Newborn Photoshoot Preparation Guideline

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by Ashley Low
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DO THIS SHOOT?
Recommended Age:

Generally, we recommend newborns be around 2 weeks old to do the shoot, as babies tend to sleep a lot in their first 2 weeks, thus allowing us to pose them beautifully. We do accept newborns up to 6 weeks old as they tend to give really amazing expressions sometimes.

Whatever the age, please note all babies are unique. We will usually work to their preferences, comfort and safety and not force them in the desired poses or styling if they refuse. So just come in whenever mummy feels up for it, and we will try our best to use styling of different sets to provide you gorgeous pictures of your baby.
SCHEDULING AND WHERE?
Making Appointment:

Appointment can be made upon your baby’s arrival, so our appointment date is more current to your baby’s age. For any reasons, if you already know when the baby is going to arrive, then it’s better to make an advance appointment. Feel free to WhatsApp us at 96403774 to make this appointment.

How long?

The shoot will usually take around 2hrs including baby’s feeding time. With my expertise in handling hundreds of newborns, I mastered the best ways to calm, soothe, and safely pose your precious one. However, if your baby is in discomfort due to natural causes such as colic or constipation, the shoot duration may be slightly prolonged.

Where?

We highly recommend the shoot to be done at our studio as we control the environment (such as temperature, sound, etc) and more importantly, our lighting. To debunk some common misconceptions, our flash lights will not harm anyone’s eyes as the intensity is nowhere near that of sunlight.

However, should parents, especially mummy, require the comfort of the home, home shoot is still doable. This is provided you are able to allocate an empty space around the size of a sofa and coffee table space (space without these furnishings) that is next to a window or balcony for us to use natural light, to produce more natural looking photos.
YOUR PREFERENCES TO THE SETUPS
We specialise widely in colours and props to evoke emotions in the pictures. To do so, we need to narrow down and understand your preferences. Henceforth we ask that you let us know at least 2 days prior to the shoot the following:

– Any general colour preferences? Pastels/neturals/bright? Any specific colour tone?

– Do you like usage of props such as flowers? Do you like themed setups or keep it plain, minimalistic & evergreen? Or both?

We do ask that you visit our IG/FB @ashleylowphotography and screenshot photos you like from our portfolio so we can better envisage what you like. Our website www.ashleylowphotography.com/newborn further allows you to categorise what you like.

If you have seen photos elsewhere that you prefer, feel free to send them over so we better understand your preferences, but we will not reproduce an exact replica.

 

COMPOSITES
You might have seen some photos from our portfolio, shot with elaborate props giving it a surreal feeling. These are digital backgrounds that are first shot without any baby, and we will photograph your baby separately to merge them into 1 photo. If you like these composites, it will not count as a setup, but you have to let us know prior, and we will try to propose them when you come in to select your photos.
WHAT ELSE TO PREPARE & BRING FOR THE SHOOT?

– Put on very easy to remove outfit for your newborn

– Feed them full before the shoot if it does not ruin your schedule. If not, its fine.

– Bring loads of milk, perhaps more portions than required. We have a fridge in the studio if you need. In addition we recommend using bottle milk to feed so we can measure how much baby is drinking.

– Do not bring your baby out before the session as baby gets overly fatigued or stimulated by outside environment.

– Parents and/or older child to come in own outfits – best to be coordinated in colours, no branding/wordings on your outfits unless they mean something to your family. We will provide a wrap for your newborn to match your family’s outfit.

– Pacifier. If your baby is being introduced to a dummy, pls bring it along.


– Moisturizer, if your baby has alot of dry skin.

 

If you have a toddler, should the planning & logistics allow, do consider to bring your toddler in only about 1hr after the shoot has started, so the toddler don’t get restless waiting for their turn or perhaps get jealous of everyone’s attention on his/her new family member. If it’s not possible, we do have a play area to keep them entertained.

WORK PROCESS
2 weeks after the shoot, we will invite you to a gallery viewing session where I will present to you the photos taken, and you can select which package best suits you.

We ask you to make this purchase decision only upon viewing the photos, simply because you can see if baby’s skin needs further retouching, as it is common for babies to have jaundice or rashes.