photographing your newborn at home
Tips & resources for photographing your newborn at home
This simple guide is filled with a few tips and tricks for photographing your own newborn at home. I hope you find it's contents useful as you use this time at home to document your own little one. As always if you have any questions or need any guidance I'm here to help - please don't hesitate to ask! Trust me I'd much rather be doing what I love right now and be photographing your baby myself --- if I can help in any way I will. Whether you're choosing a place in your home, a blanket or outfit to use or just have a question about how best to proceed, lets chat. A quick video call or email might answer a lot of your questions and I'm happy to do it. Stay well and healthy. ~Aly
Another great resource for more detailed information on how best to photograph your newborn at home was recently published by Rachel Vanoven and can be found here. Rachel also put together a facebook group for parents in this situation where families & photographers across the world can share suggestions, ask questions and get other tips that you can find here - it's a great group with lots of families and photographers sharing information so I definitely encourage you to join!
My tips for taking newborn photographs at home
baby safety
Baby's in buckets, on little beds and in other advanced positions are best left to the professional. Never ever put your baby in a position where they could potentially fall, tip or where they are not completely comfortable. Baby should never be positioned in such a way that it causes them difficulty breathing or for limbs to lose circulation and become discolored. If using a portable heater to keep baby warm, ensure its heating the area you're photographing baby but not blowing directly on baby or causing them to overheat. The easiest position to photograph your baby is laying on their back or side. A nursing pillow covered in a simple blanket is a great place to photograph baby where they can be safe and comfortable. Use small towels or washcloths under blanket & baby to prop up areas of baby where they might sink in. Use a swaddle blanket, scarf or other wrap to add texture and color to your setup. Photograph baby on your bed or in their crib to get further variety in your images.
finding light
The next important thing after making sure your baby is safe during the shoot is lighting. Lighting can literally take an image from 'meh' to wonderful. My best advice when taking images of baby is to find a large window in your home to take images of baby near. The closer you are to the light, the softer and more beautiful the shadows. An ideal time of day to photograph baby is when the sun is up but not coming directly through the window. Use a set of sheer curtains over the window if you have them to help diffuse the light even more. Angle baby so that the light is coming down from above vs. up from below. You can see in this image, the light is coming from the top left.
how to prepare your home
- When I photograph your baby I usually ask you keep your home as warm as possible. Baby might be dressed in a simple onesie or a scarf wrap and the chilly air might make them uncomfortable and less likely to participate. Keep the house/area as warm as possible, but also consider what baby is wearing so they don't become too hot.
- Choose the spaces you want to photograph baby and clear the clutter. You don't have to do a lot to clear a space for baby, but making sure little things like diapers, wipes or other items laying around are out of the picture always helps keep focus on baby vs the environment.
- Choose a simple scarf, swaddle or onesie for baby to wear. Keeping things simple keeps the focus on baby.
- Use a blanket or fabric from home to add texture and create a simple backdrop for photographing baby.
- If you have questions about where to photograph your baby in your home or you have a prop like a basket or bowl you hope to photograph baby in, send me a photo or questions about it and I can help!
how to prepare baby
A sleepy baby is the easiest and safest baby to photograph. Posed newborn photographers like myself spend a large majority of your newborn session convincing baby it's time to sleep. Awake babies tend to break free from those beautiful posed positions, so it's our instinct to set them up to be sleepy. There are a few simple things you can do to help baby drift off to dream and make your chance of getting more beautiful photos even better.
- Keep baby awake for about an hour before the session. It might seem like a daunting task, but a quick little bath, some naked time or just talking to baby can help keep them awake just enough.
- A full baby is a happy, sleepy baby. Feed baby just before you're ready to start shooting.
- Dress baby in clothes that do not have to be removed over their head. Removing clothing over their heads can unnecessarily startle and wake them.
- Nursing Moms: Try to avoid eating anything spicy or caffeinated for 24 hours before your session. These can cause a baby discomfort and to be more alert during a session.
- Use a pacifier. Even if you do not use a pacifier regularly, using one during a newborn photo session can help baby relax into their position so you can get a few more photos where they are positioned.
angles
When photographing your little one I always try to take 3 shots of the same setup --- a full body shot, a closer shot of baby's face and a profile. Try it out and see what you like. While you're getting a feel for photographing your new baby maybe you're standing to one side of baby --- consider taking your 3 angles on that side and then move to the other side and take them again. You might see the lighting or angles are better on one side vs the other. If you have a window lighting your baby, consider getting down low to get a backlit profile image of your little one. They are sooo sweet. Don't be afraid to move around and take a million photos - they're only this little once right? OH and try to always shoot from a little higher perspective so you're never taking a photograph up baby's nose -- if you can see up baby's nose just tilt your camera down a little and voila now you've got a more flattering angle.
don't forget the details
Close-up images are some of my clients favorite. Try to get in close - real close - to photograph your little ones tiny hands, little feet, ears, messy hair, eyes and lips You'll love being able to look back on these little details as they grow over the years.
get in the photos
Please don't forget to get into these photos yourself. Set a timer to get a family photo if you can. Have dad take a photo of mom snuggling baby and vice versa. Popular places to take photos of family with a newborn at home include against a solid-colored wall, on the couch, in baby's room or on the master bed. If photographing your family in a room, clear any clutter you can to keep the scene simple and focused on the family. Be sure to use flattering angles and body positioning. Having the camera at a higher angle to mom or dad if possible is generally the best bet to make everyone look their best. If seated, pay attention to body positioning - you want to look comfortable but also not create lumps and bumps you won't love in your images. For photos with older siblings, practice the position you want to photograph the kids in before the day of the shoot - that way it's something normal for you to ask big sibling to do and they're more likely to go along with it.
4 years | 2 years | 7 years
editing
There are tons of apps for editing images on your phone or computer - I'm sure you have one you use and love. I honestly don't edit a lot of images I take on my phone of my own daughter - I'd rather enjoy the memory and the moment than worry about making everything perfect. That said, newborns can come out with a lot of different skin issues - jaundice, bruising, stork bites, scratches. If you are a client of mine and we have to delay your session due to the pandemic, I will happily edit some of your favorite images you've taken during your newborn session.
Before & After Newborn Skin Edit Example
I truly hope the info I've shared here helps you photograph your little one at home! If you have questions, advice, or just want to put together a plan for how best to photograph your little one, just ask - I'm happy to help. ~Aly
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