Newborn Photo Ideas

When planning a newborn photo shoot, whether for your partner or for your new parent friends, you should aim to photograph the baby within the first five to ten days after birth. Although this sort of session is the most important, be warned – it can also be the most difficult to create, as the baby is very new, you or the parents may be inexperienced, and you will only have a limited time to capture all the shots you need. Follow these photo ideas for newborns to make the task easier.

A Simple Equation for Success

Just remember to use this equation:

5 + 20 = success

Five poses in 20 minutes. If you master this technique, you’ll have all the tools you’ll need for a successful newborn session.

Mom And Dad’s Clothing

For the parents’ clothing, we suggest long sleeves and solid colours (no fancy designs or prints), preferably black. We also suggest a higher neckline, so that when the baby is held close to mom’s chest, the only skin visible from neck down is the baby’s. Jeans or dark pants will work perfect for the lower part.

Skin on Skin Sessions

For these close, intimate shoots, we recommend that your partner or mom wears a black tube top or camisole with straps that can be easily slid off the shoulders and tucked into the top, because you will be taking shots of mom holding baby closer to her face and shoulders. Mom’s makeup should be styled as if she is going out for the evening, but keep any jewellery modest and minimal. Hands are very important for these sessions so we recommend you to encourage your partner or the mom to get herself a manicure beforehand

Being Prepared for Baby’s Needs

There is every chance that the baby is going to need to feed during the session, so make sure the you or your friends take whatever is needed to take care of this and all of baby’s other needs, such as extra diapers, a pacifier and possibly a change of clothes for themselves.

Newborn Photo Ideas: The Poses

Here are some posing ideas for you to try:

• Good posture is critical. When holding a baby, people tend to want to curve their backs in what is surely a protective stance, but unfortunately it’s not one that photographs well as a curved back makes the subject appear heavier than he or she actually is. A good tip is to tell your partner or the mom to ‘Sit up!’ because when she does, she looks more slender.
• Ensure you or the parents keep their thumbs near the other fingers. When holding a baby, people often separate their thumbs from their fingers, but this makes it look as if they are roughly gripping the baby
• If the baby starts to pee or poop, don’t freak out! Hold your baby or tell the parents to hold baby away from their bodies and let the mess hit the floor. Ensure you have cleaning supplies to clean it up, but if you or the parents get wet, baby will not want to be held.
• Tell the parents to use soft lips to kiss baby. So, rather than puckering up, the parents should just hold baby close with their lips near the head or cheek. Puckered lips create wrinkles, so a soft kiss is more flattering.

Once you have produced some nice prints in electronic or physical format, send them into us so we can produce some charming canvas prints to capture the tender moments forever.