{Client Lounge}
In this section, you will find all you need to know about preparing yourself and your family for your session. Scroll down to find information on family, maternity, and newborn sessions. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions that may not be answered below. 520.261.5742 or [email protected]. Referral Program
New Referral Program: a $10 credit toward your next session with every paid client referral you send my way! Just tell them to mention your name and I'll credit your account.
|
Clients
|
Preparing for Your Newborn Session
Preparing Mom
Before we start talking about getting baby ready, let’s talk about the one thing that is at least as important: getting you ready!
Your Mother’s Bill of Rights:
1. You have the right to be comfortable. As a mother, I know how you may be feeling right now. You just had a baby, none of your clothes fit, and you don’t have time to wash your hair, let alone style it! Please don’t feel like you need to be “on” when you come for your baby’s session. I can tell you right now what I’ll be wearing: yoga pants and a t-shirt so that I can move and bend to get the PERFECT shot of your little one. We have plenty of time allowed for your session. If we need to take a break to feed, walk, rock, etc., we can do that. We want you to enjoy the experience of your session and this special bonding moment for your family. You bring baby; I will do the rest.
2. You have the right to be guilt-free. Another thing I don’t want you to worry about is your baby having an accident or soiling my things. Personally, I would be worried if this didn’t happen. (yet another reason for casual attire!). Nothing the baby does during her session is wrong or worrisome.
3. You have the right to be in control. During our session, your word is law. I will respect your wishes when it comes to handling your little one. You can hold your new little bundle the entire session, leave her with me and lounge on a big comfy couch, or even take the opportunity to sneak in a well-deserved siesta!
4. You have the right NOT to clean. If I am coming to your home, please don’t feel pressure to tidy up or clean. What’s important during this time of your life is sleep, feedings, and snuggling your new addition. Cleaning is not high on the agenda.
Preparing Your Baby
Keep the baby full
A well-fed baby is a happy, sleepy baby! If you live near our specified location, please feed your baby prior to coming. If you live more than 45 minutes away, you may want to wait and feed the baby on site. Either way, please plan on bringing extra milk with you. Our sessions tend to make babies hungry and you will need to feed them to put them back to sleep. Make sure you get a good burp in! A baby with gas is not a happy baby and can result in lots of crying.
Skin issues
Don’t worry about baby acne or little scratches. I am an expert in retouching and will, with your blessing, either eliminate or drastically minimize these imperfections. If your baby has extremely dry skin, try applying baby lotion just before your session and bringing extra with you. This will help the retouching process.
Loosen diaper
Before leaving for your session, be sure to loosen your baby's diaper. This will reduce the diaper marks from their naked little bottoms. Also, do not have tight socks on their feet. Socks leave sock lines at their ankles.
Preparing Your Family
Clothing colors
For any family members being photographed, we recommend dark pants and long sleeve black shirts. For younger siblings they can wear either a white or light colored shirt to match the gender of the baby.
Camera-ready hands
Mom’s and Dad’s hands may be shown in many of the close up photographs. Please make sure your nails look nice!
Simple makeup and hair
Keep your hair and makeup simple. It will be warm in the studio to keep the newborn comfortable. Too much makeup and fancy hairstyles will not last.
Session length
Plan on being at the studio for around 2 hours. We like to leave plenty of time for extra feedings, diaper changes, and bouts of crankiness.
Scheduling
Timing
Newborn portraits are best done when created within the first 2 weeks of the baby being born.
Baby is the boss
Unless you are having a scheduled c-section, you are not going to know when your baby will be born. If you are planning on doing your newborn portrait with me, please contact me to let me know your due date. I leave time in our schedule around your due date to ensure we can schedule your session. As soon as that baby is born, have someone call me and I'll put you on my calendar right away.
Session packing list
To personalize your session we recommend that you pack the following:
Before we start talking about getting baby ready, let’s talk about the one thing that is at least as important: getting you ready!
