Newborn Posing
As life would have it, taking pictures of newborns is challenging if it’s your first session or perhaps you’re somewhat new to newborn posing.
Discovering how to best photograph newborn babies is really a skill that may take time and lots of practice to figure out. Patience is definitely a necessity. Even the most knowledgeable newborn photographer has newborn babies come to studio only to yell and cry the entire session. Unfortunately, it has happened to the best of us. Keep your head up and keep trying.
Let’s go over some pointers to help you become better equipped to successfully capture those adorable baby pictures that sell.
Newborn Posing Tip – Be Prepared
Set up your space early. I set up the previous day. I love to use three blankets/fabrics and three floor setups. I pull all of the hats, scarves, hair pieces, etc., and lay them beside of the props I plan to use. I proceed to do the same for the floor setup. I coordinate my bins, crates, and basket containers with background and flooring, then place them alongside the wall. Once I have everything set up, I just imagine the session and take notes of my newborn poses thus giving me this great visual in the instance my mind should go blank during the session. Drawing sketches of the newborn photos I see in my mind helps to keep me focused.
Newborn Posing Tip – Keep The Newborn Happy
A crucial factor in effective newborn photography is a contented, comfy, well fed, freshly born baby. Retain the area climate to between 80 and 85 degrees. Keep a space heater or hair dryer going the entire session to incorporate white noise and for additional warmth. I also like to have gentle relaxation music actively playing in the background to keep the newborn baby and myself calm.
Ensure that the baby is well fed and burped prior to trying any newborn baby poses. Gas may produce discomfort and create a very miserable baby. Newborn babies photograph best before the first two weeks of life. My choice is between 5 to 7 days. The new mom’s milk sets in and the new born is ready to get to sleep and being in an induced milk coma!
Newborn Posing Tip – Process to Effective Posing
I would rather begin with the fabric/blanket poses. Babies like tummy time. Newborns can easily be placed in those precious curled up positions. I photograph the baby with absolutely nothing on, then add a hat, get rid of the hat and bring in a scarf or wrap. Make the most of each pose so that you can deliver a variety of images to your client. By taking three photos with three totally different elements of the same pose creates a number of newborn poses for my client. Quick tip: accomplish one pose at a time. It’s incredibly appealing to try to do all the different poses you see other photographers accomplishing; nevertheless, understand the best way to photograph newborns is to first learn one pose then create other posing around your initial pose.
Soon after I feel that I have photographed all my newborn photography concepts for the blanket/fabric poses, I transfer the newborn to the floor props. Floor poses create an extra level of complexity. Not only do you want a sleeping baby, but you have to work him into containers, crates and similar restricted places. I pre-position him with my hands prior to laying him in anything so I bother him as little as possible. In many cases, baby will wake up and end up restless. Hold your hands on top of the baby, rock the prop, or lift it up if necessary, and start shushing the baby up to the point he falls back to sleep. Note: should you lift up the prop, never take your hands off of the baby for extra security!
Here you can find helpful videos to create great Newborn Photography Poses.
