Newborn Session Must Haves!


You are getting closer to your due date, the nursery is prepped, the bag is packed and you are beginning to think about......your in-home newborn photoshoot here in Moore County! I am SO excited that I will be seeing you soon for your session and I want to alleviate ANY and ALL concerns about being "prepared" for your session. Below I am sharing a few tips to prepare for your Southern Pines area newborn photography session!


  1. Tidy, not clean!
  2. Oh the most important thing to know! Do I want you to stay up all night sweeping and cleaning before your big morning session? Absolutely not. In fact I don't want you to think of the word clean at all. I want you to think about "tidying" your spaces. There is a a great chance we will shoot in your nursery and master bedroom so I want you to take a few moments to make your bed, stash away dirty clothing, and tidy up your nightstands. Have a really wonderful, well lit room in your house (think bay windows or a great wall of windows or something with visual interest). That is another room you may want to consider tidying up! I always say that dirt and dust doesn't show but wrinkles do-so you may want to consider throwing that comforter in the dryer to get some wrinkles out!
  3. Take out a few swaddles of momentos you love
  4. There will likely be a time where we want to swaddle your new babe to settle them and capture them in that way. Grab a few of your favorite swaddles and set them aside. Have a quilt knitted by grandma or a really special hand me down relic? We absolutely want to capture those and it is best to have them ready to go so you aren't trying to remember what you wanted in the moment.
  5. Realistic Expectations
  6. Keep in mind the longer we photograph a babe the longer they are awake! In a perfect world your new babe will take a few little cat naps during our session but sometimes this doesn't happen! As a result the baby can become overtired pretty quickly with their short wake windows. Adding on multiple outfit changes can agitate a babe unnecessarily so I really encourage families to keep the babe's wardrobe pretty simple! A good rule of thumb I've seen is that the more changes=more tears and settling required!
  7. Flexibility!
  8. I am a major fan of baby sleep and totally understanding of baby feeding schedules. As a mom myself I kept to a very strict schedule when my kids were babies BUT I want to encourage you on photoshoot day to know we may distrupt your schedule a little bit just for that day. I ALWAYS encourage moms to give babies full feeds before and during their sessions. Don't rush your new baby to eat during our session...we want them to have FULL happy tummies! I have found that babies who snack during their sessions don't end up staying happy for long. We may sneak in an extra feed just to get through the session successfully with a happy baby!


Are you surprised how simple the "set up" for newborn sessions are? My goal for every newborn session is for a fun, relaxed atmosphere where we can make beautiful art together. If you are an expecting mama I would be so honored to capture your growing family! You can book a session by inquiring on my site!