Start with a good consultation: Whether you do your consultations in person, over the phone or through email, be sure to talk to mom about her goals for the session. Does mom have a certain outfit picked out? Does she want a certain prop or set she saw online? Does she want some family shots as well? Have the session planned out during the consultation. Know what sets or backdrops you are going to use, in what order and which outfit/ wrap/ hat you are going to use on each. Then go over the plan with mom! Agree on what you want to start with so you can have that ready to go on the day of the session. Also, educate mom that things don’t always go to plan, and that is ok!
Same Set, Different Looks: You always want to give mom a nice variety, but moving the baby around every other snap isn’t always a good idea. That’s why you want to try and create different looks using the same set. By changing your position or angle, and changing something small on the baby, like a headband or pulling the feet out of the wrap, you can create two different looks without waking the baby.
In these two images I used the same blanket and wrap. I removed the crown and pearls, put on the headband, and pulled the wrap up a bit to show her little legs. I stood up to get a higher angle and was able to get two completely different looking images without moving or waking her. To make them even more different, I added a glitter overlay in Photoshop to the images with the crown.
Don’t plan all your big sets for one session: If you are anything like me, you have a hundred different baskets/crates/ newborn bed/ posing props that you are dying to use. It is not always the best idea to use your giant moon prop on your star background, then your airplane prop on your cloud background, then your log bed on your wood floor background, all in one session. You will spend half the session changing sets and wasting time while you could be getting good shots of the baby. Switching wraps and hats or switching out blankets on a beanbag is much more time efficient than changing entire sets.
You don’t have to invest a lot of money on props: Don’t be afraid to DIY or buy stuff at thrift stores or fleatiques. I stop by the local thrift store and antique shop at least once or twice a month. Sometimes I have something I’m looking for and sometimes I go with absolutely nothing in mind. And usually when I go with nothing in mind, I find something that inspires a whole set! Also, thanks to Pinterest, you can find a DIY tutorial for just about anything.
I found a tutorial online on how to make the newborn nest, went to my local craft store and was able to make this beautiful prop for under $25. The vintage scale I scored at an antique store for only $20!
Use mom: The best posing tool you have is mom! Even if mom doesn’t want to be in the photos, you can still use her to help you pose the baby. Even just adding mom’s hands in the images strikes an emotional chord and will pull at mom’s heartstrings during your sales session.
The baby boy in the first image did not want anything to with pictures, or sleeping or anything that didn’t involve mommy. Mommy was able to bounce and soothe him to calm him down and then stop long enough for me to snap this sweet picture.
About Me: Hi All! I’m Stacey of Stacey Davare Photography. I am a portrait photographer from Penn, Pennsylvania. I am a mother of an amazing ten year old named Natalia and wife to my loving husband, Greg. I have been in the photography business for 12 years and couldn’t imagine my life without it!
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