Questions for newborn photogs (my first newborn experience)

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AWills

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I had my first newborn session yesterday and I have a couple of questions which I hope somebody could answer, as I have another session tomorrow (doing free sessions for my portfolio while I gain experience.)

The mum came by herself yesterday and she was very stressed every time the baby had an accident. How can I keep accidents as stress-free as possible? Do you have any tips as to how I might handle accidents? (By accidents I mean soiling blankets) - should I clean baby's bottom by myself or ask the parents to do it? Perhaps they would be uncomfortable with the photographer doing it?

The mum was breastfeeding and she had fed the baby quite a while before arriving and so baby got hungry during the session (I do ask mums to try to feed on arrival) however the mum wasn't keen on feeding, she was pretty stressed about it and only gave the baby 15 mins on the breast and said she will finish when she gets home. Most of the images I got after that are unusable, because you can see that the baby is hungry and looking for food. I then had to cut the session short because I knew that I was the only thing standing in the way of the baby and her food and the mum asked me if I had enough pictures yet :(

The baby didn't sleep once while she was there :(

And finally... what do you do about heating? I've been having central heating on, and using two heaters on either side of the bag. But despite how big the room is it ends up like a sauna which is incredibly uncomfortable for the parents. Should I be using the two heaters without the central heating?

Thanks in advance
 
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AWills said:
Oops should have clarified! By accidents I mean, soiling the blankets!
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I suspected, but needed to make sure it was nothing more concerning. :)

What you could have done better:

Make sure the parent is aware how long it'll take, it's crucial that they understand you're completely relaxed with waiting for feeds to finish, that the most important issue for you is the comfort of the baby*.

I'm no expert on newborns, only did it once, and yes the room was boiling hot, better that than localised warmth that's not working well. Again, warn the parent that they should dress accordingly. And warn them there'll be wee and poo and that you'll deal with it and it's completely natural. And please don't tell them there'll be accidents ;)

Whilst I've done little with newborns I used to shoot kids full time, and the biggest problem was always parents trying to rush things and creating a stressed atmosphere. I used to try to mitigate this at every opportunity.
 
I wouldn't clean them yourself definitely not. I would just have a pile of spare blankets on the side and point this out when the parents arrive and make some joke about it not being i great studio session unless i get through at least three of these blankets or something similar. You need to make it clear its the norm that the baby has soiled the blanket because it will be the norm you're gonna need lots of blankets.
 
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Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice! I will sit with the parents and talk through these things with them before we get started.

I just noticed that I also used the term 'accidents' in my session guide! I am going to change that right away!
 
I've only done three of those type of newborn shoots...I tip my hat to you for trying to work them into your career!
My personal plea... No daft hats/bows/frog poses. :D
 
@viv1969 - That made me laugh :LOL: I strictly don't use props or unnatural poses! That isn't my style at all. My aim is for my newborn work to reflect the baby the way their parents will remember them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to my website but I uploaded some of the photos from my first session which you can see here www.amywilliamsphotos.com/newborn
 
AWills said:
@viv1969 - That made me laugh :LOL: I strictly don't use props or unnatural poses! That isn't my style at all. My aim is for my newborn work to reflect the baby the way their parents will remember them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to my website but I uploaded some of the photos from my first session which you can see here www.amywilliamsphotos.com/newborn
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Thanks for that.
Whilst I'm not a fan of bw and newborns, it's refreshing to see propless shots. :)
 
Make sure the mum and baby are happy and don't feel rushed. If there's need for a feed then try provided a relaxing environment and possibly ask the mum if she want to be left by herself some mum don't like feeding in public.

If i understand well the "baby soiled the blanket" you mean it was a naked baby on a blanket and he had a pee or a poo? That just nature, not really anyway to prevent it. But again be nice and let the mum know it's not a problem. But don't clean bums by yourself! I would not let a photographer clean my baby's bum! When my boy was tiny it would pee instantly each time we took the nappy off, we thought we would need some sort of special skill or something but when it was a bit bigger he stopped...
 
