What to Expect at Your Newborn Photo Shoot

You’ve scheduled your newborn session, and you can’t wait to get precious photos of the new addition to your family. But this may be your first newborn photo session, and you may not know what to expect. 

Newborn photos are different from other portraits and require a little more thought and care. Below are a few things to consider to better prepare you for your newborn session.

Before your session

We recommend gently cleaning off any flakes of skin or eye gunk with a washcloth. If they have super flaky skin, some moisturiser can help as well. Make sure you only use one that you have used previously as you don’t want your baby to react before their first photoshoot.
Use baby trimmers to trim the baby’s fingernails.

Give your baby as big a feed as you can before you leave home.

When you arrive for your newborn photo session, you want your baby to be settled. You’ll want them to be full and content, so they can more likely fall asleep and be posed for the photos. Don’t forget to burp your baby well after feeding. 

Your photographer will allow the time for you to give them a top up feed if they are unsettled.

We are not worried about your baby falling asleep during the session, we just want to make sure that you baby is settled and content. The photos where your baby has their eyes open will end up being your favourites.

Outfits

We recommend having your baby arrive in an outfit that you would like your baby to be photographed in. We understand that accidents can happen on the way, so make sure you have another spare outfit that you would also like photos in.
We will start the session with baby clothed. We then have some little pants that your baby can wear to cover their nappy, so that we can get those beautiful naked shots without the worry of getting weed or pooped on :) 

Be patient.

Please don’t stress out if your baby is a little unsettled. Every newborn baby is different, and remember that they only just arrived in this world. We allow plenty of time for settling as required If you get stressed, your newborn will be able to sense your anxiety and frustration and may become stressed as well. We have lots of experience with older kids, so we have things on hand to keep them busy. For some children a new baby can be unsettling, and they may not want to hold their sibling, and that’s totally OK. Our photographer will take the time to make sure that they are comfortable as well with having their photos.

Trust your photographer.

Our newborn photographer knows how to pose your newborn safely and how to get smiles out of every other member of the family. Be open to their ideas and trust their expertise and ability to get you the images you want. We know as a mum you may feel a little self conscious about your weight, our photographer understands this, and will make sure to direct you in a way to make your photos flattering. We also have the magic of photoshop if you are unhappy with how you look.

About Our Studio

Our studio is located at 768 Pacific Highway, Gordon. There are 3 council car parks all within easy walking distance of the studio. The closest is in Moree St.

Our studio is located upstairs. There is a space at the bottom of the stairs where you can leave your stroller safely.
If you arrive early and want to grab a coffee, there are a number of coffee 

shops in the area.

For more information check out our newborn session guide



5 Tips for Introducing Older Siblings to Your New Baby

During your pregnancy, you may have imagined the moment when your older child meets their new sibling for the first time. You might be excited about this meeting or nervous or a bit of both. That’s totally understandable! A new child marks a significant shift in your family dynamic, and that can be a little overwhelming.

 No matter how much you prepare, you can’t predict how your child will react to their new sibling. These are our tips help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Encourage friendship before baby arrives

As a mum, you and your new baby are developing a relationship before your little one even appears earth-side. Your other child can foster a relationship before the baby is born as well! Let them touch your baby bump or talk and sing to the baby. Ask your child what they think the baby is doing in your tummy. The more you help them feel involved in the pregnancy journey, the more interested they will be when your new addition arrives!

Make the first meeting fun

Take time to make sure your older child’s first meeting with the new baby is a special and memorable moment. It’s important that your child has positive associations with the baby. You don’t have to do anything huge, but a trip to grab ice cream or eat at a favorite restaurant before the meeting can help your older child have positive thoughts about the day they met their new little brother or sister.

Give a gift to your older child

New babies get all the presents, and you don’t want your child to feel left out or resentful. Consider having the newborn “give” a gift to their older sibling, or if you child is too old for that concept, simply call it a congratulatory gift for being a big brother or sister. Your gift can be anything your child will find delightful, whether that’s a new toy, a favorite snack, or a book.

