PLANNING YOUR NEWBORN SESSION

Everyone likes choices! From newborn photography beds to babies in baskets, we offer a number of set choices so we can provide you with a variety of portraits to choose from in your private proofing gallery.

Once you’ve booked your session into our calendar, we’ll come up with a custom plan for your little one’s big day in the studio (your package comes with a specific number of set ups).

Our photography would be described as anything but bland and boring! Even our neutral or monochromatic sets are full of texture and fun! We also offer composite newborn portraits to add even more whimsy to your gallery. To learn more about the sets and composites we can create for you, check out our Newborn Set Design page. I try to make every session unique and I will choose from the set options found on the link above when making my final choices If you need help with your set choices. If you have a particular set or an heirloom item you want incorporated please let me know. We don’t guarantee any specific set or pose if baby is uncooperative but will try our best to photograph all the sets you’ve chose. Your session comes with 4 sets ups of baby by themselves with the option of adding family/parent/sibling and baby portraits.

In our newborn photography studio, we provide you with all of the props, designer newborn outfits, wraps, backdrops, blankets, knit hats, and delicate handcrafted headbands needed for your little one, in your chosen colour palette so you don’t have to buy a thing.

Our clients love that we customize each newborn session in our studio with sets that reflect your favourite colours from bold and bright to neutral and classic.

Take a look at our Colour Palette Guide and you’ll see we have every colour imaginable to create a custom newborn session that matches your baby’s bedroom or your own personal style. We recommend choosing between 2-4 colours or choosing one of our pre-made colour palettes found in the guide.

If you choose to include family/sibling/parent portraits in your session you may not know where to start when planning your outfits.

We recommend choosing between 2-4 colours or choosing one colour family (ex. shades of blue or creams and whites or blacks and grey) that coordinate well together and match your family’s style. Nothing too busy (unless it has cultural significance to you) as the focus will be on your family bond and you’ll want your family portraits to be viewed in any room in your house.

Portraits will be mostly from the waist up as we like family portraits to feel up close and personal. Baby will be swaddled (wrapped) or naked or can be in one of our outfits that coordinate with your family styling (we’ll decide during the session which you like best).

To see more examples of outfits clients have chosen in an array of colours with different backdrop choices and baby swaddled or naked please visit our Family Styling Guide. Moms are also welcome to borrow a dress from our Client Closet (baby will need to be swaddled to use one of our designer gowns).

Please contact me as soon as you are back home from the hospital (or before, if you are able) so I can give you as many date choices as possible.

Sleepy babies who love to curl up are usually under 3 weeks old, although I have lots of experience photographing babies older than this (with the expectation that we may have lots of adorable wide awake portraits for older babies). Most sessions will take place between 6-21 days old. Some babies are in the NICU after they’re born (jaundice, etc) or have arrived very early (preemie) so we are very flexible on when they come into the studio.

If you have had a C-Section I highly recommend waiting until after the 2 week mark to come in so you are more comfortable going up and down the stairs to my studio.

If your baby boy is having a circumcision then our session needs to take place before, or one week after, to allow time for healing, as babies are sensitive to lying on their stomach’s any sooner than that.

Sessions will take place at 9am Monday-Friday and are 1-3 hours long.

Moms are free to finish getting ready here in the studio and having family portraits taken near the end of the session.

These tips have helped parents prepare for their session so baby is as happy as possible to get those sleepy images everyone loves.

• Keep baby awake for 1-2 hours before you leave your house (if baby falls asleep in the car that is perfectly okay).

• Please do not put oily/shiny moisturizer on baby as it creates a shine on their skin under the studio lights in portraits.

• Give baby a full feed before leaving your house. You can give any top ups or full feeds needed while at the studio. If you are using Formula please be sure to bring extra with you. Be prepared for baby to want to feed more than usual as we move them around in different props.

• Please bring a Pacifier with you. A pacifier is very rarely needed (usually if baby is fussy still after eating or gassy) but it’s a good back up to have just in case. *We now have individually packaged and ready to use pacifiers, the same ones available to family’s at the hospital, available in our studio if you forget yours at home.

• If you are breastfeeding and your baby is gassy all the time with stomach pains, please refrain from eating/drinking dairy products 24 hours before our session. From personal experience, it can be hard for some babies to tolerate dairy.

• Please pack water and a light snack in case you get hungry (especially for siblings).

• I’ll be wearing a mask and our clients can choose to wear one if they wish. Please reschedule your session if you are sick (even if you cancel 2 hours before your session) so we can keep our studio (and me!) germ free for all the babies and pregnant mothers who come to it.

