Client welcome guide
We can't wait to have you in front of our cameras soon!
We are so excited that you have chosen us to capture your life’s special moments. Whether we’re photographing your pregnancy journey, your newborn, your family, or your senior photos, these moments are some of the most important in your life, and we are touched that you’ve allowed us to be a part of it in such a big way. Your photographs will be a tangible portion of your memories that you’ll be able to cherish forever.
We know that planning for these photography sessions can often be overwhelming, so we want to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible. This guide is designed to help make that happen. With it, you’ll be better able to make decisions for your photography session to ensure you receive the most amazing photographs possible.
The next steps for you are to read through this guide and get in touch with us to schedule a date for your session. We’ll stay in touch in the weeks and days leading up to it.
Welcome!
Hello there & welcome!
We are a husband and wife photography team, and since we’ll be getting to know each other more over the coming weeks, we thought it would be great to introduce ourselves!
Our photography journey started several years ago when Brian decided to tag along with Shannon to a wedding she was photographing. She handed him a camera on that day, and we’ve never looked back. Since then, we’ve photographed every single session we’ve booked together, and we’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to photograph countless weddings, engagements, maternity, newborn, and family sessions.
We’ve been in love and married for 15 years now, and we have two beautiful children together. Shannon is known for being genuine, simple, down to earth, and a good listener. Brian loves being a father and feels that it encourages him to be a better influence and person overall. He’s a storyteller and has a charming sense of humor.
We’ve already started our legacy, and now we’re so excited to help you start yours.
about Shannon and Brian
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Our Photography Process
The great news is, since you’ve received this welcome guide, you’re well on your way through our photography process.
From here, your next step will be to get in touch with us to schedule a date for your session, whether it’s a maternity, newborn, family, or senior session.
Depending on your package, we’ll set a location for your session, whether it’s outdoors or in our studio.
We’ll complete your photography session, and then you’ll receive your photos edited and completed within 4 weeks.
Your maternity session
We love capturing life’s miracles, including the moments before your precious little one makes their arrival. Your maternity session is all about doing just that. We’ll take an hour to photograph you and your partner with two outfit changes along the way, and you’ll receive 20 digital images within 4 weeks of your session.
Your maternity session | How to prepare
If this is your first maternity session, you might not know exactly how to prepare for it. That’s exactly what we’re helping you with in this guide! We’ve put together tips and advice to make sure your photography session flows smoothly so you’ll get the most out of it and receive images you absolutely love.
Plan for your 3rd trimester
We recommend booking while you’re in your third trimester, usually anywhere between 28 and 32 weeks. At this stage in your pregnancy, you’ll have a beautiful baby bump that will translate so well in your photographs, and you’ll still be able to move around comfortably. While we have had a few past clients who chose to book their session later in their pregnancy, we found that these mothers-to-be had more trouble posing and standing for longer periods of time.
Pamper yourself beforehand
One of the most flattering poses for maternity sessions is for mothers-to-be to keep their hands on their baby bump. This puts emphasis on your bump, and it looks so great in photos. Keep this in mind in the week or so leading up to your session, and plan to possibly get a manicure beforehand! If you’d rather skip the manicure, just make sure your nails are clean of any chipped polish.
Professional hair and makeup
Along the lines of our previous tip, you may want to consider having your hair and makeup done professionally before your session. Having a professional will make sure your hair and makeup look absolutely perfect before you have your photo taken.
Get plenty of rest
We know it can be difficult to get good sleep during pregnancy, but believe it or not, this is so important in the days leading up to your maternity session. You’ll feel so much more refreshed and relaxed for your session if you’re well rested, and that always translates into beautiful photos.
Decide who to bring
Decide beforehand who you want with you during your session. If you have other children you want to be present in some of your photos, be sure to let us know so we can plan your session appropriately! Keep in mind, though, that the more people who are present for your photos, the more distracted and uncomfortable you may be in front of the camera.
Relax!
Maybe this one is easier said than done, but it’s so important. Do your best to relax during your maternity session, as that will translate into your photos. We’re certain that once we get started, you’ll be able to relax even more!
Your maternity session | Styling Tips
Planning your outfits for your maternity session can be overwhelming. You might struggle with deciding what will look best and highlight your baby bump in the most flattering way. We want to make sure that you’re able to do that, which is why we’re giving you tips for styling your outfits for your session. We want to make this experience as easy as possible for you!
