Up The Cuteness In Your Newborn Photography With Teddy Bears And Loveys
Another newborn prop is the little lovey. This is a small object placed into the newborns hands. It really ups the adorable factor. The tiny teddy bear is often used, but, the felted hearts or other animals are just as common. These loveys are also perfect additions to a shot for a babys nursery decor inspired by woodland, forest or zoo animals. Last, rainbows or a set of rainbow felted hearts celebrate a rainbow baby. The term rainbow baby is a healthy baby born after the loss of a baby. The idea recognizes these special babies as the rainbow of light and hope that appears after a storm or dark time.
Some of our favorite teddy bear and lovey artists are:
Must Know Newborn Photography Tips
Newborn photography can come with many surprises, especially if you arent a parent. Ive compiled a list of photography tricks that have helped me tremendously and I am sure will be helpful for anyone interested in learning more about newborn photography. Of course, every newborn photographer will have a different way or style of doing things but these are just some of the top things Ive learned through the years as a newborn photographer.
Newborn Photography Tips For Great Baby Photos
Newborn photography can seem like a scary field of photography. Its one thing to photograph landscapes or pose adults who take instruction, but working with something as fragile and unpredictable as a newborn baby can bring out the anxiety in even the most seasoned photographer. Here are a few newborn photography tips to get you started.
For more newborn photography tips and tutorials, please see our Newborn Photography Workshop, a full guide to baby and newborn photography, teaching posing, lighting, planning, and post production for newborn photography.
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When To Schedule Your Newborn Session
Your shoot date is tentative until baby is born. I prefer to photograph newborn babies when they are about 10-14 days old whenever possible. Please let me know as soon as baby is born, and we will try to schedule your shoot within this time frame, if possible.
Shoots with older newborns are beautiful too, just a little differentwe get more eye contact, and babies look a little plumper than they do in the first two weeks. I get calls all the time from moms whose babies are already here and they want to schedule a shoot or babies who have spent time in the NICU and were unable to shoot a session in the first couple weeks. I love these too.
Keep Your Baby Awake Before The Session
Its no secret that infants sleep a lot. But sometimes, their sleep patterns dont cooperate with our plans. If you want your little one sacked out during the photo session, so you can get those adorable sleepy newborn poses, keep them up for a while before your photographer arrives.
Making sure you keep your baby awake prior to a session is a great way to guarantee they will sleep through most of it. That will lead to peaceful pictures, instead of ones where they look enraged or red-faced from crying.
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What Are The Best Outfits For New Moms To Wear To Their Newborn Photo Shoot
Your body just grew a human and most of us dont bounce back in a day. So, dont try.
Honestly, dont try to get back into your pre-maternity jeans. Just dont. Wear your maternity jeans, they will look amazing because you will simply be glowing.
And since you are going to an expert, they will know all the most amazing angles for a new mom. For example, one of our favorite poses is mom draped around dad or a close crop of you snuggling your new love.
Dont wear black, it isnt slimming. Did I just totally blow your mind?
Its true, unless you have a lot of very black hair, dont wear black it will look harsh. Wear thick fabrics with structure and think about lots of texture. We also recommend soft neutral colors it lets your baby be the star.
Watch Newborn Photography Videos
I gained so much confidence before my very first session by watching a video of a well-known photographer working with a newborn. Just seeing how she handled the baby opened my eyes to what was possible. You will pick up a number of soothing techniques that will prove to be so helpful.
I hope that some of these tips will help you toward your goal of successful newborn photography sessions, as much as theyve helped me!
Dont forget there are so many different types of ways to photograph newborns. Another popular option is to create a lifestyle newborn photography session.
Read more: How to take creative lifestyle newborn photos
Over the past several years, photography has gone from taking pictures to a critical part of my life! I adore taking photos of newborns and pregnant mamas for my business, but my passion is definitely capturing my familys everyday life. Finding beautiful light in which to document the adventures of my three little boys truly fills my heart. I also love to help others learn about the amazing art of photography by serving as a Mentor on Clickin Moms.
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But There Are Exceptions
The timeline above can serve as a guide for what to expect at each stage of your babys first weeks of life so you can schedule your newborn photos based on what you want from your session. However, I have specialized in newborn photography for many years and I can tell you with certainty that every baby has its own personality we just dont know what it is yet!
Some babies are very relaxed, mellow, and peaceful, and will let us easily pose them however we choose. Some will even hold the poses we set when they are awake. Other babies are more tense and dont like to be posed. Still, other babies are peaceful until we start trying to move their limbs around to pose them, and then they voice their objections very clearly.
Ultimately, no one can fully predict your babys newborn photo session. I can make an educated guess based on their age, but it can vary based on how your baby feels that day. Many babies are relaxed and easy to pose when they have full tummies unless they have reflux, which tends to add a lot of crying to the session.
Heres the good news, though: as unpredictable as babies can be, an experienced professional newborn photographer can get beautiful photos out of any session. Its a matter of learning how to interact with each baby, being extremely patient, and finding a way to capture beautiful photos in between any unhappy moments that pop up.
Roll Cloth Diapers To Help With Posing
In addition, when stuffing rolled up cloth diapers under the blanket to properly pose the baby, it really helps to stuff them all the way under the bottom blanket for a very smooth, not lumpy, look.
And lastly regarding blankets thick, textured blankets are just so much easier to work with in post-processing because they are not as prone to wrinkles.
