Month: July 2022

5 Ways to Prepare Non Newborn Babies for a Photoshoot

Photog Blog

Non newborn babies can be tricky to take pictures of, since they don’t sleep as much and start to crawl around. But that’s why you have me to give you some tips. In this week’s blog, I’ll be giving you 5 ways to prepare non newborn babies for a photoshoot.

  1. Nap Time. First thing’s first, make sure you schedule the photoshoot for right after the baby’s nap time. Or at least try to have your baby take a nap before the photoshoot. This ensures a happy baby that will probably smile during picture time. Sleepy babies are usually more fussy and don’t want to sit still for a photoshoot, especially one that’s gonna last a whole hour.

2. Eat! Eat! Eat! Make sure that the baby has had a meal relatively recently so that they are not hungry during the shoot. This will keep them from being fussy while taking pictures. You may even ant to bring a snack just in case the baby is still hungry during the shoot. If you’re gonna be in the photos, make sure you eat as well. It can be easy to forget about yourself when taking care of others! Speaking about packing some snacks for the shoot, that brings us to number three on the list.

3. Packing the diaper bag. You’ll want to pack a few items to make sure you have a successful photoshoot. This includes a couple of your babies favorite toys, some snacks, their sip cups, diapers, baby wipes, and a change of clothes. The diapers and baby wipes are pretty self explanatory. The snacks can be used to bribe the baby if needed but also to give them something if they’re feeling hungry. Same with their sippy cups in case they’re thirsty. Their favorite toys can be used to get their attention while they photographer takes pictures. it can also be used as a prop in their photoshoot. The change of clothes are good in case you want your child in multiple outfits or in case baby has an accident and stains their clothes.

4. Grab a Helper. If you plan to be in the pictures with your little one, you may want to call your spouse, parent, or a friend to help with this shoot. They can help hold up a toy to grab the babies attention while you and your baby pose for the photographer. This is especially helpful if you plan to take the picture with your baby and other kids you may have. Then they can try to grab all of the kids attention with the photographer for even better pictures.

5. Don’t Stress Yourself Out. Babies might not be happy and playful the entire session. They may get fussy or not want to get still but that’s because they’re still young! There’s no need to stress yourself out about it. As a photographer we’re trained to be able to capture as many photos as possible when they baby is cooperative. It’s rare that we’ll do a shoot with your little one and come out with little to no images at all. However if it is agreed upon by both the photographer and the parents that the baby was a little too fussy the day of the shoot, you can always reschedule and try again another day.

I hope this article has given you some good tips on preparing a non newborn baby for a photoshoot. Remember to have fun and enjoy this time with your child. Creating these types of moments are important. Share some tricks you have to make your baby laugh during pictures in the comment section!

4 Reasons You Should Have A Double Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

Double maternity Shoots. They’re super fun to do and I had the pleasure of doing one for two sisters this past month. Both were pregnant and expecting baby boys. They wanted to do a maternity photoshoot together and with their spouses as well. It came out beautifully and made me want to do more photoshoots like this one. So, I’m here to give you 4 reasons you should have a double maternity shoot!

  1. You can get Both Pictures By Yourself and With Your Double Maternity Partner! How many times have you taken professional pictures with your sibling or best friend during adulthood? Probably not many because life happens. Or if you have it might be a family or group portrait instead of just the two of you. If you both happen to be pregnant at the same time, this could be not only a great opportunity to get pictures taken together but also a great time to share an experience of your pregnancy journey with each other. It’s not quite often that you see both siblings or two best friends pregnant at the same time, especially if you’re twins! Now I know what you might be thinking. “I still want to be able to take pictures by myself. I don’t only want pictures with just another person.” Well, no need to worry about that. Another benefit is that even though you’ll be taking some pictures together, you can still take pictures separately and have your moment to shine. 

2. You Won’t Feel Awkward. If you normally feel a little awkward taking pictures by yourself then a double maternity shoot could benefit you. This would allow you to take pictures with your sibling or best friend, who can help you to relax a bit more or even come up with some pose ideas. This is especially true if your sibling or best friend may be more outgoing. They’ll be able to get you out of your comfort zone and into the photoshoot mood. Even if both of you are shy, you’ll both feel more comfortable trying poses together instead of apart.

3. You Might Could Save Money! This, of course, depends on the photographer but usually, it’ll be cheaper for the both of you to do a double maternity shoot together than to schedule two separate photoshoots apart. With me for example, I was able to shoot both of the mothers-to-be within an hour. So they were only charged for an hour instead of them both being charged for an hour separately. Keep in mind that every photographer is different and they may have different ways or prices for doing a double maternity shoot. 

4. You and Your Future Kids Will Get To Spend Time together. Perhaps one of the best benefits is that you and your sister or best friend will get to spend some quality time together. This could be a great time to catch up and bond with each other especially if you two haven’t seen each other lately. Another benefit to this is that by having a double maternity shoot together, the two babies to be will get to be together in pictures for the first time, even if they are still in your bellies! This will hopefully set them up to be very close friends once they are born into the world. 

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope I have convinced you to try a double maternity shoot with a sibling or best friend. Be sure to share this with someone you would do a double maternity shoot with! I’ll see you all next week. 