FWIW this is my advice....

At all opportunities right from very first contact we make sure it is very clear that:
  • it's not unusual for a session to last 4 hours
  • the vast majority of time will be spent settling baby
  • Wee and poo (and sick!) are an occupational hazard and it happens every single session and they are not to worry about it at all. Specifically tell them that you and your equipment get poo'd and wee'd on every time and it's fine.
  • The session is very much on baby's time - when it's time for a feed or a cuddle or a break or a comfort feed then that's what we do and it doesn't matter how long that takes
  • It's going to be pretty warm (we keep it at around 24 degrees) so they need to dress accordingly
  • safety is utmost and trumps everything else
We generally just put the central heating on till we get to the desired temp but do also have a small fan heater near the beanbag area to control it a bit better where baby is.

As part of the booking process a Newborn Photography Session Guide (pdf) is emailed to the parents, along with the current price list, to explain what to expect and how to prepare, with lots of tips and advice. All the way through we spend a lot of time reassuring parents and making it clear that they can relax and let us deal with the session - stressing out will mean that the session doesn't go well and it won't help at all. Many parents welcome the opportunity to chill out for a few hours whilst we do the photos.

As far as cleaning the baby goes we have always done it and I see no reason why it should be an issue. Parents are right there with us and it's just part of the session - much quicker and easier to get on and do it ourselves. No-one has ever had any problem with this.
Have hand cleanser / anti-bacterial stuff to hand and use it regularly - just seeing that helps reassure parents that you take it seriously.

It's really important to be relaxed, calm and smiley yourself all the way through - this goes a long way to reassuring the parents and keeping them calm. Take time to sit and chat with them at the start - reiterate what's going to happen and how you do things and form a rapport with them, you'll be surprised how much this improves the session in general.

Don't be afraid to turn people away - if once it's all explained they don't seem up for a long session or make comments or requests that you don't feel gel with your way of doing it then don't do it! It's not fun, it'll be tense and you won't get the best images for them.

Manage expectations, keep in touch regularly with them both before and after the session and guide them through the process.

Above all - make sure that they know that their new baby's safety is of the utmost importance to you and that you will not do anything to compromise that, again right from the start of the process.

Regards
Jim
 
Go to them, work at the client's home where both mum and baby are comfortable.

That creates a whole lot of other problems but goes a very long way towards solving the biggest headache of getting the baby/child to do what you want. If you don't get that cooperation, then everything else is irrelevant anyway.
 
As above, I travel to the parents home. It's easier for them and less stressful.
I'm relaxed when I arrive, set up slowly, let the baby have a feed and a change. I'll tell the parents before that I won't finish until I'm happy with the photos, sometimes this can take a few hours if the baby is unsettled. This way, the parents know the drill.

I will always try to find nice window light, sometimes I'll add some bounce flash if I need more light. Most babies don't have a problem with it.
 
Mark G said:
As above, I travel to the parents home. It's easier for them and less stressful.
I'm relaxed when I arrive, set up slowly, let the baby have a feed and a change. I'll tell the parents before that I won't finish until I'm happy with the photos, sometimes this can take a few hours if the baby is unsettled. This way, the parents know the drill.

I will always try to find nice window light, sometimes I'll add some bounce flash if I need more light. Most babies don't have a problem with it.
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(y)

I can't say I've done a huge amount of child photography, but enough to know that for this kind of work, a) studio working is for the photographer's benefit, not the client's, and b) it's a completely alien environment for both children and parents that just doesn't work for some subjects.

There are solutions to all the practical and technical problems to working in people's homes, and as a professional that's what you're paid to sort out. Personally, I'd make it a USP of my service, central to my marketing message and a key differentiator.
 
Get some puppy pads to put under your blanket and spare blankets as replacements. Lots of washing for the machine!
 
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