5 Tips For Your Baby Photo Shoot

Today, we went for a baby photo shoot with Barrett and Coe photography in Norwich. I’d love to claim that this is down to the glowing success of the blog, with offers coming in from everywhere for this, that and the other, but I’m going to honest with you- we won a raffle prize for a free portrait session. Here are some of the things that might be worth considering when taking your baby along to one of these (hindsight is a wonderful thing…):

Cut Your Baby’s Nails

Obviously you do this anyway, but we’re talking daily checks here, for at least a week in advance. Bea managed to scratch her nose pretty badly over the weekend, and the scab fell off yesterday, still leaving a bit of a mark. I’m not saying that I want an airbrushed photo of my baby, but if you’re paying for this kind of thing, you probably want to make the most of it! Alternatively, sort them out with a pair of scratch mitts!

Don’t Give Them Anything New to Eat

This was another unexpected curveball in the week running up to to today. Bea has had flare-ups from various foods in the past, including pineapple and kiwi fruit. This week, we found out that mushrooms might do the same thing, leaving another couple of red patches on her face. Again, we weren’t too fussed, but if you are planning on blowing this picture up to fill your hallway, might be worth considering!

Naps, Lots of Naps

We booked Beatrice in at a time where we thought we would be sorted – she usually naps till around half past ten, so getting to the shoot for 11 was, in theory, the perfect booking. Bea was obviously so excited about the whole affair that she thought better of having a nap this morning, and was exhausted towards the end of the shoot – I’m sure there are some cracking ones of her yawning that we won’t see at the viewing!

Toy Selection Is Essential

We took a bag of toys that we hoped would bring a smile out of Beatrice. Whilst she is an incredibly happy little girl, the sight of a camera almost always causes her to pull the most serious face you’ve ever seen. This was perfect for her passport photo, not so great for ALL OTHER OCCASIONS (like a photo shoot in a particular…). Sometimes, we can get a great chuckle out of one or two toys, so we gambled but didn’t quite get the same results as we might get at home.

Bring A Costume Change

No, not for you. And no, not your favourite onesie or whatever for your little cherub (unless you’re really keen on having that shot at extremely high definition too). Our photographer allowed us to get her changed a couple of times during the shoot, which gives you more options at the end to get a photo (or more) that you really want. I’m not sure if all photographers allow this, but it’s worth asking in advance.

As for parents, I guess you could get changed there and then in the studio but it would be a bit weird…

We’re going back for a viewing, where we can choose one picture (thanks to the voucher) and check out any others we might want. I’m intrigued to see what’s in store…we’ll let you know how we got on next week. If you want to check out our own efforts, then I guess you can always check out the Instagram page for our own moments with Bea!