5 Ways to Prepare for a Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

According to the USA Swimming Foundation: 64% of Black kids do not If you’ve never had a maternity shoot before or it’s your first pregnancy in general then this next post is for you! I’ll be discussing 5 ways to prepare for a maternity shoot. We’ll go over everything from booking your session to what to bring on the day of the shoot. 

Book During The 3rd Trimester- First things first, you need to find a photographer that does maternity shoots and book with them during your third trimester. Typically pregnant people like to book between 28 to 35 weeks. This is when your belly is the most noticeable but you’re (hopefully) not too uncomfortable. If you have an idea in mind that you want to shoot you’ll want to speak to your potential photographer to make sure they can make that idea into a reality for your photoshoot. 

Find the Perfect Theme- After booking your photographer, if you don’t already have a theme in mind, you’ll want to speak with your photographer to come up with a theme. Pinterest and google images can offer you some good ideas. Your photographer might be able to show you past maternity shoots that they did to help you decide what you want. If you need any ideas I have another blog article that discusses some potential ideas for you to use here: 

Book A Hair/Make-up Appointment– A lot of Pregnant people like to get their hair, make-up, and nails done. If that’s something you’re interested in you’ll want to book those appointments before your session. You want to make sure that you give enough time to your stylist and yourself to get to your photoshoot on time. A good rule of thumb is to get your nails done 1-2 days before the shoot, and hair and make-up done earlier in the day before the shoot. Usually about 3 hours or so. If you’re not interested in all the glitz and glam, just be sure to give yourself enough time to do your hair, make-up, and or nails. 

Choose or Order an Outfit- Once you figure out a theme, you’ll want to make sure you pick out an outfit that matches. For example, if you’re doing a milk bath maternity shoot, you might want to consider a light dress or a bra and panty set that can get wet. Or if you’re doing a theme that involves flowers you may want to get a flower crown for your hair and a dress or another outfit that has flowers attached to it. The opportunities are endless. When it comes to getting an outfit, you can either find one in your closet, order online, or go shopping so that you know what to wear before the shoot. 

Pack Your Props The Night Before- Finally, we are onto our last tip. If you already have any baby toys, clothes, decorations, or even a sonogram, this can be used during your photoshoot. Many parents to be like to include these items in their shoots as props. You’ll want to pick those items to bring with you the night before so you don’t forget. You might also want to pack other non prop items that come in handy such as lip gloss, lotion, a brush, etc.

Remember to eat and drink before your shoot to take the best photos possible. You don’t want to be hangry during the shoot or dehydrated. Good luck on your journey to parenthood! I hope this article was helpful for you. If you have any other tips, recommendations, or theme ideas, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom and share. I’ll see you next week!

8 Reasons Why You Need a Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

Whether you feel like a million bucks while you’re pregnant or you feel like you’re just ready to get this pregnancy over with, you should still get maternity pictures done. There’s so many benefits but for the purpose of this blog I’m going to give you 8 reasons why you need a maternity shoot.

1. Documentation & Memories. Maternity shoots are great ways to document your child’s journey from before they were born, up until the time that they’re an adult. You can use the photos you take for a photo album that you look back on with your kid when they’re older. The photos will also be great memories for you to look back on whenever you’re feeling nostalgic or to just document your transition into parenthood, if it’s your first child.

2. Couples Bonding Time. If you plan on doing a maternity shoot with your partner, this can be a great bonding experience for the two of you. You’ll be able to spend time together and get some updated pictures with each other before your new bundle of joy comes along. You can even make a date of it and go out to eat somewhere fancy after the photoshoot since you’ll already be dressed up.

3. Sibling Bonding Time. If this isn’t your first kiddo then this can be a time for them to bond with the new addition to your family. They’ll get to have some pictures of them holding up signs saying they’re going to be an older sibling, touch the baby in your belly and if you have more then one kid already they’ll be able to take some pictures together and bond with each other before the new addition to the family.

4. Pictures to Display in the House. Another good reason to have a maternity shoot is that you’ll get some updated pictures that you can hang up around your house. You can hang some of the pictures in the new baby nursery, in the living room or even at your office at work.

5. An Excuse to Get Dressed Up. Some pregnant people feel beautiful during pregnancy while other’s don’t. No matter which of the two you are, this can be a great excuse for you to get glammed up. If you’re already feeling beautiful it’ll be a fun time for you to show off the pregnancy glow. If you haven’t been feeling as beautiful lately, it’ll be good for you to dress upland let a photographer capture your beauty, it can definitely help you feel better and see how beautiful you truly are.

6. Surprise Celebration. Another reason for a maternity shoot is that you can reveal your big news to everyone through pictures. Instead of telling everyone you’re expecting one by one you can send out pictures or make social media post using your maternity pictures for the announcement. This is a great option if you’ve been keeping your pregnancy a secret/surprise for awhile.

7. Updated Family Portraits. Maternity photoshoots can be a good way to update your family portraits as well, especially if you already have kids. This is a great time to capture your family as they are, while showing that they are about to expand. Once again this can be a great idea if you haven’t ever taken any family portraits or if it’s been awhile since the last time that you did take them.

8. Capture the Moment You Learned the Gender. If you don’t know the gender of your baby yet then why not do a gender reveal maternity shoot. It can be a great way to capture the moment you learned if you were having a boy or a girl. The photos could then be used as baby shower invitations.

I hope this article helped you decide to do a maternity shoot. Good luck on your journey to parenthood and I’ll see you all next week.