As a parent of a newborn and an amateur photographer, your favorite subject is likely your brand new baby, and you’d love to document those adorable stretches and yawns, sweet sleepy newborn faces, and teeny tiny toes and hands. While many parents opt to hire a professional photographer for a newborn photo shoot, some of us prefer taking baby’s newborn photos on our own. If you are planning a photo shoot for the newest member of your family, here are the 5 tips that will help you capture some great images and make the process an enjoyable experience.
Keep Your Baby Comfy
Make sure that the space where you shoot the photos is warm enough for your newborn, particularly if you are going to take pictures of your baby without clothing or a blanket. A warm environment will help keep your baby comfortable and possibly asleep throughout the photo shoot. Also, dress him or her comfortably or take some photos while baby is swaddled. Placing baby in mom or dad’s arms is also a comfy position and can make for beautiful photos.
Be Safe
While it may be tempting to position your baby on your favorite piece of distressed furniture or atop a wooden box or some other adorable prop, remember that professional photographers who pull off photos of this nature often have spotters to help secure the baby and these spotters are then edited out of the photos in some cases. While working on newborn photos on your own, keep the baby in a safe spot where there is no danger of falling such as on a bed or on a blanket on the ground.
Be Flexible
Take breaks to nurse or feed your baby throughout the photo shoot. If your baby is having a fussy day or morning, consider postponing to another day or later in the day since you’re not likely to reduce the fussiness with the added complexity of a photo shoot. Natural light is always preferable, so waiting for a sunny day is also a great idea. If your other children are not having a great day, you may also want to wait for a better time since they can disrupt your shoot and you’ll miss out on some beautiful photos of your children together.
Include Your Older Children
Some of the most endearing newborn photos include your baby’s siblings. Older brothers and sisters may be able to hold your newborn or at least sit next to their new baby brother or sister. You will make your older children feel involved and special by making them an important part of the shoot, which can make a big different during a time of adjustment to the newest member of the family.
Don’t Forget to Edit
After your newborn photo shoot, it’s always a good idea to spend some time editing our photos. If you don’t have an editing program you’re already using, Pixlr, Gimp or Seashore are good free options. If photo editing is not something you’re familiar with and you don’t have time or interest in learning, you can consider hiring a photographer for this part, and in most cases, professional edited will cost you much less than hiring a complete photo shoot package.
This is a guest post written by Ivy Norton. Ivy is a mother of 3, founder of mommasbaby.com and a Labor and Delivery Nurse. She’s a passionate mommy blogger and focuses on providing parenting news, tips and advice.
