Workflow of a Phoenix Newborn Session
Being a newborn photographer for over 9 years I have really found what works and what does not for a newborn session workflow. With a newborn session there are many different types of poses that are done. To get all the different poses effectively, I have nailed down my newborn session workflow pretty well.
I always start with baby wrapped. This is so that when you arrive baby can eat and then be wrapped up nice and cozy to drift off into a deep sleep. We want baby asleep for the majority of the session because if they are not then the photos may not look very calm and peaceful like we would like. Before I wrap them, I put them in the outfit they will be wearing for the family photos as well as the other prop setups. I wrap baby up and do two different setups wrapped to give baby time to fall asleep. This is a great time to do sibling photos as well. With younger siblings, having baby wrapped is a bit safer than baby being un-swaddled. It keeps baby secure in the case of the sibling wanting to move quickly.
After the wrapped setups we move on to the bucket shot. This allows me to slowly unwrap baby from the swaddle and place him or her in the bucket still asleep. The bucket pose is one of my very favorite poses so I always like to get it for parents.
We move on to all the prop setups where baby is in the outfit. This allows for an easy transition from setup to setup. Typically we do two other prop setups.
Family photos are next. This is where I capture the family’s very first professional photos with their new addition. I make sure to get photos of each family member with the baby, mom and dad together with baby and the whole family. These are some of the most cherished photos of the session.
After family photos are taken, we move on to naked poses of baby. Some parents opt out of naked photos, but I think they are some of the cutest. I go through a series of poses starting with my froggy pose, then to head on hands, bum up, side lying, egg wrap, and toes out.
This concludes the session. All of these poses and setups take me around 2 hours to complete. Of course, if baby needs to feed or more soothing, it may take a bit longer. I love capturing all of these different shots for mom and dad. Photographing babies is second nature and I love it so much!
