How to sooth baby for a newborn photoshoot?

It’s a worry most parents have….what if my baby cries during the photoshoot? The truth is, they probably will. All babies cry at some point and it’s perfectly normal. For babies, crying is a way to communicate but it doesn’t mean we go into panic mode, and it doesn’t mean your photoshoot is ruined.

I’ve seen it all

By now I think I’ve seen every mood a baby can have. Some will be little sleeping beauties for the entire session, others will just need some extra cuddles, while some need another feed before they settle. All of this is perfectly fine. I always leave extra time for soothing, and I work at your baby’s pace. Their happiness and comfort are the most important things. 

A warm and calm environment

A warm temperature, background white noise, a cosy blanket to swaddle in and plenty of milk will make the world of difference and baby will be calm and sleeping in no time. And if not, then you’ll be surprised at the lovely shoots we will get while baby is feeding, having a snuggle with mum or dad, or starting to relax after a good cry.   

Please don’t worry

Even with my photography background, I felt very anxious before my son’s newborn photoshoot. I felt a lot of pressure for my baby to “behave” and be “good for the photographer”. Looking back this was crazy. Babies will be babies. We cannot make them perform and honestly, no photographer expects this. One of the reasons I love newborn photography so much is because I get to capture precious, fleeting moments which you can look back on once your little one has grown. You can look back at their tiny fingers and toes, their fuzzy peach skin that’s now smooth, and perfect eyelashes. It’s not about capturing runway perfect model shots so please don’t worry. Relax, enjoy the photo session, and create some memories.