Let me guess. You’ve booked a newborn session, or you’re thinking about booking one, and somewhere between the excitement and the exhaustion of growing a tiny human, a little voice has started asking questions.
What if the baby won’t stop crying? What if I don’t know where to put my hands? What if I look tired? (You will look tired. You’ve just had a baby. You’re still going to look stunning, I promise you that.)
I’ve been doing this for ten years now and I can tell you with complete confidence: almost every family walks through my studio door with at least one of these worries tucked under their arm. Most of them have forgotten all about it by the time they leave. This post is my attempt to get you there a little sooner.
So. Here’s what actually happens.
Before You Even Arrive
A good session starts the night before, honestly. There are a couple of things that make a real difference to how your baby feels on the day, and I share all of this in the guide I send out when you book, but here are the key ones.
Try to keep baby awake for about an hour and a half before the shoot. A bath works brilliantly for this, or some tummy time, or just a bit of face to face chat and general fussing. You’re not trying to exhaust them (they’re already doing that to you). You’re just gently nudging them toward being sleepy and content when we start. A baby who has been awake and stimulated tends to settle beautifully once they’re warm and fed in the studio.
Speaking of feeding: try to give them a really good feed just before you leave the house. A full baby is a happy baby, and a happy baby makes the most beautiful photographs. Don’t worry if the timing doesn’t quite work out though. There is always time to feed during the session and I’ll tell you exactly when to jump in.
One more thing, and this is a good one: dress baby in a front opening babygrow with no vest underneath. I know, I know. It’s cold out. Bring an extra blanket instead. The reason is that when we come to undress baby during the shoot, pulling a vest over their head can disturb them just enough to wake them properly, and we really don’t want that once they’ve settled into that gorgeous sleepy state. A front opening grow means we can peel it off without them even noticing.
Arriving at the Studio
My studio is behind my home in Sandbach. There’s plenty of off road parking, which I know sounds like a small thing but when you’re loading in a car seat and a nappy bag and approximately seventeen things you definitely didn’t need but brought anyway, it genuinely matters.
Come in, sit down, and take a breath. I have coffee, tea, and fresh water, and you are absolutely welcome to bring snacks or anything else you need. The studio will be warm. Noticeably warm. This is not a mistake. Newborns regulate their temperature much better when the environment is snug, and a warm baby is a settled baby. Wear loose, comfortable layers you can take off easily, and don’t be surprised if it feels a bit like a very beautiful sauna in here.
We always start with a proper chat. I want to know how things have been since baby arrived, how the feeding is going, whether there’s anything specific you’re hoping for from the session. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a relaxed family makes for a relaxed baby, and a relaxed baby makes for extraordinary images. So we never rush straight in. We let baby settle, we let you settle, and we go from there.
The Three Parts of a Session
My Heirloom session is built around three distinct elements. If you’ve booked a Signature session, we’ll focus on one or two of these. But understanding all three helps you know what to expect.
Wrapped
This is usually where we start. Baby is tightly swaddled, all snuggly and secure, and placed into different props to create different effects. Wrapping is almost always the fastest route to a settled, sleepy baby, and it gives me a chance to create those beautifully composed, textured images where all you can see is that tiny perfect face peeking out. My prop collection for this part is, frankly, a bit out of control. Baskets, bowls, little beds, antique pieces, handmade items. Every one of them chosen with a specific kind of image in mind.
Posed
This is the part that sometimes makes parents slightly nervous when they read about it online, and I want to address that head on. Yes, I do pose babies. No, it is not dangerous, uncomfortable, or unkind. I have spent ten years learning how to do this safely and gently, and I work entirely within what each baby is naturally willing to do. If a baby doesn’t want to go into a particular position, we simply don’t do it. Full stop.
The posed section is where we get those incredible images of baby curled up in their own hands, or those close detail shots of their tiny toes and eyelashes that absolutely do everyone in at the gallery viewing. I take my time here. I work slowly and gently and I never, ever rush a settled baby.
Family
This is my favourite part, if I’m honest. This is where you lot come in.
I will guide you through everything. You do not need to know how to pose. You do not need to be comfortable in front of a camera. You just need to hold your baby and follow my gentle direction, and I will do the rest.
We’ll do a mix of things: some relaxed, natural connection shots where you’re just holding baby and being yourselves, some closer portraits where you’re looking at baby rather than the camera, and then one or two classic shots looking straight at me that the grandparents will lose their minds over. If there are siblings, we’ll bring them in here too, and I’ve yet to meet a sibling I couldn’t work with. Even the ones who came in absolutely determined to be unimpressed.
When Baby Has Other Plans
Sometimes babies are awake. Sometimes they’re really awake. And that’s absolutely fine.
