Preparing for your Newborn Photo Session: 5 Tips

There is nothing quite like welcoming your own little infant into the world. You want to memorize everything about them and never forget how little they once were. That’s where newborn photography comes in. A photo session of your new baby preserves all the little details you never want to forget: their sweet sleepy expressions, how tiny their hands and feet are, the soft curve of their little cheeks.

Yet we understand that your newborn’s photography session in may be a source of stress for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of our top 5 tips for preparing you and your baby for your session here in Richfield, Utah.

We find that the ideal age to photograph babies is between 7-21 days old. However, if your baby is older than this, a session can still be done. We just may get more awake photos than sleepy, posed photos. 

Scheduling your session in advance is ideal because it will be more likely we will have open spots. We typically only schedule one newborn photography session in Richfield, Utah, per week. These spots can fill up quickly. A good time to book your photo session is around your second trimester. Once your baby arrives, reach out to me and we can set a definite date for the session.

Is there anything more adorable than a milk-drunk baby? We don’t think so! Newborns tend to like to eat often (I can relate), so giving them a good feeding and burping right before you leave for your newborn photo session can help to settle them and make them happy for their close-ups! 

Be prepared to possibly feed again during the session, or right after if you need to. We factor in feeding breaks to the session time, so no need to stress if we need to stop for that! 

If you bottle feed, make sure to bring an extra bottle and formula. Sometimes baby just needs a little extra topping off to make him or her happy and settled during the session!

Your baby may still have bandaids from immunizations or perhaps a diaper rash requires ointment. If this is the case, please be sure to clean it off completely before your newborn photo session. We don’t want bandages and ointment showing up in the photographs or transferring onto the props.

On the morning of your newborn session, dress your baby in a loose outfit that zips or snaps up the front. This serves two purposes. Number one, loose clothing minimizes marks left on the infant’s skin, and number two, it makes it easier to take them off for photos. We want to minimize disturbing their sleep cycle and not having to pull clothing over the baby’s head helps.



Before buckling your newborn into his car seat, change his diaper into a loose (but not too loose), clean diaper. This also helps to avoid marks on the baby’s waist and legs.

This is probably the most important tip. Babies can sense when you are stressed and uptight and tend to mimic that. We want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved, including you! We have a couch for parents to set up camp during the newborn photography session.

We encourage you to take this time for yourself and just sit back and relax (take a well-deserved nap if you want - we won’t tell!). We keep the room nice and toasty so your newborn is comfortable. If your temperature tends to run on the warm side, you may want to dress in lightweight clothing!

Expect our patience and attention to detail to rule the day. We spend the majority of a baby’s photo session perfecting poses, backdrops, fingers, etc. because we believe these little things are what make the difference between a snapshot and a work of art featuring your baby. 

We supply all of the newborn props, wraps, blankets, and headbands/hats/bonnets, so you don’t need to worry about bringing anything to the session besides your cute baby. Just show up and we will do the rest!

Even if your baby doesn’t typically use a pacifier, we ask that you bring one as it can serve as a wonderful distraction for the baby during the photo session. They are incredibly helpful in keeping your little one happy when moving from pose to pose.

A soft pacifier is best; pacifiers with a hard outer shell leave marks on the baby’s face. Soothie brand pacifiers are fantastic, but any soft pacifier will do!

These tips can help you have a successful newborn photo session in central Utah. If you have any other questions or would like to book, you can get in contact with us here. We can't wait to meet your new little one!