Hello, world! About 4 weeks ago we welcomed the newest member of our family! We had our newborn pictures scheduled for two weeks after that, and here are my tips for surviving an outdoor newborn photo shoot!
1. Be Flexible
Our peanut came a week late. This put a bit of a damper on things, as the weather was getting colder, especially the week we ended up taking pictures. I had originally planned warmer-weather outfits, or on changing mid-way, and then I realized that was kind of crazy with a newborn and 4-year-old in a public park...
So, we decided to stick with one outfit, and I'm SO thankful that we did! Here's a bonus tip - if you do want a slightly different look, you can layer, and remove one layer for some photos - like I did with my sweater. :)
So, we decided to stick with one outfit, and I'm SO thankful that we did! Here's a bonus tip - if you do want a slightly different look, you can layer, and remove one layer for some photos - like I did with my sweater. :)
2. Moderate Props
In the age of Pinterest and elaborate, 3-hour-long newborn shoots, it's easy to get caught up in all the props. Those are a very specific type of photo shoot, and if it's what you want, you should absolutely go for it! However if you're doing a more simple look, or more overall family photos like we did, props can make the pictures too "busy", and take away from the beauty of your sweet baby's features. Also, in our case, the more props, the more things we would've had to carry through the park. The props we decided to use was a wooden children's rocking chair - mainly so we could get pictures of our son holding his sister, a basket - so we could get some pictures of her alone, an embroidery hoop with her name on it, and a couple blankets.
3. Try To Take It Easy
With a newborn (who needed a nursing break) and a rambunctious 4-year-old boy, I had to remind myself to take it easy, and go with the flow. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I did get onto my son to smile nicely, and not be so goofy, but some of the cutest pictures are of him doing exactly that. Being a 4-year-old. And I realized when looking at them, that he's only gonna be this goofy adorable age once, and why not have photographic evidence of it? (Also, the superhero pose one is one of my favorites! Such a boy thing!)
4. Getting "That" Shot
There were a few pictures I knew I wanted. Aidan has been hands-down the sweetest and most caring big brother, so I knew I wanted a few of just the two of them. The "Secret Garden"-y one is just gorgeous. It's even more beautiful than I could've planned!
I also knew I wanted one of me with both of them, and I love the one we got! I wanted a "Daddy's Girl" one (it's breathtaking), I wanted a 3-generations one with my mom, and I wanted a traditional one that we've been doing with Aidan every year, of him standing between us. If there are specific things you want, make sure you communicate them with your photographer - their aim is to make you happy, and they will do whatever they can to make it happen!
5. If You Can, Get Some Help
We are very lucky to have had my mom come and help us when Jocelyn was born. I understand that isn't always an option. But if you can, it's really helpful to have an extra pair of adult hands to either hold the baby, so you can get those special one-on-one pictures with the older sibling, and someone to entertain the older kiddo (by climbing a tree, in our case) so you can get those precious newborn-with-parents pictures.
With a newborn (who needed a nursing break) and a rambunctious 4-year-old boy, I had to remind myself to take it easy, and go with the flow. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I did get onto my son to smile nicely, and not be so goofy, but some of the cutest pictures are of him doing exactly that. Being a 4-year-old. And I realized when looking at them, that he's only gonna be this goofy adorable age once, and why not have photographic evidence of it? (Also, the superhero pose one is one of my favorites! Such a boy thing!)
4. Getting "That" Shot
There were a few pictures I knew I wanted. Aidan has been hands-down the sweetest and most caring big brother, so I knew I wanted a few of just the two of them. The "Secret Garden"-y one is just gorgeous. It's even more beautiful than I could've planned!
I also knew I wanted one of me with both of them, and I love the one we got! I wanted a "Daddy's Girl" one (it's breathtaking), I wanted a 3-generations one with my mom, and I wanted a traditional one that we've been doing with Aidan every year, of him standing between us. If there are specific things you want, make sure you communicate them with your photographer - their aim is to make you happy, and they will do whatever they can to make it happen!
5. If You Can, Get Some Help
We are very lucky to have had my mom come and help us when Jocelyn was born. I understand that isn't always an option. But if you can, it's really helpful to have an extra pair of adult hands to either hold the baby, so you can get those special one-on-one pictures with the older sibling, and someone to entertain the older kiddo (by climbing a tree, in our case) so you can get those precious newborn-with-parents pictures.
And there are my 5 tips for an outdoor newborn photo shoot! Here are a couple extra, quick bonus tips:
- Pick somewhere quiet - less distractions for little one.
- Pick a pretty blanket/swaddle to wrap baby in, since newborns can get "swallowed" by clothes (do make sure whatever they're wearing underneath goes with the pictures, because the blanket will shift).
- Bring a pacifier, let fussy baby suck on it, have the photographer tell you right before they're gonna take the picture, pop the paci out, and hide it in the blanket you brought! :)
- No matter the type of pictures, I suggest taking a blanket to sit on, because realistically no one wants to get their bottoms dirty.
Also, our AMAZING photographers were Andraž and Neža with Happy Moments Photography. If you ever find yourself in Slovenia, and in need of photos, they are definitely who you want!
I found the adorable headband at Lilies London on Etsy, and the blanket at Molly and Averie, also on Etsy.
Let me know if you have any extra tips you'd share! I'd love to hear from you!
I found the adorable headband at Lilies London on Etsy, and the blanket at Molly and Averie, also on Etsy.
Let me know if you have any extra tips you'd share! I'd love to hear from you!
No comments:
Post a Comment