Pay extra attention to big brother or sister

It’s natural for your child to feel a little upset that the new baby gets all the attention, so make sure you’re intentional about putting the focus on your older child. If you’re holding your baby when their big brother or sister arrives, put the newborn back down and take time to talk to your child and ask them about their day. Putting your focus on your older child helps them see that they’re just as loved and important, even if they’re not the baby anymore.

Give your child tasks to do

Depending on their age, you can give your older child some jobs to do to help you care for the newborn. Whether it’s singing a lullaby to the baby or even helping with nappy changes or feedings, allow your child to feel more involved in the care of the new baby. This can go a long way in helping them feel a part of the change in your family, instead of feeling left out. Plus, let’s be honest, you’ll need all the help you can get!

Don’t forget your furbabies are siblings too!

Many of us start with a furbaby as our first baby, so when your baby arrives it can be a a shock for them too. So make sure you give them lots of attention and love as well. It can be a good idea to sit your pet near you for the first few weeks when you are feeding, so they can used to the baby with your around. Make sure that you give them a pat as you are feeding so they are reassured that you love them too

7 Reasons Why Digital Images Are Hurting You

These days, digital images are incredibly convenient. They can be easily stored on your computer or a USB, they take up less space than albums and wall art, and they are always on hand when you need them. But how many times have you set that USB of photos in a desk drawer, planning to get prints but never quite getting around to it?

Digital images can be useful, especially when it comes to sharing your family photos with your family and friends on social media, but they can also be easily lost or permanently damaged. Check out these seven reasons why digital images just aren’t as great as we need them to be.

You can’t archive them

You can store your digital image files on your computer, in the cloud or in a variety of other storage places both online and in your home. But what happens if you cancel your cloud service or fail to keep up with the subscription? What happens if your computer dies, and or is stolen? What if the flash drive you kept your photos on is lost? Then your images are gone for good. There’s no way to keep a permanent archive of digital photos without constantly moving from platform to platform as technology evolves.

They can be corrupted

Just as bad as lost images are corrupted ones. Unlike prints or physical products, digital files can be corrupted, making them inaccessible and impossible to salvage. All your memories can easily be destroyed, living you with no way to get them back.

You may forget about them

Digital images are great to have—until that flash drive starts gathering dust in your junk drawer or gets left in the car. Let’s face it: We all lead pretty busy lives, and it can be hard to remember to get around to downloading those photos and actually doing something with them. Often, our digital images end up forgotten instead.

Our phone is the perfect example of this. We take photos of daily life with our kids, and yet how often do we go back and look at them.  Or we upgrade to a new phone, and then we have the dilemma of what to do with all those old photos on our phone. And then when we do look through them on the odd occasion there are 20 images of the same thing we tried to take from different angles and it is so easy to get quickly bored looking at them.

They are costly—and that doesn’t include wall art

Let’s say you do remember to do something with that flash drive, and you log on to Shutterfly or visit your local Harvey Norman or Kmart to get some images printed. You’ve already paid for the session and for the digital files, and now you have to pay high prices for wall art and albums too. And the worst part? Most big companies don’t even offer high-quality prints, so you may end up with images that are too dark, too light or just not great, which is a waste of money. And within a short time, they can fade or turn yellow.

You have to keep up with new storage options

Not so long ago, you may have stored your images on floppy disks, but good luck finding a computer with a floppy disk drive these days. As technology changes, your chosen storage for your digital files has to change as well, which means you may keep switching from one storage option to another as the years pass, just to ensure that your images aren’t lost.

They have less impact

Physical prints such as wall art and albums can remind your children of their importance in your life. They can be a celebration of your family’s bonds and an ever-present sign of how much your family means to you. Digital images, however, are just photos on a screen. Studies show that they don’t have the same impact on children as seeing prints, which means you could be depriving your children of a chance to boost their confidence and self-esteem.

