Congratulations on the new member of your family! A baby is going to bring you happiness and you deserve it, I believe that becoming a parent is the moment when all life’s battles seem worth fighting for.
I want to thank you for giving me the honor of photographing your new little one in his/her first days in this big world.
I photograph newborns in studio where I have a light setup and diverse props that will help me give a characteristic and professional look to the photographs.
Don’t worry, this is going to be easy. Making photos may seem intimidating and stressful. I totally get it!
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. My mission is to make the process easy and enjoyable for you and your little one.
To make your experience relaxed and stress-free, I’ve put together this guide to walk you through everything step by step.
So feel free to grab a nice tea or cup of coffee and let’s go over the basics together. Sound good?
The studio is located on Triq Il-Birwina in Mellieha.
You can look at Google Maps for instructions on how to arrive.
Vivid Memories Photography is a cute and cozy photography studio at my home where creative ideas take place. This is my project I am very proud of.
I specialize in Newborn and Pregnancy Portraiture. At Vivid Memories Photography, I dedicate my time creating those unique and elegant images of your baby, photographs that will last a lifetime, memories that won’t get old for the years to come.
I am Ksenija, originally from Lithuania, I have been a photographer for almost 10 years and I started to photograph newborns in 2017 while living in Norway, because I believe babies are the cutest things in the world.
I photograph the world the way I see it and I enjoy nothing more than a beautiful crafted image.
I also am an amateur traveler, professional tea lover and cat enthusiast. I love the beach and sunny lifestyle, that’s the reason I came to Malta. I am now pursuing a dream of having my career in a location I totally love – by the sea.
The best time to have a Newborn Session is when the baby is two weeks old or younger, during this period newborns tend to be sleepy and retain a fresh newborn curl.
After 15 days, newborns can develop colic and baby acne. They also will be more alert and stay awake longer.
Older babies sometimes do not like to be sleeping in a pose.
With the experience I have acquired, and the techniques I have learnt over the years, I am able to work with babies up to 8 weeks old, but it is always recommended to come to the studio before the first two weeks have passed, given that the baby is in good health.
The best approach if you are unsure of the date to book, is to set a temporary date – for example, one week after your due date.
Once you have given birth, simply confirm the date or modify it as it best suits you. You can send an email or call if you have any questions.
Even though we can schedule sessions any time of the day including weekends, we recommend the session to start anytime between 9 AM and 11 AM depending on the sleeping patterns – or lack thereof – of the baby.
I have a workflow to create a variety of imagery that you might like. The session goes through several stages including:
• Diverse Poses
• Props
• Diverse Swaddles
• Parents and baby posing
I recommend you to go through my website or Instagram, or even better, come to the studio and let me know which looks you like. I will try to focus on those looks you liked the most.
If you have a prop or outfit you would like your baby to be photographed in, please let me know in advance. I will try to incorporate it in the shoot, and the more time in advance I know about the prop the better the imagery will be.
If you would like your baby with an outfit please bear in mind the size of the outfit must be a perfect fit for the baby. Loose or very tight outfits do not photograph well.
Depending on how you want your baby to be photographed, some sessions can last up to 4 hours. I will be aiming to get it in less, but make the arrangements for 4 hours.
The variation depends on the type of photographs you will be getting and if the baby is a light sleeper or gets hungry regularly.
Do not use moisturizer on the baby’s skin, unless prescribed by the doctor, and do not use makeup, the skin will be taken care of on the retouching stage.
For most of the sessions, I will try to go through my repertoire of poses to give variety to your gallery, and this will allow us to have an idea on whether the baby prefers to be in a certain position, from there we go through other stages such as props or detail shots (close up of hair, eyes, lips, fingers, etc.).
The temperature in the studio will be between 25 and 28 degrees.
It is also not a bad idea to bring an extra outfit, sometimes I’m not the only one that will get peed on or pooped over during the session.
It is important that you try your best to keep the baby awake before arriving at the studio, that way the baby will be hungry and ready to sleep once we start the session.
