6 Tips for a Newborn and Sibling Photoshoot…….
….stress-free family shoots with you new baby and toddler or pre-schooler
Having your newborn, or older baby photographed with your first child is a little different from a photoshoot with one baby. The flow of a session isn’t the same as it would have been when you experienced your first baby’s newborn photoshoot.
Having 2 babies is magical. It’s also exhausting and busy.
Sometimes you don’t know where the day goes. You’ve been too caught up with establishing feeding, newborn snuggles, folding the new double buggy, mopping up porridge, picking up the 100th “big stick” in the park AND dealing with emotional tears because you won’t let your 2-year old eat the Sudocream!
Now you have to think about organising a newborn and sibling shoot. You know that precious moments are slipping by and you really want to capture them. It’s important for you to remember the times when your littlest baby was new to the world and when your oldest baby met their new little brother or sister.
Well you’ve come to the right place. A session at Mabel & Møøse is fun and stress free. The only things you have to do is book a session time that suits you all, and turn up.
P.S. Dad should wear a white top and light coloured trousers. That’s all you have to organise.
I’ve written 6 tips on how to get the most from your session and what to expect. Sometimes life doesn’t allow you to book a session in the first few weeks of your baby’s arrival. I’ve included some beautiful photos of an older baby and their bigger brother or sister. All of my advice applies to older babies too.
I hope you find this useful and I’d love to meet you all soon.
Tip 1 Relaxation is the key. The more relaxed the adults are, then the more chilled your newborn and your first child will be.
My experience has taught me, that you have to go with the flow when photographing young children. Especially when they have just had a new addition to their little family. Let’s face it, your 2-year old isn’t remotely interested in creating incredible “once in a lifetime” memories of the love they have for their baby brother or sister. Their world has been turned upside-down since the arrival of your newborn. It’s very important to make the older sibling feel special and to let them do their own thing. They may not have taken to the new baby yet. When I was 2, I was adamant that my baby sister should be returned to the hospital. Sibling love doesn’t always happen immediately.
When you arrive at the studio I’ll spend time making friends with your older child. (When I say “older child”, I am usually meaning a little person between 18-months and 5 years old. Occasionally I do photograph slightly older siblings but my studio is perfectly set up for much younger children.) I won’t generally make any fuss about your newborn until I have your older child’s trust. This is when I can capture a beautiful photograph of your older child on their own.
Tip 2 It’s best not to make a big deal about coming to the studio. Most children that I photograph are much too young to understand what a photoshoot is all about. My sessions are just playtime, where Mum and Dad can give them lots of attention and they get to play with lovely toys. I don’t force them to hold their new baby. Often they are much too young and perhaps the baby is so tiny that they haven’t held them before. I have lots of other tricks to get a photo of all the family and your 2 children together.
Before and during the photoshoot I suggest that no one asks the older child to “smile” or “look at Ally”. I don’t want them to look at me. Natural expressions come when they are engrossed in a toy or are having fun with either one of you two.
Tip 3 Bring a couple of small toys that you know will keep your older child happy for a while. But keep them hidden until after I have got all the photos that I need of them. Even if I haven’t managed to get certain photos, sometimes they just want to curl up on the sofa and play on your phone for a bit. I can always get them interested again towards the end of the session. The main focus is on your newborn, to capture those incredible moments before they grow and change ( and that happens in just a few days) One family photo, one of your two children together, and one beautiful portrait of your older child, is all I would expect to include in your gallery. And lots of newborn photos. Anything else that includes your oldest baby is a bonus ( and I often do have many more to include). If I can capture these 3 natural photos and your older child leaves the studio happy, then I’m delighted.
The reason I like you to keep your toys hidden until later is that I have a huge selection of beautiful wooden toys and white soft toys that will delight your little one and look so much better in my Scandi-style of work, than brightly coloured plastic toys.
Tip 4 Don’t force your older child to do anything. I certainly won’t be. I brought up 4 children and I know that once the, “I’m not doing or doing or wearing that” tears start, there is no way back. So even if I suggest something to your toddler, if they don’t want to do it, then they don’t have to. I’ll think of another trick to get the photos that you’ll cherish. And remember, not all photos have to be full of big smiles. You might think that’s what you want, but often when viewing their photo gallery, parents will choose the photos that don’t picture their child smiling. These portraits evoke feelings, that a big cheesy “looking at the camera” type grin, can’t compete with. And while your newborn is feeding or needing a cuddle from you, I often use that time to let your toddler play and then beautiful photographs happen. It’s wonderful to have an incredible portrait of your older child.
Tip 5 Buy white underwear for your toddler. White is always brighter if bought new. And it saves you hunting to find white pants on the day of your shoot. I provide most things for your photoshoot. Children’s clothes, toys, and nappies. I don’t provide underwear (pants) for older siblings. Please arrive at the studio with your older child wearing white (not even a small pattern or logo) underwear. Invest in brand new ones. It does make a difference. They won’t need socks or a vest. Yes, this is the one time your child doesn’t have to wear a vest. It’s also a great idea to pack some outside play clothes, depending on the weather. Sometimes, if it all goes a little pear-shaped, (yes it does happen). When this happens, I suggest a quick trip to the park. There is a great play park, 2 mins walk from my studio. Once I have got photos with your older child, they can head off to the park with either Mum or Dad, to let off some steam. This gives me (and usually it’s Mum that stays behind) a chance to create some beautiful photos of your newborn. If I haven’t been able to get newborn photos with just Dad and your baby, I can get them when he returns from the park towards the end of your photo session.
Tip 6 Consider your final artwork. It’s a great idea to have a think about what sort of photographs you’d like to display and where in your home they could be shown off to the best advantage. If you are wanting to invest in framed wall portraits are they to enhance your decor or will you be decorating to suit your photos. Did you have professional photographs of your first baby? How and where are they displayed? (Hopefully, you had discovered Mabel & Møøse when you had your eldest baby photographed). Your older child will have baby photos from their session of just them with the two of you. Parents and baby, mother and baby, or father and baby photos and it’s therefore, a beautiful thing to also have these photos with your 2nd baby to go alongside the full family photos with both children.
I hope this has given you some helpful advice about what to expect from a newborn-sibling photoshoot. Each little person is such an individual and no two ever react in the same way. Your quiet, shy, 3-year old will likely do just fine on the day of the session and come out of their shell a little. Equally your bouncy, never-sit-still, 2-year old will be my inquisitive little helper, who surprises you by helping to stroke his or her newborn baby’s head or tuck in their blanket (click… at least 2 beautiful moments captured). You can be reassured that you’ll all have fun and you’ll come away with some wonderful family moments with your two most precious children.
Session fees and product prices for newborn & sibling photoshoots are the same as for a newborn or baby session. Select your session depending on the age of your youngest from the menu on the online booking page.
I suggest you plan to go somewhere special for a late lunch as it’s almost guaranteed that both children will sleep well afterwards.
