The corona virus has forced us into lockdown. This means, that pregnant women around the world are going to miss out on the opportunity to have professional, newborn photos. Thats why I am going to give you my top tips to taking your own newborn photos at home. So you won’t have to miss out on capturing those precious first few weeks. All you need is your camera phone or digital camera if you have one. You could also download some of the free editing apps like Snapseed or VSCO to finesse your images.
Safety first
Firstly, newborn photography is highly skilled and I am fully trained in safely posing newborn babies. Therefore, I am not encouraging you to put your newborn in a bucket or attempt some of the poses that I do. However, there are some simple poses that you can attempt safely and I am going to talk you through them. Lying your newborn on their back, on a rug is a nice safe pose, especially if you have a sibling.
Styling
Keep the styling simple. Neutral colours are timeless and will allow you to create some beautiful newborn photos. Use the same colour palette, for example, browns, creams and beige go well. Or you might like to try white and grey.
Lighting
Light is everything in photography. In my studio I use flash, it is very gentle as it is bounced off a very large umbrella. I DO NOT recommend you using the flash on your phone or camera as it would be too intense for your newborn and potentially damaging. Instead, photograph near a window and turn off all other lights, as they can create a colour cast. Choose a window that doesn’t have direct sunlight as this will be too harsh. If the light is still too bright, move the baby further away from the window.
Posing your newborn
Place your baby on a flat surface, either on your bed, the floor or a large footstool. You could use the duvet or a blanket as your backdrop. You can also roll up muslins and place under the blanket to make a cushion to support your baby head. Make sure the window light is coming down across the baby’s face, ideally at a 45 degree angle. You do not want to create horror lighting by having it come from below the baby. Don’t worry about the pose too much, but if you want to give one ago, try the bum up pose. Babies love this pose as they often lay like this snuggled on their mum or dads chest. If you can get the hand under their cheek it will lift their head and stop it squishing into the blanket.
How to dress your newborn
I either have my newborns wrapped, naked or in knitted rompers. You could try those or put them in a white vest, something that is classic, timeless and won’t distract from the baby. This is a photo taken of my newborn and 3 year old daughter lying on my bed 5 years ago. It wasn’t posed, I just wanted to capture the natural connection between the two.
Where to stand
This is another really important bit. Photograph your newborn from above, you do not want to shoot up the nose. The head wants to be the closest part to the camera not the feet.
Get some awake shots too
Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t want to sleep. As long as they have been well fed, your baby should be content. I love awake newborn photos, they pull great expressions and that is what you want to capture and remember.
Don’t forget the details
Go in close for some shots of their hands and feet. Placing your had in the shot is a lovely way to show how tiny their little feet are. Don’t forget to get a nice close up of the face too, move around your baby and try different angles.
Be in the photos
These will be the easiest shots for you or your partner to take because your baby will feel naturally at ease in your arms. Make sure you position yourself so that you are not blocking the light and creating shadow on the baby. You don’t need to look at the camera, look to your newborn and capture that connection. Making your photos black and white is a great way create intimate, timeless images.
Need inspiration?
Have a look in my gallery for ideas of different images you could create. Click here for more inspiration
Share with us
Finally, I hope you have found this useful. If you have any questions please pop them in the comments or get in touch. I would love to see your photos so please share them in the comments or on my facebook page.
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