If choosing your outfits is turning out to be too much stress for you, don’t worry! We have a client closet with dresses for you to choose from if you’d like. Just let us know that you’re interested in it.
Don't be afraid to dress up
If you’ve been dreaming of the photos of women in their pregnancy journey wearing gorgeous gowns, you have full permission to do it yourself. There’s no such thing as “too dressed up” for your maternity session! Go for the dress that makes you feel like a million bucks because you’ll love it, and we promise, the camera will, too
Go with stretchy fabrics
When you’re further along in your pregnancy, you’ll want to make sure that whatever you choose is comfortable for you. Try to find clothing that is made of stretchy fabrics and that highlights your baby bump without feeling too tight and uncomfortable.
Keep your colors simple
For your maternity session, you and your baby bump will be the primary focus. Highlight both you and your bump by choosing softer, lighter tones and more muted shades. By avoiding bright, bold colors, you’ll bring the attention to your face and your bump.
Avoid elastic before your session
Yes, we absolutely want you to be comfortable! But, we also want you to look your best for the camera, too. Be sure to take off any clothing with elastic bands at least an hour before the session so your skin will look buttery smooth for the camera. Remove any hair ties on your wrists, too!
Your maternity session | Scheduling and timing
We love photographing maternity sessions in outdoor, open- air locations, especially if the location is significant to you. We also have plenty of space in our studio to photograph your maternity session there, too.
We typically plan our sessions on the weekends to work around our schedules.
Our favorite time to photograph maternity sessions is during the soft glow of “golden hour,” which always makes for beautiful photos.
Your maternity session start time will depend heavily on the season in which your session takes place. Ultimately, plan on starting 2 hours before sunset no matter what time of year your session is scheduled. However, we’ll always confirm with you before your maternity session takes place.
If you’re planning to have your maternity session in our studio, the timing will be more flexible as we’ll have everything we need to get beautiful photos of you at any time of day
Your maternity session | Locations
Deciding on where to do your maternity session can be somewhat of a challenge. After all, you want to make sure whatever you choose will look good in your photos!
The good news is that we can make just about anywhere look good in photos. As long as we have good lighting, your photos will look beautiful. We still understand that you want a great place for your backdrop, of course.
Some of our favorite locations include beaches around Lake Michigan, flowery fields, and even the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum.
Your maternity session | preparing your husband
Most men aren’t all that thrilled about spending time in front of a camera. They usually think that it’s going to be forced and awkward, instead of fun and relaxed. If you’re afraid your husband won’t be excited either, you’re not alone.
To get him ready for your maternity session, sit down with him and tell him why you chose us as your photographers. Show him a few of your favorite maternity sessions and photographs we’ve done so he can see what to expect from your session together. Be sure to explain to him how much this means to you. If he understands how important this is for you, we have no doubts he’ll be a team player!
Remind him, too, that we’ll coach both of you through everything, so there is no chance of “being bad at it” or “failing.” Plus, the main focus of the session will be on you and your baby bump!
Your maternity session | props for your session
Any sentimental items you have can act as great props for your maternity session. Bringing something of importance will help make your session more personable and memorable for you, and they’ll help us to better tell your story.
A few items you may want to bring include your latest ultrasound, a family heirloom that will be a key
part of your baby’s nursery, your engagement and wedding rings to show how your family legacy started, baby shoes because those are just too cute, or even a baby blanket or baby toy that you grew up with.
Your Newborn session
You’ve waited so long, and now your newborn baby is finally here in your arms! These moments fly by so quickly. You’ll blink, and they’ll be grown. A newborn session is the perfect way to capture these
memories to look back on forever.
Your newborn session will consist of up to 3 hours in our cozy studio, and you’ll receive 20 digital images per session.
Your maternity session | How to prepare
If this is your first newborn session, you might not know exactly what to expect. That’s why we’re giving you these great tips to help your session flow smoothly so you receive the best possible experience and photos!
Plan early
If you want those fresh newborn photos of your baby, you’ll want to plan for your session early. The best timeframe to shoot for is within 10 days of giving birth. In those first 7-10 days, your baby will be sleepy more often, and they’ll pose better for photos. Around 8 days, your baby will slowly start to stretch out, and they’ll stay awake a little longer. The first 10 days are definitely the sweet spot for newborn photos.