Your Mother’s Bill of Rights:
1. You have the right to be comfortable. As a mother, I know how you may be feeling right now. You just had a baby, none of your clothes fit, and you don’t have time to wash your hair, let alone style it! Please don’t feel like you need to be “on” when you come for your baby’s session. I can tell you right now what I’ll be wearing: yoga pants and a t-shirt so that I can move and bend to get the PERFECT shot of your little one. We have plenty of time allowed for your session. If we need to take a break to feed, walk, rock, etc., we can do that. We want you to enjoy the experience of your session and this special bonding moment for your family. You bring baby; I will do the rest.
2. You have the right to be guilt-free. Another thing I don’t want you to worry about is your baby having an accident or soiling my things. Personally, I would be worried if this didn’t happen. (yet another reason for casual attire!). Nothing the baby does during her session is wrong or worrisome.
3. You have the right to be in control. During our session, your word is law. I will respect your wishes when it comes to handling your little one. You can hold your new little bundle the entire session, leave her with me and lounge on a big comfy couch, or even take the opportunity to sneak in a well-deserved siesta!
4. You have the right NOT to clean. If I am coming to your home, please don’t feel pressure to tidy up or clean. What’s important during this time of your life is sleep, feedings, and snuggling your new addition. Cleaning is not high on the agenda.
Preparing Your Baby
Keep the baby full
A well-fed baby is a happy, sleepy baby! If you live near our specified location, please feed your baby prior to coming. If you live more than 45 minutes away, you may want to wait and feed the baby on site. Either way, please plan on bringing extra milk with you. Our sessions tend to make babies hungry and you will need to feed them to put them back to sleep. Make sure you get a good burp in! A baby with gas is not a happy baby and can result in lots of crying.
Skin issues
Don’t worry about baby acne or little scratches. I am an expert in retouching and will, with your blessing, either eliminate or drastically minimize these imperfections. If your baby has extremely dry skin, try applying baby lotion just before your session and bringing extra with you. This will help the retouching process.
Loosen diaper
Before leaving for your session, be sure to loosen your baby's diaper. This will reduce the diaper marks from their naked little bottoms. Also, do not have tight socks on their feet. Socks leave sock lines at their ankles.
Preparing Your Family
Clothing colors
For any family members being photographed, we recommend dark pants and long sleeve black shirts. For younger siblings they can wear either a white or light colored shirt to match the gender of the baby.
Camera-ready hands
Mom’s and Dad’s hands may be shown in many of the close up photographs. Please make sure your nails look nice!
Simple makeup and hair
Keep your hair and makeup simple. It will be warm in the studio to keep the newborn comfortable. Too much makeup and fancy hairstyles will not last.
Session length
Plan on being at the studio for around 2 hours. We like to leave plenty of time for extra feedings, diaper changes, and bouts of crankiness.
Scheduling
Timing
Newborn portraits are best done when created within the first 2 weeks of the baby being born.
Baby is the boss
Unless you are having a scheduled c-section, you are not going to know when your baby will be born. If you are planning on doing your newborn portrait with me, please contact me to let me know your due date. I leave time in our schedule around your due date to ensure we can schedule your session. As soon as that baby is born, have someone call me and I'll put you on my calendar right away.
Session packing list
To personalize your session we recommend that you pack the following:
- blankets that are special to you (made by grandma, embroidered with baby name, matches nursery, etc.)
- hats or booties you love
- diaper cover
- plain onsie
- fun personal items that represent a hobby, favorite sports team, family heirlooms, etc.
|
|
Preparing for Your Family Session
What Do I Wear?
Keep in mind: These are just my tips. You know what looks best on you and your family and should make all final decisions about your shoot.
Solids over prints.
Solids will get my vote every time. The right print can look great, but more often I will suggest that client wear solid colors. Bold prints can look very busy and distract the viewer from the focus of the photo:you!
