Session Prep Guide

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

My goal for your session is to create unique and beautiful artwork of your baby for you and your family. My desire is also to have a cozy and inviting studio for you to relax in as you watch me work on styling and photographing your little one. Safety is also my number one priority during your session, so you can rest assured your baby is in good hands. I treat every newborn like my own, with loving and delicate hands. I want you and baby to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible, because that environment is conducive to creating great images! 

PREPARING FOR YOUR SESSION

• Fill out your questionnaire. By answering the questions in your questionnaire, I get a better sense of the style you're looking for and the tones you'd like to use. While all photographs will be shot and edited in the style of my work, I do like to try to design each set with you and your vision in mind. If you have ideas or example images you'd like to show me, please email them to me or you can text them to me at (843) 284-3210. If you don't have any specific requests or ideas, no problem! Many families simply say "do whatever your heart desires" and that's totally fine with me!

• Decide what props and outfits are most important. Most clothing items sold on Amazon/Target or that a family member or friend made will likely completely swallow your baby and not photograph well. I would avoid bringing these types of outfits. And while it can be tempting to incorporate tons of outfits and props from home, I believe it is important to keep things simple to focus on baby. I have an entire studio filled with outfits, SO many headbands, hats, bonnets, wraps, bowls, buckets, baskets and other props - all specifically designed for newborn photography - to use to style your session's best artwork. However, if there is a very special family heirloom that you'd like to use (rattle, special baby blanket, wedding veil, heirloom jewelry, etc.,) I would love to use it during the session. I love to create meaningful photographs for your family. If you are bringing your own prop, keep in mind that smaller items work better than larger items. Photographing large items next to a baby is not only difficult, but usually doesn't look good. It will most likely take the focus away from baby. If you have any questions about a prop you'd like to use, please ask! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

• Decide what the family will wear. If you're scheduled to take family photos, I recommend wearing solid, neutral colors like white, cream or gray. Patterns can overwhelm an image and take away from the focus - your bond as a family with baby. Also, patterns are harder to retouch if an accident occurs that needs to be removed in Photoshop. I encourage sleeves as well. The images are usually taken waist/hips up, so shoes do not matter and won't show. Everyone in the family doesn't need to match, but I would coordinate the outfits to look cohesive as a whole. I will wrap the baby in a coordinating color for the family photos, so no need to bring a newborn outfit. If you are unsure what looks best or just need help narrowing down outfit choices, I would be glad to help. 

• Bring your baby's pacifier. If your baby is taking a pacifier, it is extremely helpful in soothing them to sleep for their session. Sucking is a natural self-soothing technique for babies. Some babies refuse to be comfortable and settle into poses without it! Side note: please bring a pacifier baby likes that does not have a stuffed animal attached to it as that can get in the way of wrapping and posing.

• Feed the baby right before leaving home. They will hopefully have a full belly and be sleepy upon arrival. If they are still hungry when you arrive, that's okay! We have allotted plenty of time for feedings. A full "milk-drunk" sleepy baby is the easiest and best to photograph!

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR SESSION

• The session MAY take up to 4 hours. I know that sounds like a lot, but I allow extra time for feeding/nursing, soothing, changing, putting sets together, cleaning messes, etc. Not all babies fall right to sleep (or stay asleep) and we will likely spend time getting them into a deep sleep. With that being said, MOST sessions last between 2-3 hours.

• The studio will be very warm during the session. It keeps baby cozy and happy. They are used to an environment that was 98.6 degrees inside your belly, so they feel most comfortable when it is very warm. The studio will be around 75-78 degrees. I use space heaters for better control over the heat, so the lounge area will be a little cooler, but still very warm. Dress accordingly! If you're taking family photos, you can bring clothes to change into that are light and more comfortable.

• Once baby is fed and settled, I'll ask that you (Mom) relax in the lounge area and make yourself at home. If you stay too close, baby can smell/sense you and that can keep them awake and wanting to nurse and snuggle. You will be able to watch everything I am doing from the seating area. If I need any assistance at all, I'll let you know. This is your time to take a much-needed breather. I have tons of snacks, water and soda in the mini fridge and a coffee bar. Enjoy some time relaxing and watching the magic happen.

• We will likely have to take many breaks to allow baby to eat. I have allotted enough time for you to nurse or bottle-feed baby. I have a bottle warmer ready in the studio if needed. Also, if you need to pump during this time as well, that's completely fine.

• If you're including siblings in your session, have a plan on what they will do during the session when not being photographed. I will most likely photograph them first since small children tend to get super fussy and "over it" the longer they wait. Have a plan in place for small children (usually under 4 or 5) so they don't have to wait the entire length of the session. A family member might need to be available to take them home after they've been photographed. Having an upset sibling crying to leave for hours will not be a calm, relaxing environment for parents, and baby can sense that too. If the sibling(s) have to stay the entire session, that's okay! Just make sure to have entertainment/toys and food for them. I do have some snacks and drinks available, but I know little ones can be picky!

• The remaining balance of your session fee is due the day of the session. I will have an invoice sent over to you the night before. I cannot send your gallery of images over until the session invoice has been paid in full.

AFTER THE SESSION

• About two weeks after the session, I will email you a link to your password protected gallery of proofs. Proofs means they will be *UNEDITED* aside from some color and basic cropping. I will show 5-10 fully edited images for you to see what your final images will look like. In that email, I will explain how to make your selections and how we move forward from there!

• Final image selections must be chosen no later than 60 days after the gallery is received or a $75 reupload fee will apply to reinstate your gallery. You can purchase digital image collections, prints or products. Subsequent orders for digital images or prints/products can be placed at any time! SC sales tax of 6% will be applied to all purchases. Click here to see a sample store for prints and products. Digital Collections are listed below:

5 Digitals: $115+tax

10 Digitals: $210+tax

20 Digitals: $380+tax

35 Digitals: $600+tax

Full Gallery: $950+tax

Individual Digital File: $25+tax

• Unless otherwise discussed concerning image privacy, I will be SO excited to share your baby's best images on my social media pages, so make sure to keep an eye out for baby's debut! Feel free to share the pictures I add on Facebook or Instagram. However, once you receive your proofing gallery, please do not share your gallery with anyone outside of your family and PLEASE do not share your proofing gallery on social media. The pictures in your gallery are unedited and not a good representation of my final work. I want to always show off my final images so that other families interested in my photography services can get a feel for what final, finished images will look like. Once you purchase and receive your final digital images, you may share those! I provide a smaller, web-sized version specifically for social media sharing. The web-sized photos do have my logo on them (high-res images do not.) I would very much appreciate you sharing the images with my logo and tagging me. Word of mouth by happy clients is one of the main ways I am able to attract new clientele. If you love your images, you can help me SO MUCH by sharing my posts, tagging my social media pages and referring your friends! :)

My Facebook page is Flowertown Photography and my Instagram handle is @flowertownphotography.