Black and white silhouette of a mother tenderly holding her newborn baby against white background from an Oklahoma Newborn Photographer

Bringing home a newborn is chaos enough; your photo session shouldn't add to it. As an Oklahoma newborn photographer, I've picked up a few tricks over the years that make lifestyle newborn sessions run smoother for everyone, especially you and your sweet little one. Here are my top 5.

Close-up of tiny baby feet resting against a woman in a soft blue dress.
A father with dreadlocks and nose ring holds his yawning newborn baby dressed in white with a floral headband.
Oklahoma Newborn photographer captures Newborn baby peacefully in a wicker bassinet, wearing a white outfit and delicate floral headband.

1. Time It Around the Sweet Spot

Babies have a little window, usually mid-morning,  where they're at their sleepiest and most cooperative. If you can, plan our session around this time. It makes a huge difference in how settled baby is once we get going. This isn't an end all be all though, awake babies are just as adorable as sleepy babies!

Sleeping newborn baby curled in a western blanket on a striped blue horse blanket with a rope border in Big Cabin Oklahoma with Keely King
Keely King Photography takes a side profile photo of newborn boy showing all his newborn features from the chest up in Coweta Oklahoma

2. Keep Baby Awake Beforehand

I know it sounds backwards, but try to keep baby awake as much as possible before we start. A baby who naps right up until session time is a lot less likely to settle into that deep, sleepy state we want once the camera comes out.

3. Feed as Soon as You Arrive (and Bring Extra Milk)

Feed baby right when you get to the studio, and pack a little extra milk than you think you'll need. Babies tend to eat more than usual when they're being moved and repositioned throughout a session, so it's better to have backup on hand.

Close-up of chubby newborn baby back and legs resting on soft pink fluffy fur blanket.
Sleeping newborn baby girl in floral wrap and lace headband nestled in wicker basket with greenery.
Peaceful newborn baby sleeping on a floral blanket in a soft, dreamy portrait photography setting.
Close-up profile of a sleeping newborn baby with soft skin and delicate features against a white background.
Close-up of tiny newborn baby feet and toes resting on a dark gray background.
Four happy Asian children smiling and posing together on a white bed in a bright boho-style room.
Older child tenderly kissing a sleeping newborn baby lying on a soft white blanket at home.
Sleeping newborn baby girl wearing a delicate white lace headband, resting peacefully on a small white pillow.
Close-up of a sleeping baby wearing a delicate floral headband with tiny pink blooms and velvet leaves.
Newborn baby girl wearing a floral headband lying in a decorative rattan basket with soft white and pink blankets.
Sleeping newborn baby wrapped in a rust swaddle with a floral headband, resting in a small white wooden bed.
A tender mother gently kisses her newborn baby's tiny feet in a soft, intimate portrait.
Newborn baby lying on a white surface wrapped in a blue blanket with tiny feet visible in the foreground.
Older sibling kissing newborn baby dressed in pink on a white blanket, sweet newborn lifestyle photography.

4. Bring Snacks for the Siblings

If older siblings are joining, pack their favorite snacks. Bribery works wonders — a little treat can buy you a lot of cooperation and smiles when patience starts running thin.

5. Get In the Photos Yourself

I can not stress this one enough. Don't hide behind the camera roll on your phone, get in the photos with your baby!!! You will regret not having images of you together from this season. Wear whatever makes you comfortable; I've had moms show up in everything from a nice dress to jeans to a cozy sweat set. There's no wrong answer, just be you.

A young mother in a white sweater tenderly holds her swaddled newborn baby close to her face near a bright window.
A mother with glasses tenderly holds her newborn baby, sharing a gentle nose-to-nose moment in soft natural light.
Red-haired mother with tattoos kissing her swaddled newborn baby wrapped in cream blanket.
A mother tenderly holds her newborn baby dressed in a lace bonnet and floral wrap in a studio portrait.
Black and white silhouette of a mother tenderly holding her newborn baby near a bright window.
A mother tenderly holds her newborn baby close, touching foreheads in an intimate moment of love.
A smiling woman with blue-tipped hair and tattoos tenderly holds a newborn baby in a pink outfit against a white backdrop.
A young mother with dark hair tenderly holds her newborn baby girl in a white onesie and floral headband.

A smooth newborn session really comes down to a little planning: time it around baby's sweet spot, keep them awake beforehand, feed as soon as you arrive, pack sibling snacks, and don't skip out on being in the photos yourself. As your Oklahoma newborn photographer, my goal is to make the whole experience feel easy so you can just soak in this tiny, fleeting stage. If you're searching for an Oklahoma newborn photographer who'll walk you through all of this, I'd love to be the one capturing these moments with you.

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