Newborn photography tips for beginners

 Newborn photography is one of the most sought after styles. But how to take professional baby photos? This is what you can see in the Family Moment Photography post

 There's nothing cooler and sweeter than having a newborn baby photoshoot woodlands. Capturing a newborn baby is one of the jobs most requested by parents, who want to immortalize that phase of the child.

 But taking a portrait of a tiny person just a few days old is challenging, to say the least. How do you take a picture of someone who doesn't understand what you're saying, let alone hold their head high?

 Newborn photography requires a different set of knowledge and props than your average portrait. Therefore, Family Moment Photography has prepared some newborn photography tips.

 Safety first

 Fortunately, if you're looking to tackle newborn photography, you already know that babies are very fragile. Newborns still cannot hold their heads up or control their movements.

 Therefore, before starting with newborn photography, it is important to know that not everything is as it seems. Many poses captured by experienced professional photographers are safely created by Photoshop.

 If you see a photo of a baby in a hammock or perched precariously on some kind of prop, chances are someone is holding the baby in place that was simply edited into the image. The popular frog pose with the baby holding her head up in her hands? This is only achieved through Photoshop with someone actually holding their head.

 Beginners should maintain postures that newborns themselves can naturally maintain. Do not attempt advanced poses without attending a class or undergoing training. The good news is that even though they can't stand up yet, newborns are quite flexible and tend to stay where you put them when they sleep.

 There are many simple poses that can be done safely with newborns – on the back, sides and belly. There are plenty of safe poses for beginners to try without dealing with the poses that require Photoshop to keep them safe.

 Keep it simple

 Newborns are so tiny and sweet that the best pictures are often the simplest ones. Choose an uncluttered background – a solid colored blanket works great. The photos are often taken with babies naked, swaddled or wearing a diaper cover or a comfortable coverall.

 First, get those basic, simple images, then try using a prop if you like. When looking for accessories, choose items that help provide a sense of scale and portray how small the baby is. For inspiration, look at parent interests, seasonal items, or simple baby toys like a teddy bear.

 Make sure the baby is comfortable.

 Newborn photos are usually taken while the baby is sleeping, as they don't spend a lot of time awake. But a sleeping baby is much easier to lay down, while the baby is awake, he can swing his arms and legs. Therefore, the comfort of the child is fundamental.

 Keep the room warm, as newborns lose heat quickly. If you're photographing a naked baby and it doesn't feel hot, the room is probably not warm enough. Ideally, the photos should be taken after the baby has also finished eating. Also check your props before you buy them - a narrow, rough or hard surface can irritate baby.

 Be careful with the lighting

 Fortunately, the lighting isn't much different from lighting an adult's portrait. Make sure the light source is coming towards the baby's head, not the feet. Directly entering light does not cast shadows, so these images have little depth. Try to start with the light source at about a 45 degree angle to the baby's head.

 Natural light is one of the best sources, so photos near a large window work well. To balance the shadows, place a reflector on the opposite side of the baby's window. Again, make sure the window faces your head more than your feet.

 Try macro

 Tiny things make great macro themes, including newborn ones. Be sure to snap some close-up shots of all those details – the little toes, the wrinkled hands, the little pucker on the lips. If you have a macro lens, you certainly shouldn't leave it in your camera bag during your shoot. Get closer to those sweet little details.

 Make the most of every pose

 Most of the time spent photographing a newborn is not taking photos, but setting up poses. You'll need to soothe an anxious baby or rock him to sleep first. With so much time invested in posing, make the most of each setting by taking multiple shots from each of the different angles and focal lengths.

 Take a full body shot and then get close to just the face or details. Try different angles, from above, from the side, or from the front.

 On the right time

 Timing is very important in Woodlands Newborn Photographer. Schedule the session at the wrong time and chances are you'll end up with a fussy baby who won't strike a pose. Ideally, a newborn session should be scheduled when the baby is less than two weeks old.

 Babies sleep the most during the first few weeks, so that's when it's easiest to get those sleep poses. It's not impossible to photograph an older baby this way, just a lot harder. The time of day is also important. Most babies tend to be fussy at night, so mornings are usually better.

 Unhurried

 You'll spend a lot more time taking newborn portraits. Don't think you're going to take pictures for an hour and go home – set aside at least half of your day for the session.

 Newborn photography is a great way to remember that first month, but it's challenging to do. Make sure you put safety first and only use poses that babies can hold until you gain more experience, as well as make sure the props are safe too.

Read also: 7 tips to prepare for the spring photo session

 Are you already a photographer and want to know how to work even more with photography?

