Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions for your Maternity, Newborn, Baby and Family Photography sessions.
Very little! Everything is provided for your baby (wraps, outfits, props, backdrops etc). All you need to do is find something for yourself and your partner (plus siblings if you have other children) to wear for your family photos. What to wear will be discussed during your pre-shoot design consultation.
Absolutely! In our opinion, this is a non-negotiable for anyone working with newborn babies.
Sessions are available in-between Tuesday – Saturday and in general start at 10:30am.
Should you also have an older child that is still doing day naps we look at start times and adjust as needed where possible.
Our Newborn Photography sessions are held in the studio in Kew East.
2 – 4 hours. With most sessions being around 3 hours.
Your family photos are photographed first. So if you have older children, and want them to go for a walk with Dad, or to be picked up by a friend or family member they are usually finished within the first hour.
Absolutely! The studio is a pretty small space, but we can all squeeze in for a cuddle!
Just mention this during your planning phone call, so we can go through what they should wear (the Grandparents that is – not the pets!), and have a chat about your pet/s.
Absolutely. If you pop over to our instagram or facebook, you will usually see a bit of colour in our work.
Sure. Karen will always try to include your item as long as it is safe to do so.
It is always a good time to have photos.
However the main reason that newborn photos are taken in the first 2 weeks of babies life is that they are still sleepy and curly.
After this first couple of weeks babies become more sensitive to touch, and start to not be as flexible (Babies are born with over 300 bones in their bodies – extra ones are flexible cartilage so that they fit inside Mum, and as they grow these fuse together to make the 206 that we have as adults).
Babies learn pretty quickly when they are woken that this usually means milk or cuddle time. So it just can’t be guaranteed what individual shots of bub can be achieved until you start working with them.
This sensitivity to touch and “stiffening” out happens at different rates for every baby, however. So some 3 and 4 week olds (usually if they were born early) are still happy to be posed all sleepy and curly, and something that we are happy to try for if you would like.
If your baby is not happy to be posed, we can still get really cute individual shots of your baby swaddled, and heaps of family photos, so you will love your session regardless.
If you are not really too fused about the individual newborn type of photos, however, people often prefer to wait until bub is around 8 weeks old, as at this age, they have longer awake times, so you get a mix of awake and sleeping shots, rather that just predominately sleepy shots. As an added bonus, bub’s at this age, are often just starting to smile with a bit more regularity when they see Mummy and Daddy, so sessions from this age point, will generally get a few smiles too!
Baby sessions start from 8 weeks, as at this age point babies have more reliably longer calm awake periods and have stronger head support. This means that the requirements of your session change in terms of how we pose baby, length of session, heat levels, number of feeds needed in the session etc.
Your baby can still be photographed if younger if you wish. Just see the newborn FAQ’s above!
Yes. Your children and family and be photographed in the studio at any age.
We just photograph a lot of babies in their first year so, this is why there is a wealth of information on babies on our website.
Just some clothes for you. I normally suggest 2 sets for parents. The studio is full of baby outfits and wraps, so no need to bring anything for baby unless you have some items that are your favourites or are sentimental to you. Your photographer Karen, will go into this in detail with you during your design consultation.
1 – 3 hours, depending on your baby’s age.
Sessions are available Tuesday – Saturday and usually start at 10am ish (they are usually timed to happen after baby’s first nap for the day, or so they can nap in the car on the way). Every babies sleep schedule is a little different, so where possible we jiggle start times once we find out a bit more about what works for your little one.
At our Melbourne baby photography studio in Kew.
Absolutely. The studio is a very small space as it is a dedicated space for newborn and babies, but grandparents and/or pets are always welcome.
In our Melbourne studio in Kew East. The studio is fairly easy to get to from most areas in Melbourne as it is located right near the Eastern Fwy, and has plenty of parking options that surround it.
It can also on a tram line. If public transport is an easier option.
The studio is open from Tuesday – Saturday by appointment.
Colour choices will be discussed with you during your design consultation. We want your images to look amazing in your spaces, so will consider where you might put your artwork, and your location for your photos when making suggestions.
You are of course more that welcome to get your hair done before your session, but it is recommended to not have your makeup done by a professional, unless it is in a really natural style.
We want you to look like you, so your children remember you just as the way they love you!
We instead recommend doing your hair and makeup, just like you would when you are going out to somewhere special.
Absolutely. They are part of the family.
Absolutely, we have a session voucher that you can purchase to do that.
You can find that HERE.
In our Kew studio, with is the same space as our newborn and baby sessions, so your images will have a similar look and feel.
This is ideal for displaying your images in the same spaces of your home. Meaning that your images can even combined in the same photo-walls and albums.
The studio, shoot days are from Tue – Saturday.
Sessions generally take 45min – 1 hour.
The studio has a range of dresses to suit sizes 8 – 20.
All are in light neutrals.
We want you to look like you so your baby will recognise you in the photos, so it is preferable not to.
Most people that we photograph do their own, similar to how they would if they were going out.
You are of course more than welcome to get your hair done though!
We encourage partners to attend the session as baby will want to see both parents in the photos at a later stage. But completely understand with work and time commitments this may not be possible, so Mum-to-be’s are welcome to come solo.
It is definitely preferable to have photos with your beautiful bump by yourself, than not to have any at all!