Including grandparents in your Calgary newborn session

Should Grandparents Be Included in Newborn Photos?

When you're planning your newborn photography session, you probably already know that you want beautiful photos of your new baby.

But what about everyone else?

Should Mom and Dad be in the photos? What about siblings? And can Grandma and Grandpa come too?

I offer a few packages to suit every need and budget. The deluxe package includes family!

I recently photographed this sweet little one in my Calgary newborn studio, surrounded by a family who clearly adored their newest addition.

How wonderful for this precious little baby to already have so much love!

Including Family Photos in Your Newborn Session

If your budget allows and this is something you want including family is a great option. Baby is usually. happiest when being held so family photos can sometimes be easier. When siblings are included (especially if they are 5 and under) it can take a bit more time. Adding grandparents is an easy add on.

Can Grandparents Come to a Newborn Photography Session?

Yes!

My Calgary newborn studio is small and cozy, but I can usually accommodate grandparents when families would like to include them in their newborn session. There is not a lot of seating in the studio, some grandparents leave with dad once family photos are done and then come back to pick up mom and baby once the baby photos are done a few hours later. My house is close to a lot of businesses such as Walmart Shawnessey, The Shawnessey YMCA and library as well as many small businesses.

Including grandparents is a lovely touch because you are getting generational photos.

Baby with Mom and Grandma.

Baby with Dad and Grandpa.

Grandparents together with their new grandchild.

Or everyone together for one big family photograph.

These aren't necessarily the photographs you think about when you're initially searching for a newborn photographer, but they may end up being some of the most meaningful images from the entire session.

Your Newborn Session Doesn't Have to Be Just About Baby

Of course, baby is still the star of the show and I have packages that only include baby!

But a newborn session can also document what your family looked like at this exact moment in time.

Maybe this is your first baby and you're becoming parents for the first time.

Maybe there's an excited big brother or sister.

Maybe this is the first grandchild in the family.

Or maybe Grandma and Grandpa have been waiting a very long time to hold this particular little person.

Every family's story is different.

What If You Have a Larger Family?

If you're hoping to include grandparents or additional family members, let me know when you're booking your newborn session. Because I work from a smaller home studio, knowing who you'd like photographed ahead of time helps me plan the session and make the best use of the space and we can make a plan for whether additional family members will stay in studio for the entire session, or leave and come back when the baby photos are done.

Think About the Photos You'll Want Years From Now

When you're preparing for newborn photos, it's easy to concentrate on what you want right now. Which backdrop do you like, what colour should baby wear, etc.

Those things are fun, and they're part of creating a beautiful newborn gallery. But I also encourage parents to think a little further into the future.

Which photographs will you be grateful to have 10, 20 or 30 years from now?

Very often, I think those are the photographs that show the relationships surrounding your baby, not just what your baby looked like.

So, if Grandma and Grandpa are an important part of your baby's life and you'd love to have them documented together, ask about including them in your newborn session.

Your baby may not remember being held in their grandparents' arms when they were only a few weeks old, but they will have the photographs to show them just how loved they were from the very beginning.