I get this question asked a lot, “How do you keep newborn babies asleep for their photo session?” 

After the sessions I have lots of parents comment on me being a baby whisperer and asking if I could come over to them at night to give them a break! 

The short answer is – patience, love and years of practice. I’ve been photographing newborns for nearly 10 years now and have learnt lots of tricks on the way. 

• Timing: Newborn photography sessions are recommended first 14 days of the little ones for a reason. Babies still presume womb-like behavior and sleep through the sessions at that stage. That allows beautiful natural posing and less fussiness. After two weeks babies do tend to get stretchier and more curious about the world. Some have colics. So coming early is key to give yourselves more chances for relaxing and faster sessions. 

• Patience: In newborn photography patience is key above anything. Working with babies one has to go with their flow. As I often say “they are my clients”. We need to ensure all their basic needs are met, whether it’s changing the diaper or offering as many cuddle/ milk breaks during the sessions as needed.  Sessions with Sasha Gow Photography are never rushed and are focused around the baby.

• Baby-Led: Saying that, I always go with the flow of the little ones and their comfort.  I do warn parents that I will do a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped setups. Sometimes I end up having to do mostly wrapped setups based on what the baby needs. Regardless if the baby is mostly wrapped during their session or not, the galleries parents receive are absolutely beautiful.

• Professional Tricks:
  • I always ensure that the room is well heated before the start of the session, especially if beanbag posing is involved and we do change our little clients in outfits.  If newborns are wrapped I make sure the temperature is adjusted. 
  • I do use the Sound Sleeper App a lot. White noise , especially with womb sound, may help a lot during the session.
  • Baby Shusher is an effortless way to create some constant shushing effect during the newborn photography session.
  • Lulla Vibe Vibration Pad Game changer for me once I discovered this!  That newborn photography product works wonders for some babies – especially ones who do not take a pacifier. 
  • Posing Beans are incredibly helpful to secure babies during the shot and make them feel comfortable and beautifully posed 

Coming from the Soviet Union, I can clearly remember my dad taking lots of family photographs and developing them in the bathroom in complete darkness. It felt magical seeing images come to life. I was always curious to know more! 

Having graduated from the faculty of foreign languages and literature opened so many doors for me and determined my career, but photography has always been a huge part of my life – from social documentary photography to newborn , baby and family photography years later.

Moving to Dubai became the starting point of my career as Dubai Baby Photographer! Over the years I offered family photography, maternity photography, newborn photography to my clients and created beautiful galleries for hundreds of Dubai based families.

I was extremely fortunate to attend numerous masterclasses over the years, including Kath V. Photography , Erin Elizabeth Photography , Kelly Brown Photography mastering my skills in newborn photography! 

I welcomed into the world my own little ones over the past five years and took a break to devote all my love and undivided attention to them. With Robin and Aidan getting older, I’m so excited to get back into the world of art, creativity and do what I love most – welcome new parents over and create the most beautiful galleries for them to cherish for years to come! 

Let’s capture your memories together. To book please follow the link