When Should I Book?

The honest answer: during your pregnancy. Ideally somewhere around 20–25 weeks. Not because dates fill up that fast (though weekends do), but because the session itself needs to happen at a very specific time — between 5 and 14 days after birth — and it's worth having that slot already reserved.

Newborns younger than 5 days are usually still in a bit of shock from the outside world and haven't fully settled into the sleepy, curled-up state that makes the classic poses possible. After 14 days, babies start becoming more alert and less flexible, which makes certain poses harder and sessions longer.

Days 5–14 is the ideal window, with day 7–10 often the best. That said, if you've had your baby and haven't booked yet, get in touch. We keep a small number of slots flexible for exactly this situation.

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Who Leads the Session?

Every newborn session at Indo Irish Photography is led by Pravalika Talari. She handles all the baby posing, wrapping, and studio management. Pravalika has trained specifically in safe newborn posing — this isn't something she picked up alongside general photography, it's her specialism.

Gopi may assist on larger sessions, particularly if siblings are involved. But the baby itself is always Pravalika's responsibility.

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What Happens on the Day?

Sessions are typically 1.5–2 hours depending on package, though the time varies significantly depending on the baby. This is a baby-led process — the pace is set by your newborn, not by us.

Here's roughly what a session looks like:

1. Arrival and settling: You arrive with the baby already fed (more on this below). We have the studio warm and ready. Pravalika spends a few minutes just getting acquainted with the baby.
2. Naked and wrapped poses: Most sessions begin with naked poses on a warm beanbag with fabric — the classic curled, sleepy newborn look. These require the baby to be fully settled and in a deep sleep. If that takes a while, we wait.
3. Props and setups: Depending on what's included in your package, we may use baskets, crates, or other simple props. We discuss this with you beforehand.
4. Parent and sibling portraits: We include portraits with you holding the baby — hands, faces, that kind of thing. If you have older children, we bring them in for this part too.
5. Breaks as needed: Feeds, nappy changes, settling time. All of this is expected and built in. There is no rush.

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How to Prepare Your Baby for the Session

The single most important thing is to arrive with a recently fed baby. A baby with a full stomach is a sleepy baby, and a sleepy baby is one who can be gently posed. The ideal is to time a full feed so it finishes about 20–30 minutes before you arrive — this gives them time to get comfortable but still be in a deep, settled sleep.

Some parents find it helpful to keep the baby slightly awake on the journey to the studio. The idea is that a baby who's been awake for 30–40 minutes before the session will fall into a deeper sleep once they're settled in the warm studio. This is optional, not essential, but it can help.

Bring plenty of supplies: extra muslins, nappies, formula or expressed milk, a change of clothes (for the baby and honestly for yourself too). You'll be there for a few hours and babies are unpredictable.

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What Do We Wear?

Parents who are in the portraits tend to be in the background — arms, hands, a cheek, a shoulder. So honestly, what you wear matters less than you'd think. The focus is always on the baby.

That said, a few practical things:

• Neutral tones work best — white, cream, grey, olive, soft brown. Avoid anything too bright or patterned.
• Comfortable is more important than stylish. You'll be sitting, crouching, and hovering over a beanbag for a while.
• Avoid tops with logos or text.
• If you're hoping to include a portrait where you're more visible (full face, upper body), let us know when you book and we'll talk through what would work well.

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What About Siblings?

Siblings are welcome and we love including them, but it works best when it's planned and timed well. A toddler who has been waiting around a studio for two hours while you're focused on the baby is not going to cooperate for portraits. We typically bring siblings in for a short dedicated window, usually after the main newborn poses are done.

Let us know in advance if you'd like siblings included and how old they are — we'll plan the session accordingly. For very young children, having another adult (grandparent, partner) available to manage them while we're doing the newborn work is genuinely helpful.

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When Will I Get My Images?

You'll receive your edited images in a private online gallery within 7–10 business days of the session. The gallery allows you to download everything at full resolution and share it with family easily.

We don't send quick previews or sneak peeks during editing. What you receive is a finished, fully edited gallery — not a rough selection. Every image has been individually edited for exposure, colour, and retouching before it reaches you.