Safety over creativity
We promise that we will always take into consideration safety first and foremost. Only then will we worry about creativity. We know how fragile newborns are, and we know that you will be a protective mother, as you should be! Therefore, we will never sacrifice the safety of your baby for a creative photo.
Sleep management
A sleepy baby makes for the dreamiest, most beautiful photos for your newborn session. The day of your session, we recommend keeping your baby awake 30 minutes or even a full hour before the session starts. This way, your baby will drift dreamily off into a nice
sleep, and we’ll be able to pose them even better.
Baby feeding
One major key to having a content baby for your newborn session is to make sure their tummy is full. Try to feed your baby at most one hour before your session starts. This will keep your baby nice and sleepy throughout the session, which is exactly what we need to get those precious shots.
Loosen clothing & diapers
About 30 minutes before your session starts, go ahead and loosen any clothing and diapers that your baby is wearing. This will give your baby’s skin time to settle and smooth out any indentations from the clothing and diapers. Your baby’s skin will look buttery smooth in their photos.
Manage expectations
Newborn sessions are one-of-a-kind photography sessions. You’ll need to manage your expectations of how it will go from the beginning. The biggest key is to make sure you stay patient! We’ll work around your baby’s schedule, and if that means taking breaks throughout the session, we will accommodate that.
Relax!
We understand that you want to receive the best possible photos to treasure these moments of your newborn baby forever. Having that kind of pressure on your session means you may feel stressed throughout it. If you feel stressed, your baby will feel it, too, and that limits the possibilities for everything we can accomplish during our session. Relax, try to unwind, and trust us to do our absolute best to deliver you the most precious memories possible.
Your newborn session | Styling Tips
As you’re preparing for your newborn session, you’ll need to consider what to wear. We know this can be overwhelming since you always want to look your best in front of the camera, which is why we’re giving you our best styling tips for your newborn session.
As for your new baby, don’t stress about bringing too many clothes. We have plenty of swaddling wraps and other clothing that look beautiful in photos.
Keep your colors simple
The focus of your photos should be on you, your husband, and your newborn baby. The best way to highlight all three of you is to avoid bright, bold colors and patterns. We recommend sticking with soft, light colors and muted shades. This way, the attention will be all on you and your new baby.
Don't be afraid to dress up
Some of the most gorgeous photos are of new mothers and fathers dressed up with their new baby. If you’re thinking about wearing a beautiful, flowing dress, we encourage you to do it! There’s no such thing as “dressing up too much” for the camera.
Your newborn session | Scheduling and timing
Because newborn sessions are one-of-a-kind and everything relies on the baby, we do all of our newborn sessions in our studio. By doing so, we can monitor and control the temperature of the room so your baby is comfy and cozy throughout the session. You’ll also be able to take feeding breaks if needed without having to worry about privacy.
We typically plan our sessions on the weekends to work around our schedules.
Since our sessions are completed in our studio, we don’t have to worry too much about timing as we’ll have appropriate lighting inside. The most important thing is timing your newborn session around your baby’s sleeping and feeding schedule.
Your newborn session | props for your session
As you prepar e for your upcoming session, you may want to think about what you can bring to make your photos even more personalized and unique to your family and your new baby. Consider bringing a few props to your session! Some ideas include:
Props based on your family history
If you are a fireman, a police officer, in the military, a teacher, or if you have any other job that you want to highlight, you may want to incorporate that into your newborn session. Think of bringing props that feature your position, whether it’s a uniform, a hat, or something of significance for your job
Sentimental items
Bringing props that hold significance to you and your family is a great way to add a unique touch to your session. Consider bringing the veil to your wedding dress, an old baby blanket that you had when you were little, or something that was made by a loved one specifically for your baby.
Stuffed Animals
Stuffed animals always make for sweet little props for your newborn session. If you have any from when you were little or if you have some from your baby’s nursery, bring them along for your session.
Props based on your nursery theme
If your newborn’s nursery has a specific theme, think about bringing props to highlight that.
Hobbies you have
Often, we see parents bring in props to feature certain hobbies they have that they hope their baby will enjoy later on in life. Whether your hobby is hunting, fishing, baseball, or another sport or hobby, bring props to include in your session.
Have any questions?
Contact us:
info@shannonandbrian.net