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Being a brand new parent comes with a unique set of concerns. Least of which should be newborn photography. This is why I love spending time with my clients while they are pregnant. We can talk about the details of photo session day and how to best plan for a smooth and magical session.
A big concern many parents have is how a photographer will be able to calm their baby. The thing about being a newborn photographer is that I am not only trained in the art of creating beautiful images. I also spent years working closely with nurses and birth professionals. Much of this time was spent learning all I could about how to treat babies. (With or without a camera in my hand!). That means that over the years, I learned about things like the 5 S’s, how to watch for feeding cues, and what to do if a baby is fussy.
The 5 S’s is a concept I picked up from somewhere along the way. I don’t remember where I first learned these techniques, but now you can find information on this concept in many places including BabyCenter.com. The website describes how parents can utilize this method coined by Pediatrician Harvey Karp in his book The Happiest Baby on the Block.
Here is how I use each of the 5 S’s:
The style of newborn photos that I create has been adopted by me for an important reason. Over the last 14 years as a photographer I’ve seen that it leads to happier, more peaceful babies and that means better photos! There is nothing worse than watching from the wings as your baby writhes around, uncomfortable from a pose. Luckily swaddling is one of the 5 S’s and allows me to keep your baby relaxed, comfortable, safe and happy! There are countless ways to swaddle a baby into different poses. The result is always the same – a calm baby who loves to have their photo taken – win!
I think swaddling is magic, but I’ll be honest – sometimes babies don’t settle instantly when I swaddle them. But no worries here! I’m always happy to walk your baby around the studio. As a photographer, it’s my job to make sure your baby is relaxed. A lot of my time is spent swinging / swaying / rocking your baby to sleep. Sometimes this means I walk around the studio with my signature jiggle-bob motion. Other times this means I turn on the Tranquillo Pad to keep that motion going as your baby sleeps (in the case of babies I’ve noticed are light sleepers!).
The Baby Shusher is my ultimate go to for white noise for babies and I’ve been using it for about a decade. I even used it in my own home with my two babies to help them sleep. I have found that white noise generally soothes everyone and this includes the littlest of babies. So for most of the session, you’ll hear a lulling shusher sound and my guess is that both your baby and you will want to take a nap!
Pacifiers! There is a lot to unpack here — Yes, they are habit forming. Yes, many people are anti-pacifier. But also yes, babies love to suck! This isn’t my go-to soothing technique since there are a lot of mixed feelings on the matter, but all babies are different and some need a little extra encouragement to fall into that deep sleep. Sometimes a pacifier is what does the trick. So if you have one, and you’re open to using it during the session, feel free to bring it along. If not, and I feel your baby really needs that extra help, I may ask a parent to use a clean and/or gloved finger for a couple minutes.
Baby’s positioning, just like ours, has a lot to do with their comfort and for whatever reason, babies are often more happy on their side and stomach than on their back. It is worth mentioning that safe sleep standards suggest always laying baby down on their back for sleep. This should definitely be followed, but supervised tummy time is also recommended. I am always watching babies regardless of what position they’re in. Mostly I use this technique for calming babies in conjunction with the above sway technique. How I hold a baby for calming them down for a photoshoot is different than how most hold a baby to snuggle. That said, for over a decade it’s been helping me relax babies and also allows me to more effectively transition them to the set up for photos, so they aren’t awakened by too much movement.
All babies have moments of fussiness. This is totally okay and expected! There are great ways to calm babies for photoshoots. I hope this gives you some peace of mind about my ability to relax your baby for a successful newborn photoshoot. If you have any questions, or are ready to book, then please schedule a call with me!
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