You aren’t respecting your photographer’s art

Photography is an art form, and the creation of beautiful images is something that your photographer has worked hard to learn. By asking only for digital images, you are missing out on the chance to see that art reproduced in high-quality heirloom prints and wall art for your family to appreciate for generations to come. That’s why it’s so important to choose a photographer who appreciates the importance of having digital images, as well as tangible albums and prints to commemorate this moment in the lives of your family.

Choose a family photographer that offers the full service

When you take the time to go to a professional family photographer, let them help you with displaying your images so they look their best. They put together displays for their clients on a regular basis. They have met and gotten to know your family, so they can hep you with which family image would be the best to blow up and put on the wall, which images really capture who your kids are at this age.

They will also have a relationship with suppliers for things like framing, and most likely will offer it to you at the same price as if you took it to a framer yourself, or even cheaper. They will also use the absolutely best products available, as their focus is on making your images last. So they will choose archival printing and framing to make sure that your wall art looks as good in years to come as it did the day you purchased it.

Breast or Bottle - Which is best?

There are lots of decisions to make when there’s a baby on the way. One of the most controversial is the ever raging “breast or bottle” debate. There are many people who have strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and many of them will try like a televangelist to get you on their side. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to give you some of the facts, and share some of my personal reasons why I ended up formula feeding both my children, which hopefully will leave you feeling good, whatever your choice. 

Scientifically, breast milk is best. There are nutrients in breast milk that help your child’s brain develop, and try as they might, formula makers cannot replicate these nutrients. Breastfeeding protects your child from illnesses because, as long as he or she is nursing, they are protected by your immune system, which is much more developed than theirs. Breast milk is very well tolerated by babies, and hardly ever causes gastric problems - however I will come back to this shortly.

But, realistically, the scientific facts are not the only things to be considered. Women who simply don’t want to breastfeed will probably not be very successful. Even some women who want to breastfeed will find it so difficult, that they are miserable trying to make it work. Some women will have difficulty making enough milk to satisfy their baby’s hunger, and some women will suffer more pain with breastfeeding than they can endure. If you fall into one of those categories, don’t beat yourself up. Your baby can flourish on formula too.

When my daughter was born I wanted to try breastfeeding, mostly because of the saving money sides of things but I wasn’t overly set on it being the main ordeal.  My girl was sick, a lot, like ALL THE TIME. We now know that she is autoimmune, meaning she has little - no immune system and doesn’t respond well to antibiotics.  In the first few months of her life I saw the power of breast milk and how quickly my body will catch on to her being sick and needing more specific nutrients.  My milk would change colour (usually more yellow) before I even knew she was sick, constantly adjusting to what my baby needed to fight off whatever illness she had at the time.  However, with work demands and juggling pumping with breastfeeding, my supply dropped off completely by the time she was 6 months old.  I didn’t have a huge emotional attachment to breastfeeding so this felt absolutely like the right thing to do.  She thrived off formula until she didn’t need it anymore.

My son was a different story.  I had booked in proper maternity leave this time round and was absolutely planning on breastfeeding full time.  After four short months of struggling with him being a Colic baby with reflux and me adjusting my diet weekly to try make my milk less painful for his little tummy to digest, I finally gave in and put him on formula.  This was suggested by specialists and doctors but was a very hard decision for me to make.  I loved feeding him, his latch was perfect every time and I really felt the bonding love this time round when I fed him.   Sadly, my milk was pretty much poisonous to him, we have now found that he has a pretty severe protein allergy and he is now on prescription only formula… We are still journeying through this but the new formula has made a huge difference for him already.

Breastfeeding or not, this should always be the mother's choice.  There are many reasons why people choose to formula feed, whether they are mental or physical, for the mum or for the baby, either way the mum is the one who gets to choose.

Breast or bottle is a personal choice. Weigh the facts and the preferences, and make the choice that is right for you and your baby. Some babies literally cannot have breast milk, and that’s OK. Whatever you decide, you don’t owe anyone an explanation.