How to Photograph Newborns?

Photography is the most popular career choice for avid photographers. Since photography itself has different genres, one can expand his photography skills in his preferred genre. Over the past few years, newborn photography has reached a new level.
A very few people know that they can take professional shots of their newborns without a professional photographer.
Yes, with little photography skills and knowledge, one can get perfect pictures of their newborns with the camera or on the smartphone.If you are a new parent or expecting a new member in the family soon, then here we have prepared a list of the tips that make you a professional photographer for a newborn.Yes, you can master newborn photography by following these skills.
Even if you don’t want to pursue it as a career, you should follow these tips to learn the basics of photography. It will help you to take the right shots of the newborns of your family and your relatives.
Since you are not a professional photographer, you have to learn some basic tricks that are essential for beginners. The following tips are collected from professional photographers for newborns.
You can expand these tips to never-ending skills if you have a created mind and are passionate about learning new things on your own. Let’s get on to the list of tips for newborn photography.

DIY Tips to Take Pictures of a Newborn

1.  The Right Time Frame

A lot of people don’t know about the right time to call up a professional for photography. You need to understand the age of your baby for getting his first photos.
According to experts, you should get your baby’s shots within two weeks of his birth date. A newborn baby looks totally different from what you will see after a month or so. For that reason, you should click some cool shots of your baby within 15 days.
The reason why we recommend you to take your baby’s photos within 15 days of his birth is after two weeks, the baby becomes more alert. You will lose control of his position that can create unnecessary difficulties for you while taking his photos.

2.  Worry about your Baby’s Safety

Think about the safety of your newborn first. A lot of people add unnecessary tools and props while taking photos of their baby. Make sure you cut down on using hard or sharp tools that can hurt your baby. Keep it soft and gentle so that it won’t affect your baby’s soft skin.
Moreover, keep your baby on the ground and not on the high surface. Avoid using a table or a tall platform that may hurt your baby if you do not take proper care and attention.
With the help of technology, we can convert an ordinary photo into a professional one. Yes, we are talking about photo-editing software i.e. Photoshop. Don’t worry about the professional shot as you can convert an ordinary photo into extraordinary artwork with the help of photoshop software on your computer.

3. Choose the Place with Natural Sunlight

Proper lighting is crucial to get the perfect shots of your baby. You can get glowing photos of your little one with proper lighting. Natural light adds up natural effects to your photos. Instead of adding external flashes or photo-editing, choose the place that provides enough natural light for taking the perfect shots.
If you have decided to take photos of your baby on the floor, then choose the place nearby the window. The window gives you enough sunlight that ultimately gives you the best photos of your newborn if you do not have external lights or a flashlight.

4.  Give your baby some extra comfort

If your baby doesn’t feel comfortable, you won’t be able to get the right click of him. Make sure that your baby is comfortable so that he doesn’t cry when you take pictures of him. If he doesn’t feel good, he will start crying and you will end up getting bad photographs. You may not want photos of your baby crying and for that reason, give him the maximum comfort. You can wear soft gloves to make the baby move for the perfect pose.

5.  List out Basic Poses

You need to expand your photography skills while taking shots of your newborn. You have to open up your mind and create new ideas to take adorable photos. For that reason, do a little homework and prepare a list of all the basic poses that you want to click.
There are some must-have shots that you should add on priority to the list of basic poses. Instead of going for advanced shots, take pictures of your newborn with the most basic poses so that he won’t get discomforted.
While taking advanced shots, he may get fussy and that may call off the shooting session as you have to spend hours to make your baby calm. Start with basic photographs and then go for the advanced shots step by step.
You can take photos of your sleeping baby with the back pose, the side pose, the tummy pose, etc. Besides this, you can also get some close-up shots of his small hands, legs, chicks, etc.

6. Check the Temperature of the Room

Make sure to check the room temperature as well. If the temperature of the room is too high or too low, you may not keep your baby calm. Small babies need a warm environment that gives them maximum comfort.

We recommend you adjust the temperature of your room to 25 to 28 degrees. If you are planning to take photos outdoor, make sure that the temperature is not too high or too low.

7.  Get Some Creative Props Ready

Did you know you can take professional studio-like shots of your baby with the help of some creative props? Yes, creative props can make a huge difference to your photography as it makes your photos look more professional.

You can get a lot of creative props for baby shooting from your home itself. You can also buy some props from the nearby crafts store. The props are not that expensive so you don’t have to worry about your budget. If you are a DIY enthusiast, then you can create your own props using different stationery items.
If we talk about the home-made props, you can use a basket, a suitcase, an umbrella, a little table or stool, toys for your baby, etc. These are some props that you can use for a quick photo of your newborn.

If you have enough time for the arrangements, then you can search for the props on the web and can create your own props at your home. If you have some extra money, you can buy attractive props from the crafts store.

8.  Get Your Camera Ready

To get the perfect pictures of your newborn, you need to have a DSLR. If you do not have it, then you can even use a smartphone. iPhone and many other Android-based smartphones come with a quality camera that gives you professional shots. If you plan to take professional shots, then a DSLR camera is a must.
Prepare for the photography by cleaning up the lens of your camera. Make sure that the camera’s lens is neat and clean so that you can take quality photos with no extra effort.
Also check the battery, an external flashlight, and other tools that you may require to take photos of your newborn. The more tools you have, the better photographs you can take using the Camera.

