5 Tips for Taking Photos of Your Newborn Before Leaving the Hospital

Your little one has finally entered the world! As you celebrate your child’s arrival, you and your family will definitely want to get some photos before you leave the hospital. Those first moments go by in a blur, and images of your child’s first couple days are definitely something you will want to look back on in the days and years to come.

Since most professional photographers are still not allowed in hospital rooms for a Fresh 48 session, I’ve put together a list of a few tips for taking your own photos below!

Take advantage of natural light

Hospital lighting is flattering to no one. It can be too bright and wash out colors in photos, or it can be too dark, leaving your images in shadow. The flash on your phone or point-and-shoot camera won’t be much help either, as it can lead to harsh shadows and yellow-looking skin tones. If your room has a window, use the daylight as much as possible to capture some photos of your newborn. Make sure to open the blinds all the way, and if you need to, you can even move the bassinet over to the window in order to put your baby in the best light.

Don’t worry about posing

Posed portraits are for the professionals and are better saved for your newborn photos. Hospital photos should be candid, capturing the real moments of your baby’s first days. While you may move your child around the room for different angles and backdrops, just focus on capturing their genuine first expressions. Those are the images you’ll most want to look back on.

Choose the right angles

To get the best photos, try different angles and see which images turn out the best. As a general rule of thumb, downward angles work well, so try photographing your baby from above. You can even play with different focus points and see what you like. The best thing to do is take a lot of photos so you have plenty of options when you look back at them later.

Capture the details

You’ll be amazed at how fast your little one grows up, so it’s always a great idea to capture those tiny toes and fingers. Your baby’s life will be pretty simple those first couple days, but that doesn’t make the moments any less important to you and your family. Be sure to take photos of first feedings and visits from family members, as well as that adorable outfit for their trip home.

Make sure you’re not just the photographer

If this is your first child, you may be understandably excited to capture photos, but you may not realize how little you end up in images when you’re always the photographer. Ask family members to get photos of you with your baby as well. You may want to avoid getting in front of the camera because of how you look and feel, but trust me, those pictures will mean a lot to you later down the road.

I’ve never met a parent who regretted having hundreds of photos of their newborn, but I’ve definitely met people who wish they had taken the time to take more pictures when their baby was small. Take some time before you leave the hospital to capture your child’s first moments, and if you find that prospect a little daunting, book a professional to come in and take photos of your family as you welcome this precious new life into the world.

5 Tips for Including Older Siblings in a Newborn Session

Congrats!! Your little family has added another member, and it’s so important to capture this moment in your lives! One of the best things about newborn photos is it’s a great way to get new photos of the whole family, including any older siblings. But it can sometimes be a challenge for parents to encourage toddlers to cooperate with the photo session. That’s why I put together these five tips for including older siblings in your newborn shoot.

Give them time in the spotlight.

An older sibling of a newborn has often just become an older sibling, which means they’re still getting used to having a baby in the house. They may feel that their parents don’t pay as much attention to them with all the needs of their new sibling. Take time to make sure your older kids feel involved in the photo session, both in photos with your new baby and photos of the whole family together. Your newborn session is a great way to let older siblings know that it’s not just about your new addition, but about your growth as a family.

Encourage them to snuggle up.

Your older child may feel unsure or uncomfortable around the new baby, and a photo session can be a great way to help them loosen up and get to know their new sibling. Some of my favorite photos are images of the older sibling holding, kissing, or snuggling the new baby. Encourage them to gently touch the newborn and to get close, which can lead to a lot of giggles and smiles and some great photos.

Let them do their own thing.

One of the most important things is not to force your older child to participate in the session. The last thing you want is a tantrum or a grumpy face in your photos! Instead, encourage them to participate without forcing them. You may be surprised how much they enjoy being involved on their own, and giving your older child space to explore and relax can result in more natural, genuine images of your family.

Make time for breaks.

Your newborn won’t be the only one who needs breaks. Have some snacks handy for older siblings, and give them a chance to step away from the camera and just play for a little while. Sometimes it’s best to do photos with the older sibling first, so they don’t get bored and agitated as the session goes on. Regardless of how your photographer organizes the session, be sure to include regular breaks throughout.

Talk to them beforehand.

It’s so important to let your older children know what to expect from a photo session. Whether they love to be in front of the camera or are a little bit shy, talking to them in the days before your shoot about how things will go can really ease their minds and make them more comfortable with the photographer. Be sure to sit down with your older child throughout the week before your session and talk to them about how you’re going to have photos taken and the importance of listening to both you and the photographer. With a little preparation, you may find that they’re excited to participate, which makes for wonderful photos!

7 Things Your Newborn Photographer Wants You to Know

Congrats!! You’ve chosen a newborn photographer and can’t wait to get photos of the precious new addition to your family! But if you’ve never had a newborn session before, you may not be sure what to expect from the experience. That’s why I want to let you know a few things that newborn photographers wish all their clients knew.

Every newborn is unique.

Just as every family is different, no two babies are exactly alike. One newborn might be perfectly comfortable posed laying on her belly, while another might absolutely hate it. Your photographer will work with you and your newborn to find the positions they’re most comfortable in and will definitely not force your baby into any poses they aren’t willing to do.

We’ve seen it all. TRUST ME.

