Preparing for a Documentary Newborn Photography Session

A guide for Colorado parents looking to capture the sweet first moments of their growing family.

Whether you just welcomed your new kiddo or you're excitedly preparing for their arrival, a documentary newborn session is such a lovely way to capture some mementos from this special, fleeting time. This guide will give you all the info you need to make your session as comfy, fun, and stress-free as possible — for you and your baby.

Step 1: When booking, choose the right time and place for you

The general rule of thumb is to prioritize newborn photos in the first 6 weeks. Outside of that, there's no right or wrong answer — it just comes down to your needs and preference.

Here's how different times end up impacting your session:

5-14 days old is great for classic, snuggly newborn photos. My personal approach is to focus on gentle, natural posing, so you get photos that still look like your baby's sweet, sleeping self.

2-6 weeks old is perfect for a more relaxed, lifestyle session capturing your connection with your baby, all while giving you more time to recover and settle in ahead of time. Babies are still sleepy at this time, but they're starting to make a bit more eye contact and expressions.

For either timeframe, parents are sometimes nervous about not having enough time to recover before being in front of a camera. We'll chat through this more day of, but just know that there are plenty of options to incorporate you in photos in a way that's focused on your connection with your baby rather than being photographed straight on.

For location, I highly recommend doing a home session in your nursery. While some photographers offer studio sessions, documentary nursery sessions make it easy for your family to prepare, help folks feel a bit more comfortable from the get-go, and get you photos that truly capture this moment in your life.

Step 2: Prepare your home

Spoiler: you don't have to do much, at all.

Having a full nursery to work with is awesome, but as long as the crib and areas near windows in your baby's nursery are cleared, we'll have what we need. If you're wanting more variety in your photos, having your bedroom (bed especially) or living room ready is also great, but not necessary.

The goal of a home session is not to make you feel like you need to clean your whole home for a stranger to perceive, it's to make the experience less stressful for you all.

And if it makes you feel better, this blog post is currently being typed by the person who hasn't been able to see her full bedroom floor in 3 weeks. For better or worse, I'm pretty blind to mess.

Step 3: Make sure you and your family have everything they need day of

Here's a quick checklist for all the lil day of things:

• Choose outfits for folks who will be in photos

  • For you, your partner, and/or any older siblings, I'd recommend going for neutrals that compliment each other and outfits you all genuinely enjoy wearing right now.

  • For your baby, a neutral onesie is always a great bet.

• Gather any props you're hoping to incorporate into the session

  • Definitely not a requirement, but having any hats, bows, toys, books, or other mementos gathered ahead of time helps the session run smoothly and reflect your vision.

• Make your home a little warmer than usual (75-80°F)

  • This helps babies fuss less and makes it more comfortable for them if/when they need to be changed.

• Feed your baby 30 minutes or so before the session, and make sure they have a clean diaper

  • This will help make sure you baby is happy and ready for some photos!

  • If you're hoping to do some feeding or nursing photos, you can hold off on feeding and we'll do those photos first.

Step 4: Enjoy this time with your family!

Time together when your baby is this young is so special. My goal with these sessions is that we're creating another opportunity for you all to cuddle up with your growing family, and then be able to remember this time more clearly for decades to come.

If you're interested in learning more or booking, reach out! I can't wait to create such a special gallery with you and your family.

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