your hands off of baby until you know the parents and baby are comfortable in whatever position you might have them in. Babies can also roll suddenly so be sure that if baby is laying on their own for any reason, they are in a safe place like a crib or bassinet. Move gently, but with confidence and make sure your hold on baby is firm. If you’re uncomfortable around newborns, I recommend you mentor with a newborn photographer to get an idea of how malleable yet delicate the are! There is nothing like holding a brand new baby but you shouldn’t be ‘practicing’ with your client’s children. It wasn’t until I had my own children that I became fully confident with newborns. I only shot a handful of newborn sessions (and they were mediocre at best) before I had my own kids. Once I became confident holding + moving babies, I decided to dive back into newborn work.

Now let’s talk about my work. You’ll notice I’m not a ‘baby in a bucket’ photographer. While those photogs ROCK what they do and their images are simply darling, it takes a lot of props + studio space and I quite frankly don’t have the expertise for them. While I don’t lug around a ton of props, I do take one big bag with me to newborn sessions that holds a variety of swaddles + gowns and bonnets + bows. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don’t, it just depends on what the parents of the baby like! Most babies like to be swaddled, but some fight it and want some space, so I never put expectations on a baby about what they will or won’t be photographed in. My only rule is no ill-fitting onesies and no clothes with logos or writing all over them. My favorite item of clothing for a newborn? Plain white onesie!

Second, I do very minimal, baby-led posing. This means I follow baby’s lead on positioning and gently guide them to lay or be held in a certain way. Auden, for example, didn’t really enjoy his time upright on mom and dad’s shoulders and couldn’t quite get comfortable, so I primarily had him laying in the standard ‘newborn baby’ pose. Was that plan A? Not necessarily. But keeping baby happy keeps the parents relaxed which makes for a much more smooth session. Aside from newborn safety, newborn calm is my number one goal.

Here are some other things you can do to make sure babies are as comfortable as possible:

Make sure it’s warm where you are shooting. Really warm. Like, so warm that you’re sweating
Make sure they are in a clean diaper
Make sure they are fed as soon as they show signs of rooting
Keep them in motion
If the parents approve, have one of baby’s pacifiers at the ready
Follow their cues. If they are fussy on their back, keep them upright. If they want their arms free, don’t try to pin them in the swaddle. If they like shushing, never. stop. shushing. Better yet, get you a shusher from Amazon!

So what do I do if baby just isn’t having it? Relax. Stay calm. Breathe + stay patient. I always allot for 2+ hours for newborn sessions. Sometimes I’m in and out in under an hour and other times the session pushes 3 hours. I go in with literally zero expectations on baby. Patience really is a virtue when dealing with newborns. Sometimes they are cluster feeding or having a lot of bowel movements or are just annoyed that I keep moving them all around- if baby fusses, I don’t let it get to me. Instead I problem solve. What does baby need or want? How can I help? Sometimes the best thing for me to do is get out of the way while a parent settles baby. It takes a certain amount of intuitiveness to understand when your help is appreciated and when you might just be in the way.

Newborns really are a treasure and I adore being with them! I hope you’re able to take a tip or two from this blog and apply it to your future newborn sessions!

Meet Auden - Newborn Lifestyle Session How To