It’s a trying time for all of us at the moment dealing with Coronavirus and isolated at home. Unfortunately I’ve had to postpone newborn sessions due to social distancing rules and for the safety of your family and mine. For those clients that have just welcomed a beautiful newborn baby into the family, so you can document those first fleeting days, I thought I’d give you some tips on how you can take some photos of your newborn with either a DSLR or i-Phone (yes even your i-Phone)! If you’re using a DSLR and it has Portrait Mode turn it to that dial.
How to Prepare
Make sure your baby is well fed and burped prior to you starting. Heat your room to approx. 28 deg as newborns feel the cold should you undress them and change their swaddle or outfit. Remove all clutter, cords and phones from bedside tables as it’s amazing what the camera picks up.
What to Wear
Try to only use neutral coloured wraps or a simple plain white onesie as we want the focus to be just on your newborn not what they’re wearing. Bright colours distract from your baby and can cause colour casts on your baby’s skin. Try to make sure that the clothing has no logos, words and characters either. This goes for you Mum and Dad’s clothing choices too, stick to neutral coloured clothing only. I like to undress newborns down to just their nappy and then swaddle in a textured wrap or blanket.
How to Spot Good Lighting
I only photograph in natural light so if you have a window you can too. Turn off overhead lights and lamps as they produce a yellow tinge to your photos. If you have a window that has frosted or tinted glass that’s great as the light will be diffused and soft. If you don’t, try and find a window with no harsh sunlight . If the only room you have that has good light is very harsh light with direct sun, move your baby further out of the pockets of direct sunlight. If it’s an overcast day this is great as the clouds are your own natural diffuser of light. Do not use a flash on your camera as this will produce harsh shadows and is not flattering to a baby’s skin.
How to Place Your Baby
You can either place your newborn on your bed or make a cocoon type bed on the floor under the window with cushions surrounding a sheepskin to make it nice and comfy for your baby. Place a textured neutral coloured blanket over the sheepskin and pillows and then lay down your baby. This way you can photograph from above, get down low and shoot close up and also you can snuggle with them too if you have another adult to photograph you both from above. If you’re placing them on a bed, always use simple and neutral coloured bedding. If you don’t have a neutral coloured doona cover you can use a plain white sheet just try and have it as wrinkle free as possible.
What Angles are Best
I cannot stress enough to always have your camera strap around your neck for your baby’s safety. Photograph your newborn from above, to the side at eye level, also place them in their big cot and photograph from above or through the crib slats to show just how little they are. Try to angle them so that they’re facing the window light (you can lie them on their side facing the light or prop up their heads with a folded baby blanket underneath the doona) if photographing on their side. Also take some shots of them having a bath if you have someone to assist you. You usually find that bathrooms have the most beautiful light.
Position baby with light coming from the side or top of your baby’s head. You can also sit in a chair close to the window with light coming from a side angle. Try not to photograph them with their heads tilted back as we don’t want to photograph up their little noses (not a great look)! If you can, get in close to take photos of their tiny features (eyelashes, hands, toes, etc.). Move in close and take a shot of their gorgeous little face too. Photograph your baby from above in their bassinett.
Newborn and Siblings
When photographing your newborn with a sibling always have another adult close by to help. Use a pillow to prop up the newborn close to the sibling if they’re up on the bed leaning back on the pillows. If you don’t feel the sibling is old enough yet to hold the baby on their own, don’t try it as toddlers can jump up and move very quickly and accidents can happen. Another tip if the sibling is a toddler, I always try to take an overhead shot of the newborn and sibling cuddling from above with them lying face up on their backs on the floor bed. Another tip is to lie your baby with their head towards the window. Get your older child to lie on their tummies behind the baby (this way they can then lean over and kiss the baby’s head). Ask them how many toes does the newborn have, etc. for engagement.
Newborn with Parents
I always look for a plain, neutral coloured wall as a backdrop when I photograph the family or parents holding their newborn. Place the newborn as close to the top of your shoulder as possible so you can easily kiss the top of their heads or smell them. Also take photos focusing on Dad’s big hands holding the newborn either sitting down with Dad’s hands underneath the baby’s head or Dad lying down from behind the baby’s head holding their hands, you can then photograph them from above.
The Whole Family
This is the time that a tripod comes in handy. You can attach your camera to the tripod or if you don’t have one or if you’re using an i-Phone, find a shelf or rest your phone on a flat, sturdy surface high enough to get all of the family members in the photo. Position all of the family on the master bed with preferably side window light and set the camera timer (10 seconds) which should give you enough time to jump back in the shot before the shutter clicks.
Give me a call if you have any questions as I’d love to help. I so look forward to when I can return to photograph your family, stay safe!
All the best!
