Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DO I BOOK IN?
To book in, all you need to do is pay the £50 booking fee. This will secure your date in my diary and guarantee you a session. The session fee will be deducted from your chosen collection.
WHEN SHOULD I BOOK A NEWBORN SESSION?
These sessions need to be booked in advance during pregnancy (anytime after your 20 week scan) Your due date is a guide date only, as the session date itself won't be confirmed until baby has arrived. Once baby is born, contact me within 48 hours so i can give you my next available slots to choose from. Please don't leave it longer than 48 hours to make contact as i will only have limited dates left to offer you. The session takes place at my studio in North Swindon,SN25 within 14-21 days after your baby arrives and a session will last 2-3 hrs. * I book these sessions on weekday mornings only between 10-11am *
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
My studio is a little garden build at my home and it will be very warm during the session as the baby is striped down so please be aware before arriving. Newborn sessions are kept as minimal as possible to focus on your baby. My style has changed over the last year so please make sure you are happy with the more simple, minimal lifestyle sessions using mainly neutral and earthy colours. I stick to whites/creams/ beige/browns/ etc and black and white shots for more neutral timeless images. I love including all those beautiful little details such as toes/hands/ hair/lips/flakey feet ...... these little details fade so fast and i feel they are some of the most precious memories. Parents/siblings/pets will be included in my Pure and Timeless packages to capture some lovely connections with your newborn. I know, for some people, it can be a little daunting after having a baby the thought of having photos taken, but I promise to make you feel as comfortable as possible and give you precious memories to cherish. I don't do the typical 'say cheese to the camera' kind of shots, but more you cuddling baby, looking down at baby etc. All galleries will have colour and black and white edits for you to select your final images from. You can also have a tea/coffee/cold drink during the session while baby is being photographed and feel free to bring some snacks if you wish.
CAN SIBLINGS COME ALONG?
Siblings are more than welcome to come along to the session. I will do the family/siblings shots first then it is advised to make arrangements for them to be collected as newborn sessions last 2-3 hours and its a long time to expect children to sit through. My studio is a small cabin build so space is very limited and your little one will get bored and restless waiting. Little kids are not meant to sit still for long :) so it is not fair to expect that of them for a 2-3 hour newborn session. I allow 30 minutes or so at the start of the session for a sibling shot.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
All you need to bring to the session is a dummy (if baby isn't using one, I still advise to bring one anyway ) extra milk (if bottle feeding) . I provide everything else. If you are breast feeding we will take babies lead and feed as and when needed.
WHAT SHOULD I/WE WEAR?
What you wear will ultimately make or break your images. I advise clients to stick to very simple clothing and white. This fits perfectly with my minimal style to create more timeless less fussy images. Please *AVOID fussy patterns, black , logos, bright bold colours, stripes etc. Mums, you have just delivered your beautiful baby and i want you to be comfortable for your photos. Some of my favourite items of clothing for mums is long sleeve knit jumpers/cardigans, linen tops/shirts, floaty dress etc. Anything loose fitting so you are more relaxed and enjoy having photos taken. With my more laid back style, you don't have to get overly dressed up , just come comfortable. Dads should stick to plain t shirts, long sleeve tops, shirts or thin wool jumpers. Linens shirts also photograph well. For mums, i have a small collection of comfortable flowy white dresses that photograph beautifully that you are more than welcome to use. Avoid blue jeans if possible as this gives a much cooler colour cast in images. Black/brown is better advised. For the kids, again go with white dress or tops. For Boys, white t shirt or shirt with trousers or linen shorts work great. Zara/Next and H&M are great for kids clothing for sessions.
*Mums, just a friendly reminder that if you wear fake tan, your skin tone will be much warmer/orange toned than your partner/family/newborn, so please bare this in mind as it can not be edited at a later date*
WHEN SHOULD I BOOK a CAKE SMASH SESSION?
Your child's cake smash session will happen around 3-4 weeks before their birthday. This will allow enough time to do the session, view the gallery and then the final editing process.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE SESSION?
The session includes, a cake, balloons and choice of white outfits for your child. You also get some simple portrait shots before we start the cake smash.
WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS ALLERGIES/DAIRY INTOLERANCE?
If your child has any food allergies or intolerances ,please let me know and I will make the order form the local baker or simply bring your own cake . This just has to be a simple sponge cake. No toppings or colour icing is required.
WHAT SHOULD MY CHILD WEAR?
I have a selection of white outfits for the cake smash session that photograph beautifully and fit in my my vision. You can bring along an outfit of choice for your childs portrait images before we start the cake smash part.
WHAT IF MY BABY DOESN'T CO OPERATE?
It is common for babies to not enjoy the cake and that's fine. We can let them touch it, hold some or even hide some familiar snacks like milky buttons/skips or fruit in the back of the cake to help them get stuck in. if they are not to interested we move on to the bath portion of the session and this is where we generally get the most smiles.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
Please bring a towel, a drink for your child and whatever familiar snacks they usual have.