A question I’m often asked before a newborn session is “How do I prepare my home for my newborn session?” Here are my tips.

Living room, Bedroom & Nursery (or any room we’ll be photographing in)

• Raise up your blinds and/or open up curtains. If there’s too much sun, depending on if it’s a South, West, or Eastern exposure and time of day, I may close a bit but I generally prefer as much natural light as possible.

• Turn off the lights in the rooms we’ll be photographing in! Sounds wrong but trust me. Unless it’s a room with no natural light, or an incredibly dark day, I usually turn off all lights in the room we’re photographing in. They can create color casts or affect the white balance of the photos. It’s usually best to not mix different light sources. And if you don’t have a lot of natural light, no worries. I bring light with me!

• Clear away any clutter from coffee tables and side tables in living rooms and your bedroom, if we’re photographing in them. No judgement here on any messes, you’ve just had a huge life change after all and are keeping a tiny human alive! But you’ll likely not want to see piles of papers or books, phone chargers or tissue boxes in your photos. It also helps to hide any cords, if possible.

• Put the crib sheet on your baby’s crib mattress. I know the chances of them sleeping in there right away are slim, but if you have a nursery & want photos, we’ll document the space you put so much time and thought into. This room is often the most put-together room in the house because you’re so excited! And usually the least used with not a lot of excess stuff in it. Even if the only thing ready in the nursery is the crib, I can still get some adorable photos in there!

• Before I arrive, turn up the heat in winter. Turn the A/C temp up in summer so it doesn’t run as often during the session. Babies like to be warm and cozy!

• Not necessarily a home-prep tip, but if you have pets that shed and you’re wearing darker clothing - grab a lint roller!

• Don’t stress! Even if you do have some dog toys laying around, the toddler’s snack from yesterday afternoon on the coffee table or a pile of laundry hanging out in the dining room, it will all be ok. It’s real life, after all. I can easily move things, or try to place you in spots to hide things. Life is messy, especially when you bring a newborn home!

It’s true what they say - this time goes by so quickly! You’ll want to look back on these photos often so the only thing that truly matters is that you take the photos. And that you’re in some of them. I’m looking at you, mama. Your baby is going to treasure the photos of you with them someday. Make sure you’re in the photos too!