Newborn photography is a skill that anyone can master. Newborns change very quickly and that’s why I would like to give you our tips for really beautiful newborn photos at hand. And no matter whether you take these pictures with the camera or the mobile phone, they will definitely be one of your most valuable souvenir pictures. Let’s learn how to take those newborn photos!
Newborn Photo Shooting: Tips for Success
In order for you to succeed in beautiful pictures, you need a lot less than you might think! First of all I would like to tell you: if taking pictures with your baby causes you to stress for the first time because you never feel “like pictures” and you can neither shower nor put on anything other than your pajamas, make it clear to yourself, that this is completely normal! You and your child in bed, that’s exactly what you’ll want to remember later! It’s not about taking a perfectly lit family portrait.
It’s about documenting the tinyness that will be over faster than you can imagine. And before you could memorize the tiny toes, fingers, and fluff, your delicate, tiny newborn will have grown into a real baby. And believe us, you will have moments when you want to go back to that tiny thing. At least for a moment – and then you’ll be happy again that the nights are so much easier now!
Don’t wait for the perfect moment to take a newborn photo
Do not wait for the moment when you have a fresh shower, everyone is fed, the apartment is tidy and flooded with light, and your baby is freshly swaddled in the most beautiful romper suit. The moment won’t come. Believe me! And if he does, great! But then, it might be the perfect moment for you to hand the child over to your partner and go to sleep.
What we actually wanted to say: put aside all your ideas and expectations of how the pictures should look. Every picture you have of this time will be valuable to you, and it will be valuable to your child.
Speaking of timing, the best time for the baby photo shoot is when the baby is around 5-10 days old. There are also no medical restrictions attached with this age range, and you can get those charming wrapped shots you were thinking about all the time.
Use natural light for newborn photoshoots
This tip is simple yet the most important requirement for beautiful baby photos. By natural light, I mean daylight. So just open the curtains, all lights in the apartment, and only use the light that comes through the window. With enough daylight, even cell phone photos look great! And the other way around, it is very difficult even for professionals to take good pictures without good light.
Don’t fuss around the baby for the best newborn photos
In the many newborn photo shoots I have done recently, one thing was a guarantee for unsatisfied babies: if they were lifted, put down, and moved too much. So when your baby is happy and you have a moment to take a picture, use the moment instead of disturbing it. Of course, you can influence it by, for example, not placing your child in the darkest corner of the room after breastfeeding but where there is nice daylight.
Ask others to take photos of the baby and you
Ask your partner (your visit or whoever is ready) to take a picture of you and your baby. Does your baby lie on you most of the time, or is it against your breast? That is also quite normal, and there are wonderful moments that are absolutely worth capturing! If you have a camera, make the settings the way you want them (or set them to automatic) or pass your cell phone on and ask for a picture.
Make close-up newborn photos
Also, get close to your baby when taking pictures so you can get pictures of the details and the tiny. Many like baby pictures with a white background, but I think the tiny thing is much more likely to be transported when the baby is in the arm, and the proportions become clear. Most newborns dislike being put down and are most comfortable with physical contact.
Use depth and sharpness for artistic newborn photoshoots
This photo tip is also ideally suited to make the chaos in the background disappear. You can blur the background with a low f-number (i.e., a large aperture, for example, 2.8 or 1.8). The focus is wonderfully directed on your baby, and the background is softly blurred. Incidentally, this is possible with cameras and the portrait function that many newer cell phone cameras have.
When in doubt, underexpose
Better to underexpose than overexpose. If you expose too brightly, the bright areas may no longer have any information. This can no longer be saved in processing. If your pictures are a bit too dark, this can be easily fixed in post-processing.
Use fixed length lens for newborn photo shoots
Fixed focal lengths are lenses with which you cannot zoom, i.e., you cannot get the subject closer. The big advantage of prime lenses is that they are fast. They are very well suited for the light situation in the puerperium, as they allow a lot of light to reach the camera sensor and thus allow beautiful baby photos in the apartment with less light.
Another advantage of fixed focal lengths is that you can get high-quality lenses for a very good price. I recommend a 50mm 1.4 or a 35mm 1.8 for photos of babies and children at home. With the 35mm lens, you get a little more in the picture than with the 50mm lens. But both are ideal as portrait lenses and for baby photography.
Tip: If you have a very small apartment, rather go for the 35s to still be able to depict more of the surroundings.
Take newborn photos in manual mode
We strongly recommend that you shoot in manual mode on your camera if you can. Of course, the puerperium is not the best time to learn this, but if you can do so beforehand, take advantage of it! For example, you can also manually set exposure and focus with the mobile phone camera.
You can buy a remote release for your camera (available for most cameras for little money) or use the app. I use the Nikon app with my Nikon D750 to take self-portraits with my children, and there is also an app from Canon.
Always have your camera ready
Most moments won’t make it to a picture unless you have to get up and get the camera to get there. Always have them next to the bed (or where you and your baby are most of the time). Then you will automatically pick it up more often and take a few pictures. Certainly much sooner and, above all, much more relaxed than when the decision has to be made consciously: “Today is baby photo shoot day”!
Never use flash for newborn photography
This is a personal concern that we always pass on to the photographers in birth photography workshops: never use flash in the presence of babies!
And an extra tip at the end: try to get into the picture as often as possible. This may be uncomfortable for many, but imagine how valuable these pictures will be for your child! Imagine you have pictures of you and your mother so you can see how she loves you! How did she hold, breastfeed, and look at you when you were so tiny? Pictures of you with your child are an even greater gift for your child than pictures on which they can be seen alone.