Your beautiful newborn baby is finally here! And you’ve decided to document this amazing and exciting time in your life with an in-home newborn session.

At eran jayne photography, my newborn sessions are designed to be as comfortable and relaxed for you as possible. I come right to your home, and we work with you and your new baby’s schedule. My sessions are “lifestyle” in nature – meaning that I bring very few props, but instead focus on the relationships and connection with you, your family and your new baby.

That being said, there are still a few things you can do to prepare yourself and your space for your lifestyle newborn session. Here are a few tips and suggestions to help your session flow a bit more easily:

1 – First, decide what rooms of your home that you are comfortable having photographed, or that you are keen to take photos in. My favourite room to shoot in is the master bedroom, but I also often use your living room and baby’s room – and I am open to your ideas! I love rooms with lots of natural light, and will most likely be turning off any overhead lighting to get the most natural lighting as possible.

2 – Do a very quick tidy and declutter of the rooms you have decided to use in the photo session. BUT -PLEASE DO NOT CLEAN YOUR HOUSE FOR ME! I have had a newborn before – I know how chaotic it can be. I promise will not notice any messes or dirty dishes in the sink! But it is helpful if you or your partner can do a quick declutter, tucking away things like breast pumps, kleenex boxes, pill bottles, baby wipes etc. You can even just move things onto the floor! Empty surfaces tend to look best in photos, and save me from having to Photoshop those items out of your images when editing (but don’t worry, if you don’t have time to do this before your session, I can do it when I get there!).

3 – Open all your curtains and blinds in the rooms we will be photographing. Again, if you don’t have time to do this before your session, I can do it when I get there. I just want as much natural light to flood into your home as possible!

4 – Turn the heat up a degree or two more than normal before I arrive. If you’d like to get any photos of your new baby in just a diaper or even without, the air can be quite cool on their fresh skin. If you turn the heat up a bit, it keeps it nice and toasty warm for them.

5 – If you have any special clothing or items that you are really hoping to have your baby photographed in or with, please set them out ahead of time so they are readily accessible. Again, for the most part, I will be focusing on natural moments and interactions with you and your new baby, but we can always take some quick posed shots with items of importance.

6 – Lastly, if you can, take a deep breath and relax. I do not want to cause any extra stress in your life, so if your baby needs to be fed, or changed, or comforted while I’m there – that’s 100% OK. At almost every newborn session that I’ve attended, there has been a moment or two where I know the parents feel like things aren’t going well. But I assure you – you will get beautiful images. We have lots of time, and I have never, ever been worried about not capturing exactly what I’m hoping for during a lifestyle, newborn session. Breathe 🙂

Eran Sudds is a Tsawwassen photographer who specializes in fun & natural sessions for you and your entire family. She is available for maternity, newborn, family portraits and headshots at locations in South Delta, or anywhere in the Lower Mainland. Contact her to book your session!