All outfits, textiles and props are provided, but I do require a minimum 3m x 3m hard floor area in your home to work on (your kitchen in fine if other rooms are carpeted!) and the room we will be working in will need to be heated above your normal temperature - 25 degrees C is ideal. I will be bringing studio lighting to your session, so there is no concern about light levels in your home, I'll just need one electrical outlet to plug in my extension cord.
Due to the amount of equipment that is required to shoot these sessions, unfortunately I am not able to attend homes that I am unable to park outside of (road parking is fine!), or upstairs flats unless there is suitable lift access.
These sessions use a small set-up which is suitable for Baby. However, siblings can have a few photos taken with Baby if they are not at school - these are taken with your little ones lying on the floor with Baby. You can also have natural photos with baby around your home if you would like to, and as always, you are more than welcome to have breastfeeding photos taken.
Babies are posed, if they are willing and happy, to show their adorable curly suppleness. However, I am not into posing babies in unnatural positions and I do not use a bean bag either. The backdrop for your images is a dark wood faux floor which sits nicely with all prop & textile colours. We can also use your own wood or tile flooring if suitable/available.
I will be sanitizing my hands regularly throughout your session - but if you would also like me to wear a mask, either all of the time or just when handling or close to Baby, just let me know in your preferences form. Please bear in mind if I am wearing a mask all of the time, I will need to take a short break occasionally to pop outside for a drink of water and a little fresh air - I can do this while you are feeding or changing Baby etc.
During your session, please feel free to relax, read, watch TV, have a doze! Or you can watch me work of course, either way Baby will be bought to you for feeding, changing and cuddles as necessary.
Newborn outfits, props and textiles are currently quarantined for minimum 48 hours after each session before being used again - sessions are scheduled to take this into account.
When Baby Arrives
When Baby has arrived, please let me know and complete the Home Newborn Preferences Form:
Home Newborn Sessions can take anywhere from 2-4 hours, so please allow 4 hours.
Breastfeeding
We will stop to feed baby as and when necessary, you are more than welcome to have some photos while you are feeding baby - if you would like to do this just let me know.
Expectations
Babies do cry if they feel like it, please don't feel awkward or worried that baby crying is disruption our session, it is perfectly normal and we will take the time to rest with baby, and feed and comfort him or her as needed. There is no rush. If baby is too unsettled to take enough images to fulfil your package, a follow-up session will be offered at no extra charge. This however is very rarely necessary.
Some babies will happily sleep through being moved about, some will stir and wake at the slightest touch. All are unique and have their own preferences as to how they want to be posed (and some just won't want to be posed at all). Your images will reflect your baby as they are at this precious time in their new life.
After your Session
Your private proof gallery will be sent out to you within a week of your session. This gallery contains around 35 images as unedited proofs, with a selection of edited examples, so that you can see how your images look when finished.
There will be a link to the Client Shop included in your proof gallery, where you can upgrade your package or purchase additional prints, products, giftware & other items. The Client Shop is password protected for clients only - just use your proof gallery password.
The gallery will remain open for 1 week for you to choose your package-inclusive images/products, upgrade your package, or order additional items separately.
Each of your chosen images is lovingly hand-edited; first processed from its Raw file, before skin touch-up, colour cast removal, natural teeth whitening, detail enhancement, natural eye enhancement, shadow & highlight correction, removal of any background or foreground distractions, sunset sky editing (if the sky is visible in images) and beautiful, natural colour enhancements.
Hand editing is the only way to get the very best results for your portraits. I don't batch-edit or cut corners, so it is a time-consuming process; I advise clients to allow a month to receive their orders, although this will often be sooner.
I will let you know when your order is ready, and you can choose to either collect in person or sent via post.
Newborn-Specific Editing
I just love all those tiny newborn details; tiny toes, fingernails, eyelashes, skin creases, soft hair, sweet little lips. These fleeting, beautiful details are what we capture during your session.
However, most tiny babies will have some degree of dry/flaky skin, baby acne or milk spots, scratches from tiny fingernails, jaundice (yellow skin), red skin, blotchy skin and various types of birthmarks. Some may have temporary bumps on their little heads from their journey through the birth canal, or sometimes marks from forceps.
Below is the my standard editing process for these newborn-specific issues
For Standard Shots:
Dry flaky skin - softened/removed Baby acne and milk spots - softened/removed Scratches - removed Jaundice or red skin - colour corrected Blotchy skin - evened out 'Stork Bite' birthmarks (these are the temporary birthmarks, generally on baby's forehead, between eyebrows and over eyelids, below the nose or on the back of the neck, which fade as baby gets older. Most babies I see have these to some extent) - slightly softened / lightened, not completely removed unless requested. Permanent birthmarks - left alone, or slightly lightened if requested. Temporary bumps on the head from birth - If baby has a significant bump, just let me know if you'd like this adjusted or not. Other marks from delivery such as forceps marks - if baby has significant marking, it may be best to delay the session until they have faded (this doesn't usually take too long) - just get in touch with a quick photo for me to take a look. Any minor marking can usually be removed.
For Macro Shots (Close-Up Details):
Skin colour corrections only - you want to see every precious little detail up close!
A note about sticky eyes - some newborns have slightly sticky eyes, which can dry crusty. This is extremely difficult (often impossible) to correct in post-processing as it involves the eye creases and eyelashes. If baby has sticky eyes please bring something to clean as we go - cooled boiled water in a pot and some cotton wool is ideal.
If you have any specific preferences about the editing for your session, please just get in touch :)