• Please bring extra diapers with you and wipes.

• Please bring baby dressed in an easily removable snap up or zipper onesie pajama (nothing that gets removed over their head). This will ensure that we can keep baby asleep when I undress them at the start of the session.

During your session you’ll be able to sit back and relax on the couch (some parents even take much needed naps!) and watch as the magic happens! You’ll see Jen working through different sets with your baby and if you are needed to be a spotter in a bucket or bed portrait she’ll ask.

We’ll follow baby’s cues and pause the session for extra feedings and snuggles as needed.

The studio is warmer then usual because baby will be naked for part of their session, and babies can lose their body temperature very quickly. So for their comfort the studio is set around 78-82 degrees. Jennifer knows what signs to look for in babies to see if they are too warm or too cold and will adjust the heat accordingly. We encourage you to come in layers so you can cool down.

Everything is cleaned after each session. Please know that we expect your baby to pee or poo on things and we will make sure diapers are on for any delicate fabrics/props that need hand washing (everything else is machine washable).

Parent and baby portraits usually take place at the end of the session, especially if your baby comes sound asleep which will let us start with those coveted sleepy time portraits on a blanket or in a bucket or bed.

If you are including older siblings in portraits then we will do all the family/sibling/parent portraits at the very beginning of our time together. We do encourage older siblings to leave with a parent or guardian after family portraits (which we will do first) so that the studio stays quiet and because it can be a long session for little kids to sit and wait patiently through (1-3 hours long). We do have quiet toys for those that need to stay because you came from a great distance away. There is a park nearby in good weather.

Only those being photographed are welcome to come to the session (parents of baby and baby’s siblings). We are not photographing grandparents with newborns at this time and ask that no extra people come to the session. We want to keep the number of people in the studio small and keep it as quiet as possible.

During your session you’ll be able to touch and feel the products we offer and you’ll be able to purchase those products during the proofing process after your session.

After our session together, I carefully curate the images to show you the very best from our time together. You will then be able to see your Private Proofing Gallery online within 2 days of your session date.

Once you receive your online proofing gallery link and password you may share the link with your family to get their advice as well. Remember that the images will not be edited, so you may see dry skin flakes, scratches, red or jaundice skin, blemishes on parents and siblings, missing blanket corners, and even sometimes my socked feet when I take a portrait from above! All of these will be edited out after you choose your favourites for me to edit. Take your time, there is no rush. Your proofing gallery will be open for three weeks. I know it can get busy with a new baby at home!

-Once you have chosen your favourites to make up your chosen package and any additional products you would like to purchase, I will send you an invoice with the balance remaining. Once your balance is paid I will add your images to the editing queue. Depending on the time of year it can take 2-4 weeks for your fully retouched digital portraits to be returned to you. Our busy editing period is between August-October so it can take 3-4 weeks during this time of year. Products can take up to 8 weeks to design, order and ship back from our various professional printing houses worldwide.

Once your portraits have been edited to perfection they are uploaded to Dropbox and a link is provided to you so that you can download your portraits straight to your computer. We recommend saving the images to multiple locations (your computer, the cloud, an external harddrive) as technology can change and it’s safe to have back ups in case of a technical failure.

Jennifer is here to help if you need expert advice on wall art sizes and she will also have samples of different sizes available to see in person during your session. Purchasing additional products is completely up to you. To learn more about the products available go to the Product Page.

We believe that every client should walk away with physical keepsakes of this important time in your baby’s life. These will be the memories you pass down to your kids. We recommend adding an heirloom album, a family portrait for the wall and accordion albums as gifts to your kids and grandparents.

Pre and Post Payment plans are available for all packages and product purchases. Payments can be made by Visa or Mastercard through Square, or Email Money Transfer to info@jenniferwillardphotography.ca once you have received your invoice asking for payment.

We also offer a Baby Gift Registry if you would like to add us to your Baby Shower Information.

If the package you chose comes with a complimentary session, the options are as follows:

• Maternity Session for Mom only

• 100 days old Milestone Session (baby only)

• Sitter Milestone Session when baby can sit up unassisted (between 6.5-7.5 months old). Baby only, no family portraits

Each complimentary session comes with 3 digital images and a 15-30 minute session.

Baby portraits come with 1 set in your chosen colour palette and includes the use of one baby outfit from our baby client closet.

Maternity portraits come with one neutral set (white or grey backdrop) and includes the use of one Maternity dress from our maternity client closet.

Each complimentary session can be upgraded to a full session with more backdrop and outfit options. Please inquire for more information.