As much as we enjoy looking at adorable styled pictures of newborns sleeping in costumes and in crazy poses created by Photoshop, it takes the emotion and story captured through lifestyle photography to truly get the heart touched. Here are six tips from a natural newborn photographer to sharpen your lifestyle newborn photography
1. Little Details Matter
It doesn’t matter if the baby is yawning, sleeping, or crying; these are all precious and important moments because of how short this newborn period is. The yawn of a baby that’s just four days old looks so much different than when a 4-year old yawns, so make sure to capture it all!
Save these little details and don’t forget to capture those adorable items in the baby nursery. Have a chat with the parents about which of their baby’s items mean the most to them. Perhaps the blanket knit by the grandparent is the most precious so make sure to photo shoot the baby in it. These small items are what makes your photographs truly lifetime.
2. Newborn Photography at home is the Best
Photographing babies in their home means that all the furniture and the backdrop of the house itself will be meaningful. It also ensures that every session you have is unique because no two homes look the same.
3. Natural Light is your Friend
A flash is startling to newborns. A flash also takes away the natural look and feel of a shoot, especially if photographing the parents and siblings with the newborn baby. As much as you can avoid using lighting equipment and make the most of the natural light around you.
4. Less than 2 weeks old Newborn is Easiest to Photograph
A baby is considered to be “newborn” for the first three months of their lives. However, babies are asleep most of the day during these first ten days and are easier to handle. While newborns don’t need to be asleep all the time during lifestyle photography, things go smoother when babies are calmer. Babies of this age are also less likely to have skin problems which saves time during the post-production process.
5. Have the Right Equipment
It’s not the equipment but the person operating it capture great images. However, you do need the right equipment to help you in various conditions. You need equipment that would be helpful in low light and tight spaces for indoor photography. It’s vital you have a reflector and a wide angle prime lens as well. Macro lens is necessary to capture those cute little fingers and toes in great detail.
6. Stay Calm
There’s a lot that can potentially happen when photographing newborns, such as having unexpected visitors show up and crowd around, or being puked, pooped, and spat on by the baby; which happens to every newborn photographer. Remember that you may not be able to prepare for every unexpected event in the photo shoot, which is why you need to take everything as it happens and stay calm.
Keep in mind that you’re capturing a wonderful and precious moment for the family, and that your photos will capture a narrow slice of their life they are sure to treasure. You can make these images a lifetime memory by the uniqueness of lifestyle photography.
Jack Milton
New Born Photographer
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