Photographing Your Baby At Home
By / 28 Mar / Latest shoots, News
My studio is now closed due to Covid-19 and I know lots of my clients are sad to be missing out on a newborn photo shoot. As soon as it is safe to open again I will be photographing your beautiful babies again, even if they are a little older than we originally planned! Until then I know lots of you will want to be able to capture these early moments while babies are still so tiny.
Even though a studio shoot is not an option at the moment, it is still possible to capture beautiful photographs of your new baby yourself. Obviously these will not be posed photographs, as you would need training for this, but instead will be similar to the natural sessions I also offer in the studio. Here is little Eliza at her natural newborn session. These are the type of photographs you can aim to recreate at home safely.
Here are a few tips I’ve put together a few tips to help you when planning a shoot yourself:
Lighting
Choose an area with lots of natural light. On a really sunny day you might need to diffuse the light with some sheer material draped over the window. Angle your baby so that their head and not their feet are towards the light so that the light falls down from the top of their head leaving areas of shadow underneath the nose and lips. A bedroom is often the ideal place, using the bed for posing.
Clearing the scene
Make sure you remove all unnecessary distractions so the focus is just on your baby. If you are using a bed for posing pull the covers straight or use a plain blanket over the duvet. You can even lift up parts of the blanket to create a neat background for your images – pillows under the blanket are good for doing this. As you move your baby the blanket will move and crease so keep making sure you pull it straight throughout.
Wrapping
Swaddling is a great way to keep your baby content and capture some really beautiful close ups and even awake shots. Simply take a blanket and lie your baby in the middle with the edge level with their neck. Pull the one side over their body on top of their arms and tuck it underneath their body and then take the other end and pull it over the other way and tuck underneath again.
Poses
Try to keep your poses simple. Use small rolled towels to slightly lift your baby’s head so they are not lying completely flat. Aim to keep them curled up rather than stretched out, so bring their hands close to their faces and their knees and feet tucked into their body. Simple poses on their back and side will work well. 
Position yourself
Try to stand further towards your baby’s head instead of their feet. If you stand at their feet and shoot towards their head you will be shooting up their nose which is not the best angle for a photograph.
Angles
Tip your camera to create a different perspective on the same shot. Try standing in different positions to capture a different angle (although again avoid shooting up their nose).
*Safety – If you are shooting from above your baby make sure you use the camera strap around your neck or wrist.
In these 2 photographs little Florence has not been moved at all, I have simply changed my position to create 2 very different photographs.
Details
Don’t forget those close up shots. Their fingers, toes, wisps of hair, lips and button noses. These beautiful details are what make your baby unique and will remind you of this special time. Also try to capture the yawns, smiles and other funny faces that newborns pull, they are so cute to look back on.
Timing
Wait until your baby is well fed and in a deep sleep, this makes it easier to position them. Don’t rush your images, take your time to look at the light, the scene and the angles to perfect the photograph.
Skype Calls
If you would like to give it a go but would like some additional help during the shoot I am happy to arrange a Skype call to give you tips during the session.
Good luck and I can’t wait to see your DIY photos!
