Lockdown is such a strange time for us all, almost everyone’s life has been turned upside down by current events, and if you're pregnant or have just had a baby you might be feeling this even more than others.
All of those things you thought you would be doing, like introducing your new baby to family and friends for the first time, seeing your best friend for a well needed coffee and chat, attending baby classes or having a newborn photo shoot are suddenly not a possibility anymore.
My heart truly hurts thinking that so many families will miss out on having professional photographs of their baby taken in those early days. I know how important these memories are and our little ones are changing so fast, so I thought I should write my very first blog post relating to some of tricks that could help you take your own beautiful newborn photographs at home.
In this article I will go through the following points:
Lighting
Safety
How to position yourself
Tips on how to keep baby asleep
Angles and shots variety
These tips can be used by anybody. You don't need to have a fancy camera, you can just use the camera on your phone or a point-and-shoot if you have one.
1/ Lighting and how it defines your ideal spot
Turn off overhead lights and your camera’s flash and use window light! This will give you the softest, most adequate type of lighting for your newborn photos.
Using window light will necessitate that your photoshoot takes place in the daytime, when window light is available.
Find a time when the light isn’t so bright that it’s streaming in (no direct sun light) as it would be creating really harsh shadows. You might have to move baby further away from the window if the light is too strong.
The Direction of Your Light Matters. Once you’ve picked a spot with nice light, you’ll need to figure out where to lay your baby down in relation to the window. Pay attention to where the light is coming from, and the direction it hit’s your baby’s face.
You want your baby’s head to be closer to the light then their feet and try for the light to hit the forehead first, feathering down.
Here’s a visual that might help:
2/ Safety
Of course, this is your number one priority! While you may have seen “froggy style” poses where it looks like a baby’s head is propped up on their hands, or babies hanging in a hammock, these are actually achieved through the magic of Photoshop and would be very unsafe to attempt yourself. Please don’t try it at home! Other things to avoid: Anything up high, anything that involves a “prop” (basket, bucket, baby bed, etc.) without a spotter, anything that could break or tip over.
Use your common sense. The middle of the bed or a large sofa cushion placed on the floor offers you a safe environment to start with. Also be aware that even at a very young age, babies can have jerky movements getting them out of position, so do not pose them close to an edge neither.
When taking a photo of your baby from above, always have the camera ensured to your arm or neck with a strap to avoid risking to drop it on your little one.
3/ How to position yourself
Obviously you want your little one to be the main subject in your photo so make sure that you are close enough to get rid of any distractive background and busy surrounding. Your position matters too. Make sure you do not shoot “up the nose” (basically, you do not want to be able to see the inside of your baby's nostrils, that is true from every angle - top and side).
Here is another visual that might help illustrating the matter:
4/ Tips to keep your baby asleep
You will want to find a time when your baby is usually sleeping during daylight hours. It’s worth it! It will be much easier - and somewhat safer - to photograph your baby when they are asleep than when they are awake.
Typically brand new babies spend most of their time asleep, however, they seem to be more settled in the early morning and become more restless as the day goes. Therefore, my advise is to schedule your session just after a morning feed and change, which should enhance your chances of having them dozy and sleepy.
Among the things on your check list to ensure baby stays settled while you photograph them, make sure that:
· Baby is fed and has been burped.
· Make sure they’re in a clean nappy.
· Make sure the room is warm, especially if you are planning on naked images (26°C +)
· Use white noise (look for White noise app on your phone store)
· If you like that style, you can swaddle them tightly in a simple wrap.
4/ Angles and variety
You are now all set up and it is time to experience, embrace, trial, and most of all, enjoy! Take a full length photo of your baby first, then a close up. Photograph all the little features and details that are so fast changing and that you will love to remember. I remember my son being born with little pixie ears and extra long baby toes. These photos always gets me to 'aaaaw' and I can only pat myself on the back for having had the thought of getting these images at the time (we were not newborn photographers back then).
Also make sure that you include yourself and any sibling if they are around, as for your little ones, the photos with other members of their family will be the ones they will cherish the most as they grow up, no doubt about that.
Think about changing angle, for example by placing baby on the floor and taking the photo from above. That is also an ideal and safe position to include siblings in age to hold and understand the concept of keeping baby safe or to create an original baby announcement and keepsake with all the information regarding your little one's birth.
I really hope this article has been helpful to you if you are not able to get to your professional newborn photo shoot for any reason and are feeling down about it. May you have fun experimenting with your camera and lighting, capturing those precious little features, and documenting these precious early days. You will be photographing your little one for years to come so these tips surely will come handy between any professional session you might attend too.
If you have any questions about photographing your baby please do ask and let me know in the comments below. And if you have a favourite that you would like to share, please tag us on Instagram at @rockabye.baby.photography. We would love to see what you come up with!
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