9.  Keep Your Hands Steady

Since you are not a professional photographer, you should add a tool called a tripod. Make sure your hands are steady while taking photos. If you are unable to keep them steady, then use a tripod as it gives you enough flexibility while keeping the camera steady for the perfect shots.
Professional photographers keep all the tools available with them so that they can arrange the best shots with no extra effort. A tripod is a must-have tool for professional shooting as it keeps the camera steady and gives you unblurry and clean pictures.

10.  Spare Enough Time for Photography

You can’t take perfect pictures of your newborn on a digital camera if you can’t spare some extra time. Yes, you can’t take professional-like shots quickly as you have to arrange props and creates scenes that take some hours.
It’s not an easy task as seems as you have to keep your baby calm for the entire session. You have to spend up to 30 minutes just to make him calm and comfortable for shooting if he starts crying in between the session.
In general, a newborn photography session takes up to 4 hours. Make sure you are doing it in your free time else you have to end up with taking casual shots only.

11. Add Costumes

A lot of professional photographers will not recommend you to use costumes for newborn photography. However, you can use a cap, shocks, and many other costumes that are comfortable for your baby.

Do not use costumes that make your baby uncomfortable. You can avoid costumes if your baby is not feeling well. Add a few extra props instead. You can search for the costumes available for newborn photography on the web and can buy them from an e-commerce store or a nearby store.

12. Focus on Portraits

Portrait photographs look more professional than casual shots. Add soft tones in the background and colorful clothes of baby. This combination gives you the best portraits of your baby. Make sure that the background has a light color and not a catchy dark color.

DSLR cameras support special portrait lenses. If you do not have it, you can even take portrait photos of your baby using your smartphone. Most smartphones now come with a built-in Portrait Mode that lets you take portrait pictures with the native camera app.

13.  Close-ups Give You Lively Pictures

If you want to take quality pictures of your newborn, then be a little worried about the detailing. Make sure that you get some close-up shots of your baby with his or her siblings. Even parents can also come within the frame for a perfect close-up.

If the newborn has a brother or a sister, then you should not forget to click their close-up. Try out this strategy to have some relaxing photo-shooting time. If you do not involve his sibling, he will make your session a bit difficult. It’s a good call for both and you should not forget about it.

14.  Click the Smiling Picture

A happy and smiling face automatically makes your photo more beautiful. It’s quite difficult to make your newborn laugh at this age. However, he can smile for a while, the only condition here is you have to keep on checking his face.

Newborns are always sleepy, but they can smile in their dreams and you have to wait for that moment when they wear a beautiful smile.

15.  Take Plenty of Shots

You never know which photo will be framed and for that reason, you are advised to take plenty of shots. Since you do not know about the lighting effects, contrast, and more about the photo, you can take multiple shots of the same pose so that you can fetch the quality pictures when you view them on your computer’s screen.
Keep taking photos of your baby once you arrange the light, props, and other equipment. The photos that you see on your camera’s screen and your computer’s screen are very different.

16.  Forget about Perfection

You are not a professional photographer and for that reason, you should not worry about your photography skills. All you have to do is just learn to take close-up shots, portraits, and causal clicks through the camera. The rest will be done by the frame that you set using the props, costume, and background.

Just go with the flow and forget about perfection. Click as many photos as you can from different angles. If you have multiple camera lenses, then utilize them for taking photos of your newborn. Keep yourself flexible and free from worries and you’ll see the positive results in the end.

17.  Go Macro

The macro lens gives you perfect photos. If you are going to take close-up shots or portraits, then the macro lens is highly recommended. Since the baby’s body is made of different cute little parts, you can focus on those parts with the macro lens to get them clicked.
The Macro lens gives you the required details that make a huge difference in your photos. You can frame the close-up shots of your baby’s hands, legs, eyes, etc clicked using the Macro lens.

18.  Keep on Practicing

Since you have started early, you have enough time to practice things out. Practice makes you perfect and for that reason, we would recommend you to keep on practicing as you can polish up your photography skills by practicing only.
Before the actual shooting session, you can go out and start clicking some unique pictures of the pros or anything inside your home. Dummy photography helps you in understanding the required settings, camera modes, lighting effects, and more. It is also very important for day-to-day shooting and not only for newborn shooting.

19.  Make use of Filters

Although natural photographs are more beautiful, you can always add some filters to enhance their looks. You can add more emotions to photos by adding back and white filters. 

Likewise, there are many other filters readily available on the camera itself. Play around with the built-in filters and get the perfect clicks of your newborn.

20.  Edit Photos for Final Touch

Even professional photographers use premium photo-editing software to add final touches to their clicks. You too can make use of such software to enhance your photos.
We have a lot of software present on the market that can convert an ordinary photo into a masterpiece. A little editing can help you make huge changes in your photos.
Premium photo editing software comes with built-in features and functions that convert your photos with just one click. You do not have to be a pro-user of that software, just import the photo, select the filter, or preset and you’re done.

Final Thoughts:

Congratulations! You have done a great job! Even if you are not quite good with your first session, you should encourage yourself. Remember one thing, you can always learn new things that can change your life. If you are not good with taking photos, practice it out and see the difference for yourself.
We wanted you to help out learn new tricks of newborn photography. We hope that the above list of Newborn Photography tips helps you. If you have any queries or questions, feel free to let us know in the comments section. We would like to hear from you and shall solve your queries. Keep on clicking!