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Take most beautiful pregnancy photos

 5 tips for taking the most beautiful pregnancy photos

 People's interest in pregnancy photography exploded from 6-8 years old. Before it was practically impossible in United State to find a photographer specialized in maternity photoshoot.

 Future mothers wouldn't have their pictures taken even for a fee let alone if they had paid to have their picture taken in those nine months… it was considered crazy, what woman would ever want to have their picture taken at a time when her clothes were 5 million times larger than great?

 Then photographers began to specialize and little by little the first artistic photos appeared and so the interest in this photographic genre on the part of young expectant mothers also grew.

 But what you may not be aware of is that even today there are some women who, despite wanting to do a maternity photo shoot, feel awkward and think they are not suitable for these types of photo shoots.

 But there is nothing more wrong with that.

 It is true that, especially in the last few weeks before giving birth, the accumulation of liquids in the body favors the formation of bearings and blemishes distributed more or less equally between the hips, neck, legs and ankles, but it is also true that a professional photographer, in pregnancy photography she knows how to deal with these situations and knows how to make the most of any type of body.

 There are little tricks and tricks that manage to hide or at least minimize all those that are wrongly considered real "defects" and that serve to not make you look like the Michelin man in all the photos.

 In this article I would like to share with you some of these "tricks" with the dual objective of reassuring you (in case you have already decided to contact a professional photographer) or putting you in a position to obtain beautiful images (in case you have chosen the do-it-yourself).

    1. Experiment with creative framing

 A shot from above, for example, has the effect of making the body slimmer . It creates the illusion of lengthening the entire bust and this, of course, has a wonderful slimming effect. (Here we must add that this advice is always valid, whether you are photographing a pregnant woman or a normal portrait).

 In the photo you see below, I positioned myself a few steps higher than my client and focused (manually) on her eyes. But you will also be able to have the same effect using a normal wooden or metal ladder of those used for DIY.

 If you don't have a ladder available you can also use a chair, the important thing is that whoever takes the photo is positioned higher than the photographed subject.

   2. Tilt the subject

 If the subject turns even a little, the whole pose improves. In the photo below it was enough to move the client's left leg slightly towards the camera. The whole figure has gained, the stomach appears slimmer and the curve of the back highlights the roundness of the breast and butt.

 The composition is more harmonious and the whole image benefits from it

  3. Try some abstract shots

 Here you just need to free your imagination, in the image below I played with the depth of field. So I look away from my belly and at the same time I tell a story. It is as if we are spying on a beautiful and intimate moment between the mother and her unborn child. I love the sensations this image gives me, don't you agree?

   4. Divert attention by inserting dad

 Adding dad shifts the focus to the relationship instead of mom's body. Looking at this photo you find yourself immersed in the love and joy of this couple . This type of photo is what I consider truly representative of pregnancy photography.

 A pregnancy photo session consists in capturing the memory of a special moment in the life of a family rather than highlighting a state of the body.

 If you keep this concept in mind, i.e. that the maternity photo shoot shouldn't be done to show a physical state but rather to document a special moment , you will see that during the photo session you will be more at ease because you will have understood that attention is not bet all on your face or on your figure.

    5. Take the matter seriously

 Approach this type of photography consciously and responsibly. Think that once the pregnancy photo shoot has been done , you will relive the emotion you are feeling now forever , every time you decide to review your photographs you will find yourself as excited as you were on the day you took them, or perhaps even more . Be aware that this will be the most beautiful and intense photo shoot you will have done in your entire life.

 What if you're having your second child and you weren't able to do a pregnancy photo shoot with your first?

 No fear! Just insert your first child in some images, as I said before, the important thing is to document a special, unique and unrepeatable moment, the rest doesn't count.

 And in this regard I invite you not to settle for digital files only but choose the most beautiful and most significant photos and print them in a medium format , over time you will realize the value of this choice, keeping in mind that digital files, for their very nature cannot be considered eternal, but the prints can.

 At this point, if you have decided to do a do-it-yourself photo shoot and follow these simple tips, you are in a position to obtain excellent images immediately but if instead you want to live a truly unique experience and obtain artistic and effective, I advise you to contact a professional photographer who, with his creative vision and experience, will be able to reassure you and guarantee you a highly effective service.

 For this purpose I have prepared a guide that will help you prepare both physically and psychologically for your pregnancy photo shoot and I am willing to send it to you free of charge and without any commitment on your part.

 Just fill out this inquiry form  with your name and email and I will send you the free guide.

 If you need other ideas for Maternity Photographers Woodlands outdoors or in the studio, here is an article that might interest you, while here I have prepared an offer for those who want to try a professional pregnancy Photoshoot