HOW LONG IS A NEWBORN OR FAMILY SESSION?

FAQs

Another from my list of (very) frequently asked questions – how long are my sessions?

The short answer is that they range from about an hour to about two hours.

And the real, much more Jaye-like answer? It depends.

I usually block out about two hours for every session (even more for newborns, just in case), but I’m almost never looking at my watch when at your home. I’m happy to let junior take his time getting used to me and the situation. Thrilled to spy on a breakfast being savored or a game being enjoyed or even a toddler wardrobe struggle playing out.

I try to follow the flow of the day, allowing the bossiest human in your group (usually either a toddler or a newborn) to drive the action. I suggest transitions, but I don’t force them. All along, I’m keeping a loose list in the back of my mind of combinations and memories that I want to grab during my time with you, and occasionally doing a few “family smooshes” to make sure we’ve got a selection of natural family interactions by the end.

The truth is that my favorite moments from every session tend to be completely unprompted and to happen “in between” the various combinations, so I try to allow lots of loose time for those to unfold.

While I rarely glance at my watch, I am trying to keep tabs on everyone’s attention span and expiration date. When the telltale signs of their arrival begin, I review that list and ask mom and/or dad if there’s anything in particular they’d like to prioritize during the dwindling time we have left.

My goal is to stop juuuuuust before the first family member to be done is, in fact DONE. I want the memory of our session to remain positive throughout in everyone’s mind.

And that usually takes between one and two hours. So, yeah – 1.5 hours average.

An average of 1.5 hours of FUN.

Hope that helps!