Your Montreal Newborn Session in studio — what to expect, what to bring and how to plan

Welcoming a new family member is already a lot on its own — I am writing this blog post to give you clarity on how to plan your perfect studio session, with 0 stress.

Your Montreal Newborn Session — what to expect, what to bring and how to plan. Mimosa Studios — Motherhood & Family Photographer in Montreal

Being a mom myself, I know how already getting out of the house can be A LOT. Especially as a first time parent, not really knowing what we are doing or with several kids that all have different needs at different (or same) times.

This blog post is here to guide you into what to expect, bring and how to plan a newborn session with me at my studio in Hochelaga, Montreal.

Booking & Preparation

When you book your session with me, I recommend booking before baby is born. By paying a deposit of 100$+tx and signing my contract you can book your spot. We will then put a date on my calendar approximately 2 weeks after your due date. This will hold your date on my calendar and is not a final session date. As it’s unpredictable when your little one is actually pointing their nose to see this world we move around the session date as soon as baby arrived, depending if they arrive earlier or later and what fits best for you. Well being of mom and baby are my top priority so if you feel the need to not leave bed for another week, that’s a valid reason to reschedule!

When baby is born, I will send you a questionnaire to fill out and plan our session together. Questions like if baby is breastfed or bottle fed, if they have any allergies and if you’d be ok bringing a pacifier will all help me planning your session so you don’t have to. I will also send you my style guide so you can plan some outfits for you and your partner as well as older siblings. For baby I have everything you need in my studio — outfits, wraps, props. Except if you want to have a personal item on your photos, you don’t need to bring anything.

I will send you an email with exact instructions on how to get to my studio, where to park etc. the day before your session.

On the day of the session

Finally! The day of your session arrived, everyone is healthy (please, if your toddler suddenly has a cough or a slight fever, contact me to reschedule!) and ready to go. I will probably schedule your session around 10am — it’s the best lighting in my studio on sunny days with those beautiful reflections that are gorgeous for family photos.

When you arrive at the studio, we will first see if baby is hungry. If they do not show signs of hunger we can start with family & sibling poses (your toddler will get sick of taking photos eventually so it’s best to start with them). If you have older siblings with you, I recommend bringing a book or a toy to keep them occupied and happy during the rest of the session.

If baby shows signs of hunger we will start by feeding them. In this time I will offer you coffee, tea or water and will do everything so you can feed baby as comfortable as possible. If you breastfeed, a breastfeeding pillow is available at the studio. Water kettle and microwave are also available if you want to heat a bottle. A diaper changing pad as well as wipes and diapers (I know, it’s a lot to think about when leaving the house, so in case you forgot, I got ya!) are also always in the studio.

This is the reason why newborn sessions are longer than other family or portrait sessions — we will probably spend quite some time making sure baby is happy. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal that sometimes they do need to feed for 45 minutes before we can start. In this time we can also discuss any moodboards you prepared (you can, but don’t have to) and any wraps or outfits you’d like on baby for the session. I will then make a quick plan for the session to go as smoothly as possible and as soon as baby is happy and no more hungry — we can start immortalizing your bundle of cuteness!

If we did not do family and sibling photos yet, we will do those now. If we already did them, we will move on to some posed photos of baby. Depending on what outfits and wraps you chose, I usually start by swaddling them (sometimes with the outfit already under the wrap so it’s easier after and we don’t have to change them so often).

After having photographed all important aspects of your baby (features like little hands, ears, mouth etc.) and having done some swaddled and unswaddled posing we are done!

I usually keep the posed photos simple and timeless with not too many props because in my opinion, the important part is you and your family, not having thousands of props around — I want to keep it as simple and minimalist as possible.

Payment of the remaining amount of your session is due on the date of the session (either before or after, no stress!)

After your session

After your session I will immediately backup all the beautiful photos we just took. I will then get onto culling and editing the photos.

Within two weeks, you will get a watermarked gallery to choose your favourites from. You can choose the amount of photos included in your package or add more for a fee, if you wish. As soon as you sent me your choice and paid the remaining balance if you choose to buy more, I will get onto retouching.

Editing vs. Retouching

Editing: Adjusting colours, giving the photos my signature style, slightly adjusting if over or underexposed.
Retouching: Skin, any background filling, removing things in the background etc. — essentially Photoshop.

Retouches take another two weeks. If you chose to get a print or if it was included in your package, you can let me know when choosing your photos which one you’d like to have printed. Prints are delivered 4-6 weeks from the date of when you chose your photos.

When all retouching is done you will get an email with your final gallery. The gallery is up for 6 months so you can conveniently share with your family and friends and they can download the photos from there in high quality (only people with the link can see and download them). In the gallery, there is the option to order albums or wall art directly and conveniently.

All in all, being a busy mom myself, I want to take out the stress of these sessions for you to make sure you get a beautiful experience and beautiful memories, stress-free.