We have all seen them.. those perfectly posed, flawless newborn photos filling up our newsfeed and giving us HOT baby fever. You set up your first newborn session, submit yourself to screaming, flailing little bodies, look frantically at Mom while trying to keep your cool, give up after a few hours, load the images onto the computer and sit in horror as you just realized they look NOTHING like the ones you had set up in your mind. Yes, we've all started at this point. Only, I never had a blog to read that gave be the "behind the scenes" tips and tricks of those perfect newborn shots. Believe it or not, Newborn photography is a whole new world that portrait photography. Make sure that you extensively research it before you try a session with a baby.
They are best photographed within the first two weeks of their lives, typically between 3 and 10 days. This will allow you to photograph them while they are most flexible (to get those adorable squishy poses) and most sleepy (cooperative!). This doesn't leave much time after birth to schedule a session, so I ask that Mom-to-be's schedule a newborn session before their third trimester begins. I just ask for their due date and that they contact me within 48 hours after the birth. I always keep at least 2 spots a week open for "emergency" or "surprise" deliveries.
You can take a newborn session two different ways. You can either dress it up and make it fun with props and goodies, or simplify it and make the baby the focus of the image. Both with turn out incredible. Ask your client what they would prefer or do a little of both so they have some to choose from.
PREPERATION
You will need a few things for your session that will make it easier for you and more comfortable for baby. A bean bag or posing bag will allow you to have a safe place to pose baby while they snuggle comfortably. One of my favorite vendors is Studio Baby. You can find their Facebook page here. They also sell posing pillows that will help you prop baby up into the more difficult positions. If you are on a lower budget, burp rags and dish cloths will work just as well. Cloth backdrops work best for newborn sessions. The more soft, the better. I typically pull out 3-4 different ones before the session and set them aside with a few matching hats, headbands, and props. This will give me access to everything I need without having to dig through everything while mom and dad are waiting. A HUGE trick is to either find a white noise maker (a mommy bear) or download a white noise app on your smart phone. When a baby is in the womb, all sounds are amplified and mumbled. With this noise in the background, it will make them feel like they are home and help them to relax. Most importantly, make sure to invest in a quality space heater.
It is best to sent out a tip sheet or email to your client a few days prior to your session to optimize your time. Have baby fully fed for 6 hours leading up to the session. Keep baby awake and alert for an hour before, this will make sure they are ready to sleep and better your chances of getting the sleepy poses. An hour before your session time, have them start to warm the house.
As soon as you arrive have mom feed baby until they are full, if mom is breast feeding have her offer both breast to insure baby gets fore and hind milk so they are nice and “milk drunk”. Set your space heater up first thing so you can start warming the area you will be shooting, the room should be around 80-85 degrees, you will have a hard time getting your newborn to sleep if they are not warm and snuggled.
SET UP
Begin to set up your shooting area, look for nice streaming natural light. Set your posing bag and backdrop stand at a 45 degree angle from the light source, this is to ensure the light falls on your subject to flatter the features, you will be able to see a butterfly shape shadow from the nose. It is also best to become very familiar with CWB. You will want to set your Custom White Balance, as newborns are typically red or yellow if they are jaundice, this will make your like 100 times easier in Post Production.
SAFETY FIRST
Always have a parent or spotter handy, never attempt novice poses alone. Do not pull babies limbs as this can injure them, they are still fragile little creatures, it is best to lift and reposition them. Remember to remind your parent or spotter to keep eyes on the baby instead of on you getting that perfect shot, newborns are very unpredictable, they can flail and kick and can launch themselves if startled. Also cue your helper in and let them know what your process is, such as composites.
POSING After you have gotten set up, the room is warm and your baby is full the fun part begins. Start with the basics, if your baby is still awake after all your attempts to lull them to sleep, take a new approach and get some shots with baby swaddled nice and tight with their eyes open, not only do they make good contact with the camera with a few clicking noises but the parents generally LOVE them! After they have been swaddled and warm, they tend to relax and fall fast asleep.After the swaddled poses, I generally opt to swap out blankets and pose them in my arms for the belly shots with their tushie up in the air. This is where you can get creative with your perspectives for shooting, it is best to get your angles in camera so you do not have to worry about cropping later on and potentially loosing a big chunk of your image. I prepare for about 3 blankets and one floor prop, keep in mind babies safety, whenever using a bucket, bowl or any prop for that matter you use a weight in the bottom to counter the babies weight while still using your spotter, having them watch the baby at all times.
CALMING
Lets face it, they may not all sleep as soundly as you’d like. This is where you pull out the secret weapon, shushing. Shushing loudly in the babies ear and rocking their bum simulates being back in the womb, its like a freight train in there, everything is amplified. When positioning baby or fine tuning a pose, I like to keep a hand on baby, they love physical contact, they were constantly held while in utero so its natural they like to connect.
DETAILS
While you will want to get full body shots, its all in the details, they are only this tiny for so long. Make sure to capture that flaky skin, back wrinkles, finger and toe nails, lips and their cute little hair cowlick. You can get many different shots with the same pose, move around, visualize through your viewfinder to find the most flattering angles… Yes, babies have “good sides” too. Do not shoot up the nose, babies are better photographed from above looking down their nose, this also allows the focus to fall off putting the babies face the main attention of the image.
If I have a tough baby that was hard to put to sleep and they startle, when I finally get them in the pose I will take a couple shots and then I will try to fine tune the pose making sure fingers are straight. It is best to get a few shots before you try adjusting so you have something to put in their gallery just incase they do not take well to being moved to perfect the pose.
CONSIDERATION
Babies are humans too, we must show them respect as we would anyone else. If they do not like a pose, such as have their hands on their face or do not like to be on their tummy, move on. It is much better to have them comfortable, this will show through in your images and they will look peaceful. Never force them into a position and continue to take your time and be patient with them. Also take the parents into consideration, this is their tiny little bundle that they have entrusted in you out of their best judgment. I always let mom and dad know what I am doing to put them at ease, if you see mom is getting flustered because her baby isn’t being cooperative, reassure her that this is normal, babies can sense tension in you and mom.
TIIME MANAGEMENT
Keep in mind that babies in their first few weeks of life feed constantly, especially if they are breast fed. I typically finish a newborn session between 2 and 3 hours. Make sure you have allotted time for baby feedings and cuddles and let your clients know that this session will take about that much time. If baby isn't cooperating after a couple hours, don't force it. Reschedule your session in a few days and try again. A happy baby leads to a happy session.