Color is your friend.
I love a nice bright, rich color that really pops in a photo. Lighter brights stand out but aren’t too distracting (i.e. avoid neon greens and yellows). Even white looks great and can feel fresh. I usually suggest staying away from dark colors because they can blend into the background, but if you know you’ll be shooting in a location that offers a light
background, dark colors can also be slimming. A nice bright color however, just adds a little something to the photo. And if you have a favorite color that you just love, wear it!
Avoid trends.
Unless you’re going for a particular style for your shoot, it’s usually a good idea to avoid anything too on trend so that later on you don’t look back at your photos and think, “why did I wear THAT?”
Don’t be too matchy-matchy.
For group family portraits, you can certainly match if that’s truly what you want. In my opinion, though, simple color coordination is all that’s needed. You could choose pastels, for example, and everyone could stick to that color
palette but not wear the exact same color. Or choose a color combination that you like, just as you would do for a wedding, and have everyone in the family dress any way they want using only those color options. You want to complement each other, not look identical.
Comfort is key.
If you know you’re going to be doing a lot of walking during your photo session, laying on the ground, getting wet…anything at all, you’ll want to be comfortable in what you’re wearing. If you have a pair of heels that you’re dying to wear for your photos, it might be a good idea to have a pair of flats with you just in case. And as they always say, if
you’re comfortable, you’ll feel more confident and it will show in your photos. Look nice, even dress up if you like, but don’t wear something if it makes you self-conscious or you know you’re going to have keep adjusting it during your shoot.
On location and in season.
Think about the location and the season. If you’re shooting outside you don’t want to freeze if the temperatures have been dropping. Likewise, in the summer when it’s extremely hot outside, you don’t want to wear a fabric that isn’t breathable.
Props and Backgrounds
Bring your own props for a personal touch. Consider items such as baby blanket, stuffed animal, or a special toy.
Be yourself!
The most important piece of advice I can share is to just be yourself. The above are all great tips, but for an engagement or any portrait session, the focus is YOU and you want your personality to shine through.
Preparing for Your Maternity Session
Your comfort is most important, please be assured that this is my priority during our maternity session. I strive to not only capture beautiful moments for you and your spouse, but also make the experience enjoyable and comfortable. As a woman myself, I understand the strong desire for your portraits to be as flattering as possible during your pregnancy. If you have any questions about your session or just want to get advice please don’t hesitate to call me! 520.261.5742
A few tips:
-Please do not wear anything with elastic on your belly for a few hours before your session; the elastic can leave unflattering markings. Watches and some other jewelry can have this same effect.
-Don’t forget about your feet! Tight socks can leave marks too; consider wearing flip-flops to your session.
-I use natural light in my images. My style is to get some natural shots around your home, or at the location of your choice. Your comfort level determines which clothing pieces are used.
- Neutral and/or muted colors are best. Refrain from bringing along any neon or bright pink, yellow or green shirts, or anything with stripes or patterns. The outfits should be the last thing that anyone remembers when going through your album or commenting on your new Facebook profile photo!
-Some lotion on elbows and knees (or other potential dry or 'ashy' spots), but None on the belly. Lotion will make the belly overly shiny, which will create glare and bright spots from studio or flash lighting.
-Bring form fitting tops, such as halter- or tube-tops. Shirts that are tight around the bust will further accentuate the shape of the belly, and will prevent block- or pear-shaped silhouettes. Skin-tone bras with removable or adjustable bra straps are also recommended. Sports bras should be avoided - the tight elastic will leave indentations in the skin.
-Your hands will be prominent in a number of the photos, and a manicure is recommended a few days prior to the shoot.
-Most Importantly: Relax and enjoy yourself! This is an experience that you will want to remember for years and years to come. Remember - a maternity photo shoot is all about the mother-to-be (and occasionally the father). Look your best, feel your best, and you will walk away with amazing photos, as well as lasting memories.