Newborn Posing
I prefer to photograph newborns before they are 14 days old. This is because they grow SO FAST. In the first 14 days they are brand new…scrunchy, sleepy, and easily pose-able. Although…I don’t really “pose” babies, I actually like them unposed and in natural positions. My newborn photo shoots are baby-led, meaning the baby is the boss basically. If the baby is unhappy, then I will photograph them in their parents arms and that’s where they will stay. I never leave babies alone for more than a few minutes, and I never pose them in awkward or unsafe positions. Instead of posing babies and families, think of me as a director…I will direct you on where to be and how to hold your baby, and I will move the baby into (natural) positions that make it easy for me to get great photos of them.
POSING baby
After checking out your home to see where the best spots for newborn photos are, we will get started with the baby alone first. If they are calm, that is. If not, then we will do family shots, with the baby in parents’ arms. I will start with them on a bed (my preference)…a couch or a blanket on the floor works too…and I’ll take some close ups of their face from different angles, full body shots from different angles, and some details like feet and maybe hands. I will also turn them on their belly and take shots from the side and above. I also like getting some environmental shots like the baby on the bed where you can see more of the room and see how tiny the baby looks on the bed. I really love those shots.
I like to photograph newborns in a simple plain onesie. I also advise having some swaddle blankets handy, and any other blankets you have that you would like to use (texture always looks nice). If you have a specific outfit you would like your baby to be in we can do that for a few shots, however the majority of outfits I see on newborns are too big and kinda look funny in photos. That’s why I think onesies and swaddles work best. I want to capture your baby, not their clothes.
It is a good idea to feed your baby before I get there, that way they are hopefully calm when we start the photo session. However, I know that doesn’t always work out, so I am happy to let you feed your baby during the session if you need to. For more tips about preparing for your newborn photos, including what to wear, click the button below.
POSING siblings + baby
The second part of my newborn photo session involves siblings…so after I finish shots of the baby, we’ll stay in the same room and I will add in the siblings. I love getting shots of the baby in the foreground and siblings in the background…this shot works well for toddlers that don’t feel like taking photos with the baby. I will try to get some of them laying next to each other from overhead as well. And then of course, if parents are ok with it, siblings holding the baby. We can use a pillow under their arm to prop them up so baby doesn’t slip.
If the siblings are younger, like toddler age, it can be hard to get them involved. Sometimes they are shy, don’t want to hold the baby, or just not in the mood for photos in general. And that’s fine! When we do the family photos I will direct you to hold your kids together and I will get some photos of the two of them that way.
It can help to explain to your kids before the photo session that a friend will be coming over to take pictures of their new little sibling and the family. Tell them I will be taking pictures of them with their new baby sister/brother and they get to show what a great big brother/sister they are by holding them for some photos.
POSING family + baby
After the photos of the baby and siblings are done I will add in the parents. Usually, I do everything that has happened so far in the master bedroom. So for the family photos I will position everyone on the bed. I will tell both parents to sit in the middle together, and ask one of them to hold the baby. If there are siblings I will have one on the other parent’s lap and if there are more I will position them around the parents and baby. At this point, usually everyone wants to look at me at smile…and that’s fine for a second….I will get a few shots of everyone smiling at the camera. But for most of the shots I will direct you just BE with your baby. Looking at them, looking at your other kids, looking at your partner. I may have kiss the baby or tickle one of your older kids. This is all about connection…I want to show the love between you all. When my baby was a newborn I couldn’t stop kissing her sweet little face (I still can’t!) and if you can’t stop yourself from kissing your baby that’s great! Do that. That’s what I want to capture…love.
After the full family photos are finished on the bed, I will take photos of each parent individually with the baby. And if you want to add in your older kids we can do that too. I have certain poses I like to do with each parent…I will do some of the same poses with both, and some different ones.
WRAPPING UP the session
After the bedroom photos we will move to the nursery. If you don’t want nursery photos or don’t have a nursery yet, no problem we can skip that. In the nursery I like to have families sit on the floor next to the crib for some shots. I may take some photos with everyone standing, and I may take some of each parent with the baby, and some of sibings with the baby. If you have a glider or rocking chair I may ask you to sit there as well.
And lastly, if your living room and/or kitchen has nice light, I may ask you all to sit on the couch or stand in the kitchen and take a few shots there to wrap up the shoot.
I always ask families at the end if they feel good about the session and if they feel like there is anything I missed. I’m happy to get whatever you want if it’s not something I normally capture.
Overall, I want your photos to reflect this amazing, happy, new, crazy, sleep deprived, loving, time in your life.
