Welcome to the world Rocco, and welcomed he was from his two adoring big brothers. Siblings with lots of love to give…
At 14 days new Rocco came into the studio with the family- Mum, Dad, Axel and Mason. 3 Gorgeous boys to include in the shoot.
You never quite know how a new arrival is going to be taken, sometimes kids need a little warming up to the idea that the baby is sticking around for good. So the best way to tackle a newborn and their sibling shoot is to just go with the flow.
At this shoot we had no worries getting the boys to cuddle Rocco, they were very sweet and doting on him. They took it in turns for cuddles and all with big grins.
It is such a special time for any family so I always encourage getting the siblings to be involved. I love their little personalities coming out in the shoot to make the photos extra gorgeous. They will look back on this photo shoot for the rest of their lives…. Even if it doesn’t go to plan and a toddler does not want to be involved, we then resort to photoshop and take two separate shots for example the baby in the basket, then take the baby away and put the toddlers toy in it…and snap, we got the shots and put it together in photoshop after.
I always include a little shoot of the siblings also. The newborn gets lots of shots alone so it is nice to make the other siblings feel special and strike a pose without the baby.
Tips for a smooth sibling shoot-
-bring snacks and entertainment, I offer drinks and toys but sometimes they like a little snack and their own toys or ipad etc
-don’t have high expectations of them posing, often we get the shot when you least expect, a cute smile looking curiously at the baby…or hugging mum while feeding, natural moments are always the best
-make sure you book around the siblings sleep times, a newborn will, not have a routine yet so best to keep the toddlers happy
-give them choice, because if we try and force the situation it will more often than not go the other way
-make it quick, usually a shot or two and they are over it so we then go back to the newborn
-having another adult around apart from mum is great to keep the sibling entertained
-safety first, we always make sure mum or dad is right next to them to ensure the newborn is safe and held or cuddled properly
-if all else fails remember there is always photoshop:)
