SAFETY
Newborn safety is always my number one priority. All my tiny models are photograph in very natural positions. I never force the newborn into any pose, which might be unsafe. When you are searching newborn photo ideas, you may see lots of creative images where the baby is hanging from a branch, placed on or inside an unusual object, or appears to be wrapped up in a cocoon or to be propping their own head up on their hands. All of these photographs are created as COMPOSITES because it would not be safe to leave your baby in these positions. Instead the photographer takes a series of images and merges them together in Photoshop afterwards. For safety reason I would suggest not to try these poses at home.
HAPPY BABY
A well fed baby is a happy baby. Please feed and burp your baby right before you start to ensure your baby is happy.
I recommend that you keep your home a bit warmer than normal (like a 25 degrees or so). Newborns are used to being all bundled up, warm and cosy - ideal for taking those adorable naked baby shots. Pushing up the thermostat is guaranteed to make your own session flow more smoothly and help them sleep better.
If baby’s skin is a little dry or flaky, try applying a small bit of baby lotion to those spots the day before our session. But don’t worry if it doesn’t go away completely.
PATIENCE IS KEY
Be patient. If the baby gets fussy or alert, do not worry, try another time. A baby can sense your anxiety and we want to keep the environment as mellow as possible. The most important thing to remember is to relax and have fun!
WHAT TO WEAR
One of the most frequent questions that I get from my clients is what to wear during a lifestyle newborn photo session. The same rules apply for mums and dads:
- Keep it simple, timeless and comfortable.
- Consider neutral light colours (creams, whites, earth tones, grays or pastel tones) and avoid busy patterns. Busy, loud patterns or logos tend to draw too much attention to the outfit.
- Everyone should dress in a similar-style, for example: all casual or all formal.
- Shirts and dress colours should be within the same colour palette or be complimentary colours, rather than everyone in identical colours. Identical colours tend to look too “matchy”. Pants and skirts can be similar or identical in colour, for example: light denim, dark denim
- Bear feet works the best in the home setting.
- Iron your wardrobe. Every detail will show up in your portraits.
White or plain short sleeve bodysuit works the best as the newborn session outfit for the babies - you want to see all the baby's details, so don't cover your baby's little hands and feet.
For lifestyle newborn sessions, I suggest that look at the colours of your home and the rooms you will be photographing in - it works well if your clothing colours and patterns complement each other.
Here at Little Bunny Photography, I photograph newborns in relaxed and free flowing style with a focus on simplicity, connection and storytelling. I love the simple setting of a family’s home and photos showing natural beauty of your new bundle of joy and the emotions that a represent during the first few days of real life with your newborn baby; lots of snuggling with mum, dad and any siblings. Your baby is a miracle and does not need lots of props to show how adorable and loved it is.
CLOSE UP OF SWEET BABY FACE
Your baby was just born and you want to remember that cute face forever. You want to show this sweet face to your child, when she/he gets older. So this is definitely 'a must photo' in your newborn photo collection.
SWADDLE THE BABY
Wrapping doesn’t only calm the newborn to get better images, but helps to add texture and interest to your images. Babies swing their arms and legs around and swaddling them tight creates a nice clean look and keeps them warm.
You don't have to buy a wrap used for professional photographers, I love photographing babies wrapped with their own muslins, mum's scarf or lying on blanket knitted by they grandma, which makes images even more special.
CAPTURE THE TINY DETAILS
Document all of those sweet little details while they're still tiny. Eyelashes, toes, fingers, lips - they make your baby unique. Photograph the details then the baby is asleep in order to get a sharper photo and to avoid the movement.
Don't worry if you don't have a macro lens. You can still freeze your baby tiny details by using a wider distance from the subject.
FUNNY FACES IS A MUST!
We all want to achieve ideal images with beautiful smiles and cute face expressions. I adore capturing all funny and unique faces of your little one; yawning, crying, stretching....!
DIFFERENT ANGLES
Try different angles with the same set up/pose. There are many ways to photograph the baby just lying on the bed.
CUDDLES IN BED
There is nothing more simple and gorgeous than a new family cuddled up in bed together. If that is something that appeals to you, then I recommend white to light cream or neutral and solid bedding to keep things light and airy (or something that is not too busy). Colourful bedding leaves the colour cast on your skin and draw away the attention from the main character on the photo.
FUN AND REAL FAMILY LIFE
Family photos should be fun and full of laugher. Show your family real moments. Aim to capture natural smiles and the interaction between you and your children. If you have older child than newborn, parents should play with him or her to encourage them to feel comfortable and to smile naturally. My children love looking at images showing our chaotic life more than the one perfectly posed, where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. Right now you may not like them, but you will cherish them even more in the future. There is something extra special in the more unique or unposed images.
NEXT TO THE WINDOW
Create some gorgeous portraits next to the window - lighting is always gorgeous.
You can also create a backlit silhouette portrait just by standing in front of your window.
BABY AND MUM
After I had my babies the last thing that I wanted to do was have my picture taken and put much effort into making myself camera ready. I know how hard it is for you to get in front of that camera. Your child loves you, no matter what; they will not see that maybe you gained some weight during the pregnancy, they will see you maybe look tired, they will see their mum be present on family photos; how she looked and how much she loved them, when they were little.
I am sure you take lots of images of your baby - the baby asleep, awake, yawning, having a bath, cuddling with siblings, & cuddling with dad. There will be so many newborn photos by the time the baby turns one and the sad reality is that you may hardly be in any of them. So get in the frame - these photos will be a priceless treasure for your new baby as he or she grows up.
BABY AND DAD
There is a beautiful quote: "A DAD... A son's first Hero. A daughter's first Love". I agree with it with all my heart. Capture the unique bond between your partner and your newborn baby. I'm sure your baby would be so thrilled to see how full of love his or her dad was, when they were born.
SIBLINGS TOGETHER
I know how important is to capture all siblings together. Success of sibling photos always depends on cooperation of their older siblings. Photographing newborn with a toddler may be a challenging task as we need to think about the newborn safety first and toddlers can be unpredictable. Please, don't leave your older child, especially the toddler with your new baby even for a second while photographing them together, eg. when the toddler is laying down next to the baby or having a baby of his knees. In such moments I always ask parents for watching a newborn from one side and a toddler on the other side in case of sadden movements.
I would suggest to speak to your older child about having the photos taken; how important it is and that she needs to be gentle. It would be good, if you could promise her a favourite snack or a small surprise after a great job.