A baby’s first year is an amazing and special one!
Your baby will start to smile in only a few days, learn to giggle in a couple of months, sit up in six months, and walks at around their 1 year birthday. With your newborn now in your life, you are surely ready to celebrate the magic in the world and definitely don’t want to miss the opportunity to capture memories that can be treasured for lifetimes.
The best time for newborn photo session?
A newborn’s photo session normally takes place in baby’s very first weeks (the best time around 5-10 days) as this is when baby sleeps the most and your photographer can capture beautiful curly poses and sweetest expressions of your newest family member. It is really magical moments that you and your family will cherish for decades, something you will have never experienced before, and they will never be the same.
Treasure these Moments of Love, Bonding and Happiness!
After two weeks, babies go through a growth spurt and will start stretching their arms and legs, giggles and will not be as amenable to curling up for a picture or sleeping as soundly, which is needed for some of the poses and photographs in props like the buckets, hammocks or boxes.
Studio or Lifestyle newborn photography?
Studio and Lifestyle newborn sessions have different styles and approach, so it is important to speak to your photographer what type you intend to do, understand the whole process and available accessories to avoid any surprises during or after the session.
Usually, studio will have most of the items that you need for photoshoot like baskets, background blankets, lighting and set up.
Lifestyle newborn photoshoot is more casual approach compared to the studio, more natural images of the baby and their home as well as magical moments between baby and siblings or family members.
Useful Tips! Book your photo session as early as possible.
Be Prepared!
Although your photographer will be prepared for the photo session, it is always better to discuss about the set up, theme and colors in advance. If you have some ideas in mind, share about it!
You won’t imagine, how many accessories for set up and baby you would need during photoshoot, especially if you intend to do it at home, so it is worth starting to prepare while you are pregnant. You want to gather for baskets and blankets, clothing, crochet baby costumes, cute hats and headbands.
If you plan to send out baby announcement card, plan a pose, angle, colors in advance as well. Later, you will not have the time or energy to run around to stores looking for things as a new mom!
During the session, let the Baby Inspire You! Allow your baby to do anything she or he likes-yawn, move, stretch, smile, sleep… do not stress over having the perfect pose in every frame….the best shots are unplanned and inspired by the uniqueness of each baby.
Usually the whole process will take around 1.5 to 4 hours (with short breaks)
Useful Tips!
- Plan for a sleeping baby. Before the photo session, feed your baby right leaving the house. By the time you arrive to the studio or do the set up at home, your baby will fall asleep which is perfect.
- When possible, keep the baby awake for about an hour before feeding and leaving the house. This helps ensure that the baby will be sleepy during the session. Some tricks to doing this are giving baby a bath or undressing them down to their diaper.
- Wear loose and comfortable clothes on your baby that you can easy undress later on
- Be Patient
The most popular places to take beautiful shots at home
- Nursery
- Unique architectural features, windows, décor
- Master bedroom
- Using the front door
- Outdoor
Cutest props for baby photoshoot
- Hang a garland
- Baby Hammocks
- Wooden Letters (large or small)
- Fun painted furniture
- Soft toys
- Hats and headbands
- Baby costumes
- Baskets and boxes
- Chalkboards
- Diaper covers
Capture Your Baby Magical moments (Newborn Photo Ideas)
Now, comes the fun part!
Cute newborn poses
Your baby definitely will look cute in taco pose, bum up pose, side lying pose, chin on wrists pose, supine curl pose and frog pose. The best time to do is the first two weeks from the date of birth.
Baby in the box or basket
Baby with siblings
Baby with grandparents (multi-generational photos are for the family history)
Baby’s details (hands, feet, fingernails, ears and eyelashes)
Parent Relational poses (parents holding the baby, held in parent’s arm or hands and feets, etc)
Nursing shots (most moms really love that special time with their baby to be documented)
Baby with animals
Outdoor newborn poses
Documenting a Baby’s Growth
Capture all the “firsts’ moments and milestones (first smile, first bath, crawling, sitting, standing, first taste of food, making funny faces, etc)
Baby personality (capture your baby with crazy hair, in a big hat, with oversized sunglasses or any other details that show off their personality)
A special bodysuit
Wear a white bodysuit with the number of each month on your baby. Later, you can do a wall display of the whole year when baby turns one to see how he or she changed.
Baby’s achievements and milestones
Schedule your baby’s photo sessions every month, you can write the major achievements or activities your baby did or tried during each month, what was his/her weight and height and other related information. The babies grow extremely fast so later, you will find this information very useful.
Baby Safety First!
Newborns are delicate and fragile and it is important that photoshoot is done by professional photographer who has adequate knowledge and experience, specialist techniques and creativity to do the newborn photography safe and fun for baby and you.
Please remember that newborn babies can not support their own heads. Any photograph you have seen with a baby’s head lifted or propped up on its hands, or balancing on a prop was done as a composite and only skillful photographer can do it for you. Do not attempt this type of shot at home.
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