You’ve come home from the hospital with your baby, everyone in the family is excited while you settle into a routine, spending every moment trying to understand what will make your baby sleep well, feed well, poop well - basically be happy. And in the first 2 weeks of this wondrous new adventure is when your newborn photographer will want to capture these beautiful moments with your baby while he or she is a tiny ball wonder.

You have a lot to think about as new parents, along with taking in a zillion suggestions from friends and family. Doing a photoshoot in the midst of all this, especially if you’re a first-time parent, can be a bit overwhelming.

A few tips on what you can do to prep for your photoshoot so it goes smoothly with lovely results.

1. Choose a time slot for the shoot around when the baby has had a big feed in the daytime. Usually, after a big feed and a good burp, comes along a heavy nap. This coupled with natural daylight gives the photographer the perfect setting to pose and photograph your baby.

2. For 24 hours before the shoot, mums should avoid eating anything spicy or food that would give the baby gas. Once the baby can sleep comfortably without tummy issues, he or she can be wrapped easily and posed.

3. Talk to your photographer about clothing colours and options. I usually ask my clients to send me photos/videos of their homes if that’s where we are shooting. Based on that, we decide on the basic colour palette and feel of the shoot.  Your photographer will probably bring accessories for the shoot accordingly.

4. Declutter the areas in your home where you would like to shoot. Any space rich in natural light is a photographer’s dream!