1. Time is on your side.
One of the benefits of photographing your own newborn is that you have all access to capture every detail of your baby. Unlike shooting a newborn session for a client and having a 2-3 hour window in which to work and create a varied gallery, you have days – weeks even – at your disposal, all in the comfort of your own home!
Don’t forget. You just had a baby. Your body is recovering from that experience and you can over do it if you don’t be careful. Take care of yourself in this process and it will only be more enjoyable in the end.
When I had children, I would shoot for an hour here or there over a period of several weeks. Take days off, scrap images that I learned so much from, and try again a different way next time. Take the stress out of the process by expecting it to unfold over time. This not only creates a more enjoyable experience for you, but also for your newborn.
It’s popularly accepted that the first two weeks of life is the “newborn” phase to capture images in. Here is where I disagree! You absolutely can get beautiful newborn images up to four weeks old. When I captured my children, I went in to the fourth week, and some of the later images are now my absolute favorites. I inadvertently had created a growth series of all the little changes within those weeks. You can create such a variety when capturing over a span of time, and will end up with a priceless variety of images of your sweet little one..
2. Lighting, lighting…did I say lighting?
One very common mistake for new photographers is improper lighting, or simply not understanding how lighting affects your images. Well let me clear it up for you. Lighting is everything! The best source of light that you have inside your home can be found by a window. The sun is our natural light source and you absolutely do NOT have to have a fancy studio set up to access it! When I captured Riley (my oldest now), I did not yet own studio lighting. Almost all of the images I took of Riley were in our bedroom and living room utilizing natural light of our windows.
Now a tip for using it! Where does light come from? Think again about the sun. It is above us, right? So please, I beg of you. Do not up-lit your photos. What is “up-lit'“? Well it’s easy actually, think of the horror flicks *Here enters a mental snap of The Blair Witch Project*. The actors hold the flashlight under their faces creating that creepy shadow and “up-lit” feel. You certainly do not want your sweet baby to look like he or she is in a horror film.
Experiment with angles and shadows they create. A good way to create soft even lighting is to angle him or her so the light source comes from the top of baby’s head on down their face at a 45 degree angle. Check the shadowing under his or her nose and chin to ensure you’ve gotten it just right. Too dramatic? Adjust. Too much shadow? Too bright? Adjust. Here too, I go back to the first bullet point. You have weeks to practice and see what shadowing you prefer for your images.
3. Capture the tiny details.
I touched base on this earlier. So many changes happen so quickly over the first few weeks and you now get to capture them all! Her pink toes, his tiny nose, her long eye lashes, his crinkly little fingers, her pursed lips, his rosebud cheeks. Just writing that sentence takes me back! Self talk…”you do not want another baby….” Anyway, those details though! You will be forever grateful to yourself that you remembered to include those images.
A check list:
Nose
Eyes/lashes
Lips
Fingers
Toes
Belly Button
Hair
Fuzzy shoulders
Tiny tush
Those rolls!
Experiment with your camera and it’s ability to zoom in for sharp details. Those details will change so fast as your baby grows and this is a wonderful way to preserve those memories
4. Happy baby, happy outcome.
I’m going to go over four tips I practice at every newborn session in attempts to create the happiest baby possible. Your little one loves to be warm! All newborns do due to having just been in a cozy and warm home for 10 months. There’s a couple things you can do to ensure your home is optimal temperature for your in-home sessions. If you have a space heater you will want to keep your posing arm and hands warm. Always keep the baby a safe distance of course, but a warm air flowing over them makes them so very sleepy. The sudden touch of a cool arm or hand can awaken the sleepiest of babies, so if you do not have access to a space heater, then simply adjust using your thermostat. My studio is kept 5 degrees warmer than usual for every newborn session as well as having a space heater. You will likely get a little toasty yourself. Please pay attention to your body and take breaks for water or cooling if needed. Again, you just went through an extreme bodily change and event. Take care of yourself.
The second tip is I always ask my clients to feed the baby right before heading to the studio, (if they’re within 30 minutes) or feed upon arriving. The magic of a full tummy…well that we never really grow out of!
This takes me to tip number three! Timing. I have found that my sessions are most successful between their morning feeding and their lunch. Try to do your shoot around this time for the most cooperative and “lazy” baby possible.
Last but not least is white noise. You can find white noise apps to download on your phone and simply place your phone on the blanket you’re using to capture on. Place the phone out of your shot of course. These four steps should be a magic mixture for one happy outcome!
5. Safety, Safety, Safety!
This goes without saying, but please make sure your baby’s safety is the number 1 priority while you are taking his or her photos.
If you need help from someone, make sure that you ask for it. Have a spotter if you decide to try any poses beyond a natural and organic “around the house” feel. I am experienced and still use the parents to spot in many of my poses and all my props shots. You can create gorgeous newborn images without posing with props, buckets, or bean bags, all of which require experience for safety.
Mommas! Don’t forget to let someone else snap a few and include yourself in those images!