Everyone agrees – newborn photos are stinking adorable! With baby photography, you are able to capture a fleeting moment in the life of your baby – one that will be impossible to get back.
This is a comprehensive collection of newborn photo ideas to inspire you, so that you can plan your own baby photoshoot! (Scroll down for tips on how to take newborn photos.)
When it comes to newborn photography, you have many options. You could do:
- Lifestyle newborn photography – this is the easiest and you hardly need to setup.
- Newborn family photos – for these you could do lifestyle or with props.
- Newborn pictures with props and newborn poses. These are a little bit harder but certainly doable with the help of a few newborn photography tips and tricks. (scroll down).
Newborn Photo Ideas For Your Own Baby Photoshoot
11 Helpful Tips On How To Take Newborn Photos
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For The Perfect Newborn Poses, Timing Is Important
Typically, the first two weeks after birth works best for newborn photography. At this age, it will be easier to pose your newborn because newborn babies tend to curl up. They also sleep a lot and they don’t move much either. A week or two later will likely not offer similar results.
EXPERT TIP: Try to schedule your baby photoshoot during the first week after your baby’s birth, around nap time.
If you are having a baby photoshoot with older babies, use toys, or play pikaboo to help distract your baby. Try to make eye contact with your baby while someone else takes the baby pictures.
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Keep Your Baby Happy During Your Baby Photoshoot
- Make sure your baby is well-fed and rested. No baby is going to cooperate if he/she is tired and hungry.
- Keep your shooting area warm. You may need a little space heater to keep the area warm.
- Consider a white noise machine to keep your baby asleep. You could also download white noise apps to do the same thing.
EXPERT TIP: Babies tend to be more cooperative during the morning hours. Try to plan your baby photoshoot during the early hours of the morning or when your baby is very sleepy.
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Carefully Consider Your Newborn Photography Props
Newborn photography props and fabrics are awesome! Here are a few helpful tips to follow when choosing them:
- Consider neutral, textured newborn photo props. By picking props and baby outfits that are neutral or have a similar tone to your baby’s skin, they don’t distract from your baby. Picking light colors may also help with the lighting of the newborn pictures because it will reflect light instead of absorbing it.
- Stick with lightweight, comfortable fabrics like cotton wraps, swaddles, etc. Swaddling is particularly effective because it shows the shape of the baby. You can also get swaddles in different patterns, which can add texture to a plain and simple backdrop.
- If you are posing your baby on his/her stomach, consider using a nursing pillow. This keeps your baby in a comfortable position. You can always drape it with your desired backdrop.
- Add visual interest by using newborn photography props with texture, like a knit blanket. You can also use blankets as a backdrop since they won’t wrinkle as sheets and curtains might.
- If you are going to be putting your baby on a scratchy, uncomfortable surface, your baby is not going to like it. Avoid uncomfortable surfaces.
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Take Newborn Pictures From Above
Consider creating your setup on the floor. It’s a good option for getting overhead shots and making sure your baby doesn’t roll off anything.
Also, try to angle your shots so that you’re shooting down your baby’s nose instead of up. Shooting from under anyone’s nose is not flattering.
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Always Consider Safety When Shooting Newborn Poses
If you are shooting with a professional camera, use your camera strap. You will be shooting from above and you don’t want to accidentally drop the camera onto your baby.
For lifestyle newborn photography, safety is not necessarily an issue. However, with some newborn poses, safety does become an issue. If you have specific newborn poses in mind, someone can hold the baby in those different poses. Thanks to Photoshop, the person holding the baby can be removed during the editing stage. In other words, you can always edit images afterward to get the perfect effect.
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Get Everything Ready Before You Start The Baby Photoshoot
Get the lighting, the backdrops, and everything else ready before you bring your baby in. Having everything ready will save you a lot of hassle.
Also, have backup baby outfits and props ready in case your baby has an accident. That way, you will be able to quickly change and get back into the photoshoot.
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Photography Equipment Need Not Be Expensive
Yes, professional cameras are great. However, you can get really great newborn photography with smartphones too. Thanks to apps, you can edit and add all kinds of filters to your images.
Set your smartphone camera or regular camera to portrait mode. Doing so helps blur the background and smoothes the skin tones and the hair.
If you’re are using a DSLR, open your aperture all the way (set it on the smallest number). This results in a soft, blurred background. Pair it with a portrait lens (around 85mm).
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Focus On The Details
Professional camera equipment is really good at capturing those details but even with an iPhone, you will be able to get close to capture those little wrinkles newborns have.
Newborn pictures with baby hands and feet are adorable. Also, consider little baby fat rolls and wrinkles, the crinkly little chin, the adorable baby expressions, the tiny nose, the rosebud lips – these are just a few newborn photo ideas that you can focus on. These are all things you will want to capture while you have the opportunity.
Place your baby into newborn poses that show these off.
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Experiment With Angles
Your baby is sleeping quietly and you actually got that perfect shot. Great. Now is the time to get more newborn pictures, but from different angles and perspectives.
Walk around your baby to get a different look. Try shooting from different angles and perspectives before moving on to a new pose or setup. This is an easy way to get a variety of great newborn photos out of a single pose.
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Lighting Is Important When Taking Newborn Pictures
As much as is possible, use natural light. Choose the room in your home that gets the most sunlight, and set up there. The natural sun is great to get that glowy, angelic look.
Adjust your lighting before you put your baby down for the photoshoot.
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Relax And Go With The Flow With Your Newborn Photos
A baby photoshoot can be really easy. It can also be very hard. You cannot tell a newborn baby to pose this or that way, so you have to take what you can get. This is why lifestyle newborn photography is the easiest to do.
When you are trying to create newborn poses, start slowly. If you are not quite capturing the moment as you envisioned, remind yourself that you are creating newborn pictures, and try again later. If you choose to relax and pace yourself, you can capture an amazing variety of newborn pictures.
Note From The Author
It was too much fun putting this post together. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed compiling it!
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