Helpful Hints

INFANTS – 2 weeks to 2 months

Please bring a pacifier to the newborn session even if they are just learning to use one. This helps soothe them between portrait takes. Also be prepared to stop and feed them and bring plenty of wipes/diapers. Also bring extra clothes for parents/siblings when we are doing bare skin portraits with the newborn in case of accidents!

INFANTS – 3 months to 12 months

  1. If your child uses and relies on a pacifier, try to allow limited use of it prior to the sitting. It can leave a red ring around the mouth which can be seen in the portraits. In warm months, a child who uses a pacifier most of the time will usually develop a rash behind it on the mouth. Certainly use parental judgement about the infant’s mood.
  2. Collars on infant clothing are usually made to look good on the hanger but not on the child. They seem to always be popping up! Many times a sitting of an infant or toddler can be lost by having to spend too much time trying to get a collar to lay down. If you have such a collar, please stitch it down. We do not want to lose the expressions on a child having to spend a lot of time fixing collars.
  3. In selecting clothing for your child, simple is always best. An infant is small and too much fluff or design certainly will detract from the beauty of the child. This applies to color as well. On a 3-4 month old check to see how it looks with the child lying on its back. For 6-12 month olds check fit sitting and standing.
  4. The diaper solution: The colors and designs usually show through most light-colored clothing. It is very difficult to find solid white disposable diapers. The best solution is to get the diapers which have the characters only on the front of the waistband and put them on backwards. This gives you a white diaper for that part of the clothing which will show in photography.
  5. Look at the bottom of the shoes. Many times they will show and the shoe manufacturers have blessed us with red dots or bright cartoon characters on the soles. Be sure they fit well and are not a source of ill temperament. Of course bare feet make great timeless portraits!!
  6. Relax, Relax, Relax. The calmer you are in preparation of a sitting, the calmer your child will be. An infant learns very early when something is different and can detect tension in a mother’s voice. So just relax. Your child will enjoy the sitting and so will you.
  7. A mother’s voice is very soothing and comforting to an infant. That love between them is so unique and special. It can also be very disturbing if the child hears mom’s voice while not in her arms. Please remember this while your child is being photographed.
  8. Only one visitor (usually mom) is allowed in the camera room during a sitting of an infant at Brandi B. Studios. It is very entertaining to watch a sitting but it can also be a distraction. So in favor of a successful sitting and not entertainment, only one visitor.
  9. Don’t use up all those smiles! I’m sure that sounds silly but an infant who is played with a lot prior to a sitting can tire of being “happy.” The need a rest. So don’t worry about keeping your child happy prior to a sitting. They will be ready when you get to the studio.
  10. Please bring a bottle with you. Even if the infant has just recently eaten, we have seen a bottle quieten a disturbed baby

TODDLER – 12 months to 3 years

  1. The diaper solution: The colors and designs usually show through most light-colored clothing. It is very difficult to find solid white disposable diapers. The best solution is to get the diapers which have the characters only on the front of the waistband and put them on backwards. This gives you a white diaper for that part of the clothing which will show in photography.
  2. If you are planning on having pictures taken with shoes and socks off (even for a portion of the sitting) do not put the socks on before arriving. Most socks are tight around the leg and will leave red impressions which will show in the portraits. This also applies to any other tight clothing which might be removed before or during the sitting. If you do get a red ring, do not try to rub it out. It will just make the red spot larger!
  3. If your child uses a pacifier, please remove it at least 10 minutes before coming to the studio. Many children use the pacifier as a “tongue toy” and once the pacifier is out of the mouth, the tongue is till active and it can be very difficult if not impossible to get a natural smile from the child.
  4. If by chance your child refuses to put something on or do something, ignore it until you get to the studio. Brandi many times can get things done where a parent can’t. Remember, just relax, it will all come together.
  5. Look at the bottom of the shoes. Many times they will show and the shoe manufacturers have blessed us with red dots or bright cartoon characters on the soles. Be sure they fit well and are not a source of ill temperament. Of course bare feet make great timeless portraits!!
  6. Relax, Relax, Relax. The calmer you are in preparation of a sitting, the calmer your child will be. An infant learns very early when something is different and can detect tension in a mother’s voice. So just relax. Your child will enjoy the sitting and so will you.
  7. Only one visitor (usually mom) is allowed in the camera room during a sitting of an infant at Brandi B. Studios. It is very entertaining to watch a sitting but it can also be a distraction. So in favor of a successful sitting and not entertainment, only one visitor.

PRE-SCHOOLER – 3 years to 6 years

  1. Do not try a new haircut the day before a sitting or a new hairstyle the day of the sitting. Nothing we can do will make the hair more pleasing.
  2. Do not discuss a problem the child may have with smiling or other facial expression. Please discuss it with us and we will work with it. A child conscience of a smile problem or other facial expression is extremely difficult to change.
  3. Please do not try to bribe your child or make promises of reward for a good performance. These usually do not work and at times can create a wrong mood for the portrait session. Certainly you want to do everything you can to insure a good sitting, but the best thing is to remain calm and not do anything.
  4. Do not discuss photography. In most cases this is not what is important to the child when coming to see us. Many times a child is finished with a sitting and never once knew they had been photographed. Discussing photography can confuse the child because what we do is not what you do when “taking pictures”. It can even cause anxiety in a child.
  5. Only one visitor (usually mom) is allowed in the camera room during a sitting of an infant at Brandi B. Studios. It is very entertaining to watch a sitting but it can also be a distraction. So in favor of a successful sitting and not entertainment, only one visitor.