Preparing For Your Studio Newborn Session.

What To Expect

Lifestyle newborn sessions are family-centered and include the whole family. The goal is to capture your family interacting naturally and highlight the baby’s sweet details. We take photos of everyone together, individual shots with the baby, and welcome pets and other family members to join in.

If additional children will be involved in the session (especially if under 4 years old), we strongly encourage one adult to take your other children out of the studio after their portion of the photoshoot is done. Our space is small and young children running around with nothing to do can be dangerous and create tension when trying to get individual photos of baby. If taking your other children out of the studio is difficult, please bring items to entertain them (ipad, books, color books, etc). There is a Panera Bread 4 minutes from us (832 S Milwaukee) that has multiple options for kid-friendly food in that same strip mall. We love Bagels By The Book and also Lolo’s Bowls!

What You Should Bring

Bring any special items you want included in the photos, like favorite blankets or family heirlooms. You can also bring 1 or 2 newborn outfits if you like, but it’s fine to come with just the baby. We have wraps, bows, and bonnets at the studio, so you only need to prepare yourselves. Please also bring a couple of pacifiers and some extra milk or formula in a bottle, as I may use a bottle to help soothe the baby and get them sleepy. We find the Philips pacifiers tend to be the most loved by newborns.

Wardrobe + Makeup

Keep wardrobe simple and neutral to avoid distracting from your baby. Colors like grey, white, cream, navy, and light pastels photograph well. Avoid strong patterns and bright colors. Please avoid large logos.

WARDROBE WOMEN - a long flowing dress is very pretty for newborn photos and can help hide any of those uncomfortable parts of just having a baby. If you would like further guidance selecting the right outfit to wear, please reach out. We are happy to help you select something you will love.

WARDROBE MEN - a solid shirt with a collar and nice slacks works great. If you are more of a t-shirt and jeans type of guy, that works too. Just please no logos or stripes.

NAILS FOR FAMILY - Make sure your nails are neatly manicured, as hands will be in some photos (this applies for all family members). A natural polish or bare nails is fine for adults. PLEASE NOTE: I do take detail photos of your baby’s hands. If possible, try to trim their nails to make for a prettier photo. We like Frida Baby tools, the electric trimmer is great for those a little more hesitant with nail clippings, and the Snipper Clippers are great for those a little more comfortable with clipping newborn nails. We still use the snipper clippers for our 5 year old daughter, they are great clippers that have a guard that prevent you from clipping their fingers.

MAKEUP: Please have your makeup and hair done when you arrive. If it usually takes you 30 minutes, add 15-30 extra minutes to get ready. Use this time to pamper yourself—you deserve it as a parent of a newborn!

Don’t feel like shopping? No problem! Any of the dresses from our CLIENT WARDROBE are available to you. Please let us know ahead of time which dresses you would like us to have out for your session.

Prepare Baby

We want baby to be well-fed, burped, and sleepy. If possible, try to keep baby awake as much as possible before your session so that they are more sleepy during the session. If you live close by, you can feed them before you get in your car. If you will be traveling from far, you can wait until you arrive to do any last minute feedings. We will take as many breaks as needed to refuel.

Make sure to bring extra milk/formula if you are bottle feeding. If you are nursing, you are welcome to nurse in our studio. Kat is a mama herself and is very comfortable around nursing mamas.

Prepare Your Mind

Too often have we photographed couples or families that argue through the shoot, picking at each other’s flaws. This makes for a very uncomfortable photoshoot process (for all parties involved). As best as you can, try to let go of any stress (and exhaustion) you have felt from the day and enjoy the fact that you are creating photographs you can cherish the rest of your lives! The moment you relax and just let the experience unfold is when the magic happens.

We can’t wait to meet you and create beautiful heirloom photos for your family!