The baby should be fed at the start of the session in order for the baby to have a long-lasting sleep. Try to only feed the baby once you arrive to the studio.
On some occasions, if the baby does not settle during the shoot, we may use a baby pacifier.
When you arrive, try to relax. Babies pick up the moods in the room.
You can enjoy the show or just keep yourself busy in your phone. I also have some board games. You can bring a tablet, or a book, even some snacks to entertain yourself during the session.
I use artificial light in the studio room, but it is safe for your baby.
I don’t use unsafe poses, however, new moms naturally tend to stress out if this is a new experience, new moms aren’t used to the waiting game that is newborn photography, it might happen that we will have to wait 30 minutes for a single image. Sit down and relax, beautiful photographs are being created and it takes time.
Your hands and arms might show up in some photographs, holding the baby or their feet. Please have your nails trimmed.
Some of the collections include parents or siblings appearing on the photographs, this is better sorted out before the shoot.
It is very much recommended to use professional hair and make-up, which can be booked beforehand (if your package does not include it already).
For babies that are breastfed, the mother’s diet is the baby’s diet. This can be a game-changer for the session, try to avoid the following foods 48 hours before the session: coffee, caffeine drinks, chocolate, spices (cinnamon, garlic, curry, pepper, etc), citrus fruits or juices, strawberries, kiwifruit, pineapple, onion, cabbage, garlic, cucumbers, fruits with laxative effect (cherries and prunes).
My aim during the session is to create beautiful imagery that you will hang on your walls once you receive the final products. I have a workflow and techniques that help me accomplish this.
Newborn Sessions can last up to four hours (depending on how you want your baby to be photographed), some times if the baby is a deep sleeper it can take less than the agreed time. During the session, the baby may need to be fed a couple of times.
The session will develop in several stages, and we will try to aim to get at least 3 different scenes for the baby to be photographed on. To lit the scenes I will be using flash, the artificial light is safe for your baby.
Avoid the use of recording devices while the session is ongoing, in addition to being a distraction, it might impede the free movement around the workspace.
If parents or siblings will be part of the session, please bring outfits in solid colors, avoiding patterns at all costs. you can bring a couple of options and we can decide on the spot what the final outfit will be.
Once the session is finished, the most laborious part of the process will take place, that is the editing and retouching stage, fortunately, I will take care of it and you will need not to worry.
1. Extra milk bottles for baby, if the baby takes bottle.
2. Baby Pacifier.
3. Extra diapers & wet wipes.
4. A change of clothes for parents (just in case)
5. Good mood and patience.
A FEW TIPS:
1. Trim the baby’s and the parents’ nails.
2. Do not moisturize the baby’s skin unless prescribed by a doctor, and do not apply make-up to the baby.
3. If close family members will be included in the photographs, do not wear patterned clothes.
You will be receiving your photographs printed in high quality fine art photographic paper, mounted in beautiful mats, ready to be framed.
Depending on the collection you have purchased, a reveal box might be included, this is a beautiful luxurious box to stored and display your photographs.
If you are getting a digital collection. A digital private gallery will be made available to you, you can share the URL with your family or simply download all the images from there.
All photographs include retouching. Differences of color in the skin due to artificial light, blemishes, distractions in the background, etc. are taken care of in the post-processing stage.
However, there are limitations regarding how much retouching is too much. Too much retouching and the photograph will look unnatural.
When it comes to hair, some newborns are shaved at birth, for those cases we try to use headwear like beanies, small hats or headbands to try to hide the spots where the trimming occurred, we avoid retouching newborn hair, as it is the easiest way to spot an unnatural looking photograph.
After the session, I will start processing the photographs, they will be ready approximately 3 weeks after the session. We will immediately send you the link where you will see all images from the session marked with a watermark. I will ask you to send me the screenshots of the ones you want to keep and I will upload high-resolution version for you. You as well might share the link with your friends or family.
If you would like to acquire prints they come at 8×10” size mounted in 11×14” mats. There is going to be a possibility to order more prints or larger prints.
The delivery time for larger prints is 4 weeks after placing the order.