We all dream of having beautiful photos of our newborn taken so when we look back years from now we can remember their tiny bodies and sweet dispositions. However, not everyone’s budget can allow for professional photos to be taken. If you can’t afford to pay someone to take your newborn’s photos, you can take your own. You don’t need an expensive camera to take beautiful photos, you can use your own camera and even the camera on your phone! There are, however, some tips to use to ensure that you’ll end up with beautiful pictures of your brand new little baby. Experiment with these 8 tips and have fun capturing your baby’s adorable little body.
Source: Maggie Winters via Flickr
1. Find The Best Lighting
The best lighting for any kind of pictures is soft, natural light. Look for a spot in your home with a large window that will allow a lot of natural light in. The best lighting will typically be in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is not yet at it’s brightest point. Be sure to avoid direct sunlight as it will wash out your photos. You want the area to be bright and well lit, but not with too much light as it will cause your photos to look overexposed.
2. Take Your Photos During Nap Time
The best way to handle newborns in photos is when they are sleeping. Try to take your photos when you know your baby will be asleep. This will make it easier to position them for the pictures and they won’t be moving around to mess up your perfect little poses you put them in. You’ll also be able to snap more photos when they are sleeping than when they are awake because they won’t have reason to fuss or cry.
3. Capture The Close Ups
Some of the cutest photos of newborns are the close ups of the baby’s body, such as their tiny hands and feet, their soft little puckered lips, or their small ears. Be sure to zoom in on these small details so that you can always remember exactly how their little bodies looked when they were just a few days old. You’ll want to capture those photos because they grow and change so quickly that someday you’ll forget just how tiny they really were. You’ll always be thankful you have those photos to look at.
4. Use A Plain Backdrop
Since your newborn is the main focus of these photos, you don’t want to have a lot of distractions in the background. Be sure to have a plain, solid backdrop. You could put them on a beanbag set up against a wall, nestled into an armchair, or laying on a sofa with fabric draped over it to create one large canvas for them to lay on. You can even lay them on the bed or on a blanket on the floor and take photos from above. Make sure whatever fabric or blanket you use has been ironed and that the color compliments the baby. It’s also nice to have a little fluff around the baby so putting them on a fluffy duvet or a fur blanket with look beautiful.
5. Keep The Baby Simply Clothed
One of the best things about a newborn is their amazingly soft skin. Keep your baby simply clothed for your pictures so there’s not too much extra fuss to distract the eye. It’s difficult to focus on their tiny body when they have a bunch of clothing on. Also, newborn clothes don’t tend to fit their little bodies very well and end up making the baby look a little smothered. If you don’t want your baby naked in the photos, put them in a simple cloth diaper or a onsie. This will look the most simple, yet beautiful.
6. Make The Baby Comfortable
To ensure that you get the best photos, make your baby as comfortable as possible. Nurse your child before the photos so they’ll be milk drunk and happy, swaddle them in a warm blanket, lay them on a comfortable surface for the pictures, etc. Whatever you need to do to make your baby comfortable will ensure that your baby will be happy and cooperative during their photo shoot.
7. Use Minimal Props
Remember, the main focus in newborn photos is the newborn itself. You don’t need a lot of extra fluff. I’m not saying you can’t use any props, just keep them minimal like a simple hair piece, a book, baby shoes, etc. If you want to use some props in the photos, don’t include five in one picture, just use one per photo. You don’t need more than one single prop per photo as your baby will be the most beautiful as the main focus.
8. Pose Your Child
Since you want your child to be as comfortable as possible to keep them happy, you won’t want to move them around too much. Choose only a few poses to focus on during their photo shoot. If you don’t know how to pose your newborn, or don’t know what will look best, you can look for ideas on Pinterest. You can simply swaddle them in a blanket, prop them up on a nursing pillow covered with a blanket, prop their head up on their arms, or simply lay them on the floor and let them naturally pose themselves. There are endless possibilities so have fun and be creative.
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Mary Mulroney
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