Session Information

Newborn Sessions – Preparation

If you would like to book a newborn shoot please (if you can) contact me a couple of months before the special arrival! I can use your due date to provisionally book you in, I realise that baby may not come when predicted – the due date is just a guide for me so I know I need to keep a slot free around that time. Contact me as soon as you can after the birth and we will get you booked in as soon as possible! If you haven’t booked in but would like to do a newborn shoot just contact me and we’ll see if we can fit you in, I normally have slots available in the week. For those lovely sleepy newborn shots its best to photograph babies in their first two weeks of life. Firstly they usually sleep better, don’t have reflux or colic, and usually haven’t developed baby acne or cradle cap. If you have had your baby and would like to do a newborn shoot contact me as soon as possible, I usually have week day slots available.

I’m sure you would have seen images on my website (to get to this stage!) So you will have a sense of my style already but if there are any particular shots that you’d like in particular please let me know. You may have seen the images with baby and their hands underneath their chin. This is a composite shot, the baby cannot do this on their own so its not a natural shot. I tend to steer clear of this photography and prefer natural pictures of your baby.

The sessions can take between 2 and 4 hours, this allows enough time for feeding and cuddles when needed. I’m very patient so please have no worries, I need to let baby dictate the session and we will go at his or her pace.

Outfits for newborns

Newborn babies generally don’t fill out clothes properly so I feel they look best photographed wrapped. I think they are also more relaxed, I keep my studio very warm for the newborn shoots so they will be quite cosy. I tend to wrap them in cheesecloth or stretch knit wraps. If you could bring baby just wrapped in a blanket or something that comes off easily (not over the head) then we will be more likely to get baby super sleepy. But if you would like images in a baby grow just bring one along, pastel colours look good on camera. I do photo shoots a little down the line where outfits are much more fun and look great! Please bring any accessories you might have like headbands/bows, hats, bow ties. I have a few items but you may prefer to bring your own choices! It’s also always nice for me to have individual items that are unique to your baby.

Clothing for adults

Neutral colours and pastels look best on camera. Stronger colours can give colour casts on the face so if you are wearing red or strong pink it can make your face look red. Logos, stripes, bold patterns are also distracting. When we look at a photograph our eye is drawn to the brightest part and then to the strongest colour or pattern. It can mean that instead of looking at the eyes or sleeping baby which is really where our focus should be we end up looking at the brightly coloured shirt.

Beyond the newborn stage…

In my experience, between 6 weeks and 3 months (sometimes 4 months) babies struggle with being posed, due to a variety of reasons like colic or reflux. Generally from 4/5 months to a year it’s a great time for a session because babies are more engaged with the world around them and you can capture those developmental changes really well. As soon as they are comfortable on ther tummy and can hold up their head for a minute (or so) you can get lovely tummy time shots. When babies can sit, generally between 6 and 8 months you can get more family pictures and they are more expressive, making it easier to capture their little personalities.

Turnaround

The images will be on my website within 10 days to 2 weeks, they remain online for 3 weeks and you can order prints, canvasses and other speciality items or showcase pieces from here.

If your baby is unwell on the day of the shoot, please just call me or email me to rearrange, no little one likes being photographed when they are poorly. I completely understand that and am happy to rearrange for a later date.

Terms and Conditions

All images are copyrighted by Victoria Ashman Photography even those you purchase. Copying, scanning or reproducing images is prohibited. Screen printing images from this website is also against the law.

Prices are subject to change without notice and are non-negotiable. The prices in the gallery are guaranteed to stay the same for the three weeks they are online but no longer. By hiring Victoria Ashman Photography for a shoot, you are agreeing to these terms.

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