Preparing for Newborn Session with Ann Coles Photography

Congratulations on your new family addition. This is such a special time for your family and I feel honored to be asked to capture this time.
I have complied the following to help make your session go as smooth as possible and we capture some very special moments.

What can you expect from your session

Your session is taken in my home studio - I have a second lounge where I can shut the rest of the house off and keep the room warm and cosy for baby.
I am a natural posing newborn photographer, this means that newborn sets the pace and poses. I do however encourage certain conpidies - Please take the time to look over my newborn portfolio to see what type of images I capture, Should you want more over posed photos depending on what they are I may not be the right photographer for you -please discuss this with me.
My Full Newborn sessions I allocate 2 hours for. Sometime we will go over this time if baby is close to being settled and getting the images we require and sometimes your session is completed within an hour. All depends on baby as they rule to shoot. If you follow the following suggestions on how to prepare hopefully we will be able to capture all images in the allocated time. I unfortunately can not be responcible for unsettled babies or images not capture though I will try my utmost to get them. Don’t worry if your baby is awake during the session, wide eyed newborn photos are beautiful too! So long as baby is happy and content, I will keep working away

When do I feed my baby?

Please feed baby and have a clean nappy on just before heading to your session. Babies sleep best when they have a full tummy or are ‘milk drunk’. If your baby will take a dummy, it would be great to have that available as well. It’s great for settling and we can take it out for photos
Also be prepared for top up feeds during the session. If you are bottle feeding, have a bottle on hand ready if needed. If baby wakes, or is unsettled, I allow time for resettling and we can take a break whenever is needed. Please bring 2 bottles and plenty of spare nappies.

Can Siblings be in the photosession?

Your sure can! I love to reserve some shots at the beginning of the session to document the bond between the older children and the new baby.If sibling are to be included I will capture sibling and family photo's at the beginning of the session. Once these have been taken I do request that siblings go home with one parent or to the park etc.. The room gets very hot and this can make older children get unsettled and disruptive.
If they are happy to play quietly, I have no problem with them staying around, but loud noises should be avoided if possible, just to ensure we get the best out of your session and baby isn't startled. I also you suggest you bring some water and a snack for older siblings once their photo's have been completed.
PLEASE ENSURE OTHER CHILDREN AND TODDLERS ARE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES AROUND MY EQUIPMENT & SETUP. They must be kept with you always. My attention and focus is on your baby, as I work, and I would hate for something to get damaged or someone hurt by climbing in or around my setup.
I include immediate family only in your newborn session. I encourage both parents to have photos with your new baby, together and individually, Those precious moments when they are so little and the bond between new parents is amazing. These photos will be treasured in the future.
The exception to other family members being included is if you have purchased NEWBORN ONLY

What should we wear?

Baby: If weather isn't too cold please dress baby into their onsie vest and nappy. Less layers to remove will mean less distrubace. If you have a natural/plain coloured onsies and works well in the family photos we will leave them in what they arrived in. For sibling images I normally will wrap baby.
I do have studio outfits for newborns only including flower crowns. Your baby’s nappy is left on for the session and they are wrapped in such a way that this is not visible. My style is more wrapped/partially wrapped rather than completely naked. This helps the flow & length of my newborn sessions & ensures a settled baby.

Parents: Simple is typically best. Wear clothing that flatters your figure. I recommend light neutral colours such as cream, beige, white, light grey etc. Darker colours are ok too – but not so much black and more along the lines of dark navy blue or dark grey. Ensure both mum and dad are wearing similar colours that compliment each other. ie both wearing light or both wearing dark. Plain without distracting patterns, logos is best, clashing patterns or character clothing. Please have a look at my newborn gallery https://www.anncolesphotography.com/newborn and also this page gives you some co ordinate samples (link

Older siblings: dress them in something also plain coloured, in a similar colour palette, and I will match baby’s wrap to what they are wearing. I usually photograph these lying down depending the age of the children involved. Older siblings we can also do a sitting photo against a background.

On your arrival - where to come

1 Biron Place, Mercade Estate, Stratford
Just down past Stratford Golf Course

Just come to the front door. We do have 2 dogs that I will put outside when you arrive. We will go to my studio lounge and will be able to close the doors off from the rest of the house.
For safety reasons I do not offer hot drinks though iced water is readily available.
Siblings will be required to stay in this room and unable to wonder round our home nor go outside in the back yard due to leaving the dogs out there.

What if one of us are sick?

Your baby’s safety and health is my number one priority during the session. These things happen, so if you or someone who is due to be at the session is unwell, please let me know in advance as we may need to reschedule the session or make other arrangements. In the current climate I can’t stress this enough. PLEASE if anyone is sick even with a snotty nose, please let me know. I have other clients with newborn babies that I need to be mindful of also and if I myself fall sick, I then have to reschedule a lot of other sessions.

I am looking forward to capturing your newborn session for memories that last.
Any questions please do not hesitate to contact me to clearify