An awake baby gives you something completely different but equally wonderful: that wide eyed, nosy, astonished expression that newborns do when they’re taking in the world for the first time. Some of my favourite images ever taken have been of babies who were furiously, defiantly awake.
If baby is unsettled, we slow down. We feed. We cuddle. We wait. I have a lot of gentle techniques for helping babies drift off, and I’ve been called a baby whisperer enough times that I’ve started to take it as an actual job title. In my ten years of doing this, I have very rarely had to reschedule a session because of an unsettled baby, and if it does happen, we sort it. Please don’t stress about it on the day. Your stress travels directly to baby. Just trust me and let me handle it.
Props, Colours, and All the Pretty Things
I am, and I say this without a shred of apology, a prop addict.
My studio has an absurd amount of beautiful things in it: wraps in every texture you can imagine, backdrops in rich and subtle tones, tiny handmade outfits, bonnets and headbands, baskets and buckets and bowls, little chairs, antique pieces, woodland bits, florals, the list genuinely goes on. I am constantly adding to it and evolving it because I am constitutionally incapable of walking past something gorgeous without thinking “that would look amazing with a newborn in it.”
You don’t need to bring anything. I have it all. But if you have something with sentimental value, an heirloom blanket, a handknitted bonnet from a grandparent, a stuffed animal that means something to your family, please bring it. Those are the things that make a session feel truly specific to you. I’ve photographed christening gowns, army uniforms, hand stitched quilts, and one memorable Star Wars collection. All of it is welcome.
What You Should Wear
Neutral, timeless, and comfortable. That’s my honest advice for family members.
Think soft tones: cream, sage, dusty rose, camel, grey. Avoid bold logos and strong patterns because they date quickly and can pull the eye away from the most important thing in the frame, which is your baby. The images we create together are meant to last decades, so classic tends to serve you better than on trend.
I have a lovely collection of gowns and wraps for mums to borrow, so if you’re not sure what to wear or just want something a bit more elevated, let me know in advance and I’ll sort you out.
One small thing I always mention: make sure nails are clean and free of chipped polish. We do a lot of close detail shots of hands, and it’s one of those things that’s really easy to forget until you see a close up of your gorgeous baby’s cheek resting against a chipped thumbnail. You’ll thank me later.
After the Session
Once we’ve wrapped up (pun very much intended), I’ll usually edit a little sneak peek on the same day and share it with you. Consider this your permission to immediately send it to everyone you know. I know you’ll want to.
Over the following two to three weeks, I work through your full gallery, editing every image with the same care and attention I put into the session itself. The fine art finish that you’ll have seen in my portfolio is not a filter. It’s a deliberate editing process that takes time, and I’m not rushing it for anyone.
When your gallery is ready, I’ll invite you back to the studio for a private gallery viewing. This is one of my favourite parts of the whole experience. I put your images into a beautiful slideshow, and we sit down together and go through them. This is when you choose your favourite images for your package, and it’s also the point where we can talk about wall art, albums, and any additional products you might want. I have samples of everything from the best professional print supplier in the UK, so you can see and touch the quality before you commit.
The images are yours. They’re not locked away somewhere or held hostage until you spend more money. Your digital images come to you in full resolution with printing rights. What you do with them from there is entirely up to you.
A Word on Sessions
Sessions at Little Primrose Photography start from £249 for a Little Bundle session: 45 minutes, baby wrapped throughout, three beautiful digital images from a gallery of around 15. It’s a lovely, calm, focused session for families who want something truly beautiful without the full commitment.
My Signature session (£400) gives you up to one and a half hours, six digital images from a gallery of 30 or more, and the chance to agree your priority shots in advance.
The Heirloom session (£700) is the full experience: up to three hours, all three parts of the session, family and sibling portraits, macro detail shots, and 12 digital images from a gallery of 50 or more. This is the one people tend to come back and tell me they wish they’d booked.
All sessions include a £100 deposit to hold your date, and Klarna is available if you’d like to spread the cost.
Ready to Book?
If you’re expecting and want to secure your newborn session, the best time to get in touch is after your 20 week scan. I limit the number of sessions I take each month, which means I can usually accommodate last minute enquiries too, but I can’t always promise it.
If your baby has already arrived and you’re wondering whether you’ve left it too late: you probably haven’t. I photograph babies in a newborn style up to around 10 to 12 weeks, and I’ve taken some of my most beautiful work with babies who were already wide awake and full of personality.
Just get in touch and let’s have a chat. I don’t bite, I don’t do hard sells, and I genuinely love what I do. Come and see the studio, ask me every single question you have, and let’s make something beautiful for your family.
Little Primrose Photography is based in Sandbach, Cheshire. I work with families across the North West including Knutsford, Nantwich, Crewe, Wilmslow, Northwich, Congleton, and beyond.
