Newborn Photography

A (non-professional) mom’s advice!

As new mom’s, we fall absolutely in love with every little thing about our babies. We sit and stare into their tiny faces desperate to remember every detail. Everyone says, “Enjoy every moment, because they grow so fast!” After my first baby, many tears were cried over how fast time moved and my little one changed. That’s when I realized how important Newborn Photography was to me!

At the time, our budget didn’t have enough wiggle room to pay a professional photographer. But, I was determined to preserve every moment and detail. I didn’t have any special equipment, just a basic point and shoot camera, a blanket, and a bouncer. I sat in our living room and snapped a thousand pictures, hoping at least one would turn out decent. Just one picture of that tiny little nose, and those long tiny fingers curled up by his face! To remember the way his lips pushed out when he was hungry.

I could have given up, I could have said these aren’t as nice as other peoples and never taken a single photo. But, now, I have something to look back on. I have something to remind me of those moments that passed so quickly and brought so much joy.

You Can Do It Too!

If you’re a mama who wants to remember every moment and preserve every detail but aren’t able to go to a professional photographer, or if you’d prefer to save a little on “baby expenses” and want to try newborn photography on your own, keep reading!

You don’t have to have the nicest pictures or the prettiest backgrounds. Don’t feel like you have to spend a ton on a fancy studio. It’s possible for you to use what you have and still make something nice to cherish forever!

All of the photography in this post was taken myself, at home. The cute little tiny one is baby boy number three! I didn’t use anything crazy, just some things I had laying around the house. If I can do it, then you’ll have no problem!! So here’s what you need to do and some things to consider before you start.

The Environment

Find a well lit room

Using a flash doesn’t work well with Newborn Photography. Having a light blast going off every few seconds tends to startle sleeping babies and ends with sad face pictures or a crying baby. The flash is also more harsh and makes baby skin look blotchy or red and discolored.

Instead, try finding a window with a lot of natural light, or a well lit room.

Make sure it’s warm

Especially if you will be trying some oh so precious naked baby pictures, you will NEED it to be warm. Cold babies are more likely to wake up or get fussy faster. You can turn up the thermostat in your house, get a space heater or use a heating pad. Just try to find a warm (not hot) temperature that they can cozy up with!

Full tummies work best

Try feeding baby right before you take pictures. If you have everything set up and ready to go and then fill their tummy, you’ll get as much time for pictures with a content baby as possible.

WARNING: babies are notorious for pooping right after eating, so give them a minute to clear their system before you put them on the nice white blanket.

The Stage

Neutral blankets make great backdrops

You don’t need fancy or professional equipment to get a good picture. Most of the time you can find everything you need already in your home. Draping blankets over chairs or couches works great for a neutral background. Newborn Photography is usually up close so you won’t need a large or elaborate set up.

Put them on/in something cozy

Like most people, babies prefer soft cushy pillows over hard floors or pokey baskets. So pile up some blankets or find a soft cushion. You can even use some of the baby items you have like bounce seats, boppy pillows, or bassinets. You can even get some great pictures by just setting them in the crib! Throw a blanket over any of these, and no one will ever be able to tell.

Get creative with props

For all of my newborn photography sets, I’ve always been able to use things I already had at home. Thanks to my home decor and thrifting addictions, I’ve had plenty to choose from. I’ve used blankets, baskets, sheets, table clothes, pillows, frames, etc.

If you’re not able to find something at home, check out your local thrift store to find something cheap! And check out my post about How To Thrift Like a Pro!

The Tricks

Take a million!

Don’t settle for only a few good ones. Take as many as baby will sleep through! Some might focus better than others, or baby might be making a weird face in half of them. Be safe and take a bunch so you don’t look through them later and realize you can’t use most of them.

Try different angles

If you saw me taking my pictures you would have probably died laughing. I literally went around in circles with my camera. Some high, some low, some to the side, some off center, some right over top, I took every angle imaginable. I probably won’t print or use most of them, but you never know what will look right or turn out the best until its too late to take more. So, try everything!

Use a photo editor

Even the best photographers use an editing program, so don’t feel bad if your photos need a few small adjustments. I’ve never purchased any editing software, and just use whatever program is already installed on my computer. Most of them have light, exposure, filtering, and other basic options. Don’t get overwhelmed by the fancy terms, just click around and see which settings make the pictures look better.

The Tips

Take some “bad” ones

Newborn photography is all about preserving moments, all of them! It may sound strange, but your mommy heart will want to remember and cherish every facial expression. So, take a crying picture, and an angry picture, and a pouting picture, and a sneezing picture, and anything else they do while they’re in front of your camera.

Don’t stress the setbacks

Whenever you’re working with little ones, especially brand new to the world little ones, there will be some things that go wrong. They will probably cry A LOT, and you won’t be able to get them to sleep in the tiny basket you had specially picked out for their photos. It’s even possible (if you do diaperless pictures) that you will end up with pee or poop on your backdrop/props!

There you have it! My best advice for Newborn Photography at home. Don’t freak out or get stressed! Just do your best and enjoy the time with your little one.

If you try out the tips in this post, I’d love to see how your’s turn out! Leave a comment below or share a photo on one of the This Growing Home social media platforms Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter

Thanks for reading and being a part of the community!!