Last week I discussed lifestyle sessions, and this week I wanted to bring attention to posed studio sessions. I love all newborn sessions, really. They’re challenging, often very challenging, but I’ve spent the last 6+ years learning posing, safety, soothing techniques, etc, which have all helped me immensely in my posed newborn sessions. I almost gave up MANY times. Posing newborns is hard. Some babies, obviously, are more challenging than others, but all have their own quirks. I recommend newborn sessions take place somewhere between 1-3 weeks. I used to be a real stickler for getting them in as young as possible, but as I’ve become more experienced, I’ve discovered that “older” newborns do just fine, and sometimes even better than younger ones. Once moms have time to recover, you’ve either gotten the hang of breastfeeding or decided formula is the right path for your baby, but in general, things are calmer than they were in those very early days.

Most of my newborn sessions are posed. That’s just what my client base seems to prefer. I do love lifestyle, but I also love the challenge that posing a newborn provides. I’ve developed a good workflow over the last couple years. Assuming you choose a full sessions (I’ll discuss my mini newborn sessions next week!), I always start with family and/or siblings. One of my tricks for a sleepy newborn is to keep the room very warm, and I’ve found that doing family pictures at the end doesn’t work. You (the parent) won’t want to take pictures after you’ve been sitting in a 80+ degree room for the last couple hours.

Newborn sessions take longer than regular sessions. I don’t give a time limit, nor a minimum time, but because we want them sleepy, it often takes awhile. Also, some newborns take 30 minutes to nurse, and I always want a full belly, because full bellies = sleepy babies. So I’d rather them take their time and eat as much as they’d like, than try to rush them and end up with a grumpy baby. After our family part is done, I move onto the baby’s solo! I do a mix of poses, but can’t guarantee any particular pose with any particular baby. Some babies hate being on their bellies, others hate having their arms raised, others hate being on their backs. They almost all love being wrapped (though they may dislike the process of wrapping).

I always, always follow the baby’s lead. While a little protesting as I move them is normal, your baby shouldn’t be screaming. If they do scream, I will stop what I’m doing and try something else, or hand him/her to you to feed or comfort (if I’m unable to calm him!).

If you’re in the Baltimore/Washington DC area and are interested in booking a newborn session with me, please email me at joannarobbinsphotography@gmail.com