Guide to Newborn Photography

Newborn Photography

Newborn or newborn photography is  Although it may seem and be confused with baby photography, the truth is that newborn photography has unique features that make it diverse from any other type of photography. It is common for parents to find themselves saturated in the first days of a baby’s life with so much change, uncertainty and lack of sleep. Still, I highly recommend taking a breath, stopping and reserving a morning to generate a unique and unrepeatable memory, such as having beautiful images of this short stage.

Make Sure the Baby Relaxes

Anything that gets out of his routine can be very stressful for a baby. And what does a baby do when stressed? Exactly, cry. You can take advantage of when the baby is crying to take a photo with great force, but this attitude will not be suitable for the rest of your photo session.

For this reason, you should try not to disturb the baby’s tranquility too much and take advantage of his daily routine to take natural photographs. Adapt to him, to his schedule. Photograph him sleeping, take advantage of when he is awake to take other photos, and even capture moments as intimate (if the mother wants, of course) as when the baby is nursing or taking a bottle.

• Make sure he is freshly fed and changed
• The temperature must be warm
• The baby must be comfortable
• Keep your mom close
• Avoid silence
• Feeling tight gives you security

Use the Right Target

As we always say, the eye of the photographer is always more important than the equipment. However, specific equipment can make things much easier for you in some respects. Newborn or baby photography usually plays with very shallow depths of field to help give the photos that sweet and cuddly look. Therefore, a lens such as a fixed focal length or a bright telephoto lens can make this task much more accessible.

Stay Constantly Prepared

A baby’s behavior is entirely unexpected. He’s still peacefully asleep and wide-eyed and laughing out loud the second. That is why it will be essential to constantly prepare to capture any unforgettable moment. Especially when awake, he shoots many photos and even uses burst mode. His expressions are continually changing, and that adorable little face or dreamy smile may only last for a moment.

Play with the Framing

You can try different locations to get the most out of your newborn session. You can follow a sequence of tips that always work:

• Change the point of view
• Focus on the eyes
• Get closer
• Capture details

Use Soft, Natural or Indirect Light

Lighting is a crucial point in any photograph, but it is, and a lot, in baby photography. With few exceptions, we will always want to give our newborn photos a soft and tender look. Lighting will contribute a lot to this cause:

• Use soft light
• Avoid the flash or bounce it
• Use continuous light
• Use natural light
• Adopt Natural Poses

Indeed you have seen hundreds of newborn photos online with babies in impossible positions. You have to be very careful when placing the baby in any pose. When in doubt, the best choice will always be a natural pose that does not force the child.

Capture the Baby in his Day to Day

In addition to the typical posed session, capturing the baby in his day-to-day life is also beautiful. Catching him in his daily life will provide you with much more natural photos, and they will be perfect for his parents to remember him as he was, without poses or artifices.

You can photograph him while he sucks or takes a bottle, while he sleeps in his crib, while his parents bathe or change him, or while he plays and kicks on his blanket.

Beware of Props

In a baby session, it is always fun to use some props. It does not have to be a very showy or elaborate prop. Any blanket, cushion, basket, handkerchief, scarf, hat or turban will serve to give your photographs a nice or tender touch.

Of course, keep in mind that in most cases, simplicity will make your photo more attractive, and we will focus on the true protagonist: the baby. As they say, less is more. Avoid loading your images with stuffed animals, balloons, colour cushions, toys and other junk, as they will not provide anything but distraction.

Make Photographic Series

Babies grow very fast, and an excellent way to capture their growth is to take a series of photos, for example, one shot a week. If, in addition, you are his father, mother or a close relative, you can even try to photograph him once a day.

Always try to take these photos with the same frame and background, then make comparisons or even make a time-lapse with the baby’s growth. You will be surprised how much they change in a short time!

Includes Family

Our protagonist is the baby, but the family is also essential. Photographing the baby posing or interacting with her parents will always give us a lot of play in our photo sessions. We can still play more with the family if the baby also has an older brother or sister. It is always a delightful and excellent memory to photograph the older brother hugging or taking care of the baby and even holding him in his arms if he is old enough for it.

Process the Photos

To finalize your photos, it is best to process them. As always, if you are going to process your images, we recommend shooting in RAW format since you will preserve much more detail and have more room for editing.

In editing, you can make your photo look even sweeter. Give it warmth by changing the white balance, or get more pastel tones by playing with the intensity. You can also dare with black and white, offering perfect results in this type of photography. Another engaging resource is vignetting with pastel colours or even white to give that dreamlike touch to the photograph. If you don’t know how to play with these parameters, I recommend you look at our Adobe Camera RAW Guide.

Conclusion

Newborn photography or baby session is more complicated than it seems, but by following these tips, you will surely get great results. Today’s goal was to give you little wiles to make your task more accessible, and I hope I have accomplished it; if so, this article will have been worth it.

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