If your baby pees on the photographer’s set, throws a fit, or just wants to nurse the whole session, don’t be embarrassed. Chances are your photographer has experienced everything from poop all over their props to being peed on. As a newborn photographer, this is their everyday life, and they’re totally understanding. After all, your baby’s needs come before your photos. So, don’t feel like you have to apologize for every little thing that goes wrong. Your photographer is there to support you and work with you.

We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves.

It can be tempting to swoop in and pick up your newborn as soon as they start crying, but most photographers know a variety of ways to sooth little ones. It’s important for parents to use their newborn session as a time to relax and to trust the photographer. If your baby is truly upset and can’t be calmed down, we’ll be sure to pass them on to you for feeding, diapering, or comfort.

 You should feel free to take a break.

As the parent of a newborn, you probably haven’t had a moment to yourself in a while. Well, your photo session is the perfect chance to just sit back and relax. Most of the images will be of your baby, so you get to sit on the sidelines, have a cup of coffee, and maybe finally check your email or return some phone calls. And no judgment if you doze off during the session! I’ll wake you when I need you.

We want you to share our photos.

Photographers take images for you to cherish and enjoy, and we want you to share them! Post those photos of your newborn all over social media and send to family and friends. We want our images to be seen! Just be sure to credit your photographer when you share their images on Facebook or Instagram and feel free to recommend them to other expecting parents!

Our work doesn’t end with your session.

Since everyone has a camera on their phone these days, photographers hear a lot about how anyone can take a photo. But a professional does so much more than simply click a button. We set up backdrops and lighting, and we know all the tricks of the trade to make your photos turn out amazing. And once the session is over, we spend hours editing your photos to make them the absolute best they can be, providing you with images you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Coordinating Family Outfits: Dos and Don'ts

Yay! You’ve booked a session with me! Thank you!

But now comes the hard part: picking out an outfit! I know a lot of clients may feel completely overwhelmed when it comes to choosing what to wear, so I came up with a quick list of Do’s and Don’ts to make picking outfits less stressful for you guys!

Don’t: ALL white

White always seems like the go-to easy option. Not only do we want to show off your family’s personality through clothes, but all white may sometimes clash, or cause odd lighting.

Do: Mixed Neutrals

White is not a no-no. Adding white in with some OTHER neutral colors (browns, grays, navy, etc) work really beautifully together! Having mom, for example, wear a white dress with everyone else wearing a variation of other neutrals evens it out and looks great!

Don’t: Busy patterns/Logos

Patterns are great, but can be extremely distracting and overwhelming. They tend to take away from the emotion of the images as people’s eyes will focus on the outfits, and not your smiles! This goes for too many words as well. Simple is always better!

Do: Subtle Patterns and solids

Instead of having everyone in the family wear a pattern, try having one person wear something with a pattern and the rest wear solids! Subtle, simple patterns will not overdo it and usually match with solid colors better. You can still match color schemes this way!

Don’t: Neon Colors

By wearing neon colors, it can cast some odd colors/shadows on faces. I LOVE color, but try and stay away from anything too bright

Do: Soft Colors/ Jewel Tones (ruby, sapphire, emeral, etc.)

These colors look great on EVERYONE. Jewel tones are vibrant, but not neon bright. You could also go with a pastel color pallet depending on the look/season you are going for!

Don’t: Matching

Getting the ENTIRE family to wear matching outfits is challenging, unless you are going for a specific look (Mommy and me, etc). If you would'n’t normally go out dressed like that, there’s no need to dress like that now. We want to celebrate you as a family and a part of that is showing each individual member’s personality through outfits!

Do: Coordinating colors

Coordinating colors and completely matching get mixed up a lot. With coordinating colors, its easy to bring out your personalities without compromising your own personal style. I will attach some common color schemes below to help find some variation while planning your outfits! Any of these color schemes can be used with neutrals as well to make it less overwhelming!

COVID 19 | Studio Session Update

Hello Everyone!

Due to recent events, Saykiss Photography is preparing for the potential impact on the studio/future sessions.

Nothing is more important to me than you and your little one’s safety! I take every precaution needed to maintain a sterile, healthy environment so that my clients and their families are protected-which I should mention I do long before this virus was a concern. I am fortunate in the fact that for all of my newborn sessions, I get to come to you. You do not need to fear a public environment, and have the peace of mind of being in your own home. Listed below are some precautions that are already set in place

• Handwashing is done before and after every session and hand sanitizer is used frequently throughout our session

• Props are cleaned and sanitized after each session. Every prop or wrap that your baby touched is washed.

• Illness of any kind is prohibited. If a session needs to be rescheduled due to illness, I will never charge a cancellation fee.

Additionally, I want to make a note that I will never schedule if I am even slightly under the weather. I take your baby’s health, and yours, very seriously and would never knowingly put anyone at risk.

Moving forwards, if you are still feel uncomfortable with scheduling a session, here are some ways you can still help support me and my business without leaving your home

• Purchase a gift certificate that can be used at a later date {when all of this is cleared up}. The certificate will be able to used at any date in the coming year, but helps me immensely for the time being

• Order prints/additional images from a previous session you have had. If you had a session with me in the past and never got around to purchasing prints, now is the time!

• Spread the word! Share my page with other who may possibly be interested in booking a session!

Thank you all so much for understanding and working with me in this trying time. We all need to stick together and keep our loved ones healthy!