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What Is The Best Age For A Newborn Photo Shoot
So you want to book a newborn photo shoot, but you have no idea when the best time is. How long does that newborn stage last exactly? There is no exact time frame, in fact we have captured baby’s up until about four weeks of age, it’s never too late!
Sometimes life gets in the way, those first couple of weeks is exhausting and the thought of fitting in a photography session may be the last thing you feel like doing, in fact if you leave booking your session until after bub is born you may never get it done! But never fear, we have some tips on the best age to have a newborn shoot, and when to book.
Let us put your mind at rest, at how easy it is to have beautiful new family memories captured that will last a lifetime. Parents really enjoy the experience, and its much more relaxing and stress-free than you might think!
Baby Sleepy Time = Macro Lens Time
Want more help with newborn photography?
Aside from posed and a few lifestyle shots, the other big to do in my mental shot list is macro work. I love to capture close-ups of the babys toes, little bits of babys hair on their shoulder, pouty lips, & ears, etc
These close-up detail shots are not only adorable but they are great accompanying images for albums and accordion books. Because of the sensitive focus on a macro lens, the best moment to get these images is when the baby is very still .
As shown with the newborn workshop where you get to shadow me on an actual on-location session, when I notice the baby is deep in dreamland, Ill just stop whatever Im doing and Ill pull out my macro for 10 minutes and get all the shots that I need.
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Best Lenses For Newborn Photography
You can pack quite light for a newborn session, since all the pictures are likely to be taken indoors, so you wont need a telephoto lens or anything like that!
The three lenses you might want to have to hand are:
A Wide Angle Lens
These are perfect for tight spaces, and can also be used for the shots for the whole family, or newborn with siblings. You can also use this for environmental shots, for example, when you want to include some of the surroundings, like in the nursery.
The lens I personally love is the Sigma 35mm Art Lens – its such a beautiful lens, and perfect for lifestyle photography generally.
A 50mm all rounder Lens
A 50mm is a camera bag staple, since it gives you approximately the same view as the naked eye. This is often perfect for shots of the newborn on its own, or with one of the parents. Depending on the room available, you might even be able to use this for shots of the whole family!
Its also a good lens for shots of the details of the nursery.
A good starter lens is the Canon 50mm F1.8.
Macro for smaller details
If you plan on taking close-up photographs of the baby – for example, little babe yawns or eyelashes, then a macro lens can be a good idea, but definitely not essential.
For more information, you can check out this post on the best lenses for newborn photographywhich has more details on when you might want to use each lens.
Get In The Photos Yourselves
Whenever you choose to have your newborn photo shoot, its really important to me to capture photos of the parent with baby, along with any siblings or pets where possible! You may not feel particularly photogenic just weeks after giving birth, but believe me it would be such a shame to miss out on capturing those all-important shots of you with your baby that your little one will just love to look back on in years to come.
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Tip #: Give Yourself An Extra Hour To Get Ready
Trust me when I say that there are just way too many things that can come up when you have a needy newborn, and even more so when you have more kids! Get ready with an hour to spare, so that if someone has a desperate emergency crying, screaming, tantrum-throwing need, you still have time to put some makeup on or curl your hair. You’ll be so sad if you don’t give yourself this time!
Warm The Space You Will Be Working In
Now, you are ready to get to work. But there are a few things you still have to do. The most important is to heat the room you will be photographing baby in. Newborns can not regulate their body temperatures as well as older children or adults. So you will need to keep your space comfortable, cozy and warm. This is especially important during bare baby poses. You can use a space heater if your shooting area is usually cold.
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Know Your Clients Expectations
Time is of the essence when youâre doing newborn baby photography, so itâs crucial that you establish the goals for the shoot before the tiny one arrives on set.
Take some time to work out which kind of newborn photoshoot your client is after. You have two different types of newborn photos: posed and lifestyle.
So, whatâs the difference between these newborn baby photoshoot types?
Tip 11 Select Pastel Tones To Make The Baby Shine
Choosing the clothes, props for the baby and other baby boy or baby girl pic ideas, try to pick similar colors and tones in order not to divert attention from the newborn. If you have trouble with the lighting, it is better to choose clothes in light tones. You can also try to create interesting newborn photo ideas by adding some props with texture, such as a knit blanket. If you have more blankets, you can surely use them as a background, as they will look very beautiful and neat.
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How Old Is Too Old For A Baby To Get Newborn Photos
Ideally, parents schedule a newborn photo session during the second- or early third-trimester to get on the photographers calendar, and Weeks 1 through 8 of newborn life are optimal for capturing the essence of teensy-tiny babies. If I’m totally honest, pre-Week 6 is even better the majority of my best sleeping poses were taken around week 5 or prior. Then again, some 2-week old babies cry through the entire session you just never know what youre going to get.
So, from a theoretical perspective, its never too late to schedule a professional photography session for older infants and young toddlers. Realistically, though, every stage of a babys life brings different considerations into the mix.
Rather than looking at your newborn or infant photography session from a, how late is too late? angle, its best to view prospective sessions through the lens of what does each week- or Month- bring to the experience?
Camera Equipment For Newborn Photography
DSLRs are perfect for newborn photography. They can shoot in raw, allow for lens changing and have a high ISO range.
Mirrorless systems are also great as they are silent and keep the newborn undisturbed.
Both of these cameras provide great quality images, able to produce large prints.
Read the article here on all the different camera systems. And how they will benefit your newborn portraiture.
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