One of my friends has asked me to take some pics of her 6 week old bub (& a couple with her 2 year old daughter as well).
I was hoping some of you could give me some tips or direct me to some websites that might be useful. ive only ever attempted taking newborn pics once before & it was hard! i thought id try & do some research beforehand this time!
If any of you have any examples of pics on here could you put links in this thread too!
Hi Mel, I love newborn photography but agree with you its hard. Good tips I learnt from a newborn posing workshop I attended was, get mum to feed and wind baby a little before you arrive, and in just their nappy, wrapped in a blanket. If its a cold day tell them to up the heatin an extra notch than normal. If you have any of those wheat bags that you put in the mircowave, take them, warm them up slightly (always test first), place them under the blanket you are using to warm it up. If you are doin nude shots, get a toddler bed wetting sheet to put under blanket as well. Bean bags are good for positioning babies. Always have mum and another pair of hands on either side of baby for safety purposes. Have soothing noises in background, most babies fall asleep with noise in background, sometimes even the sound of a hairdryer or hoover, ipad do apps of soothing baby music, the lady who did our workshop placed a sea/waves crashing sound on the app under the blanket. Try to use natural lighting where possible, photograph near windows if possible. I have a couple of newborn photos in my folders. Sometimes it can take a few hours to just get that one perfect shot, but it will be worth it. Use a very big blanket as a back drop, big enough for them to lay on, and that stretches up behind them, shows how small they are :) enjoy :) and be careful of projectile poo, I've had one of them, straight up my laura ashley wallpaper, have babywipes at the ready :) enjoy x
All of Rebecca's @mrsb1980 tips were great. Another one my sister, who is a professional photographer, once mentioned to me was when you lay them down on the beanbag (or whatever you might be using to pose them) is to keep one hand on their back and another pressing their little fingers gently down...it helps relax and calm them back down. I always thought it was interesting. Expect to spend a few hours since newbies aren't on schedule (actually a 6 week old is going to be harder than a newborn since he will be awake more than a newborn but likely not on any schedule or routine). Have your poses and props ready in the order you want to get the shots so that you aren't trying to figure out what shot to attempt next. And ask Mom what specific shots she would really like and get those first :) Good luck!
Keep in mind that since the baby is 6 weeks it maybe more challenging to get him/her into a deep sleep. Here are some things to keep in mind...keep the area warm, and have white noise. Layer the bean bag with multiple blankets. Put some sort of pee pad in between the blankets. Take extra blankets. Have some socks/receiving blankets on hand to tuck under the blanket to lift the baby where needed. For instance, if you need an arm lifted a tad you can use the sock to help with that. Newborn sessions take about 3 hours. So go knowing it may take that long. Also take the time when posing the baby to uncurl their little fingers it will look much better in the final photo. Take photos of the hands/feet....some detail shots. Have fun! Be prepared to possible be peed on. I was peed on the last session I did...lol. I have one photo in my 365 project, and one in my Outtake folder. Feel free to take a look. I'm no expert by any means but I'm learning as I go along. .
@amyamoeba Thanks Amy. That is a great thread! Ive marked quite a few shots from it that i would like to try - Thanks!!!
@mrsb1980 - Thanks Rebecca - there are some really great tips there!!! & i love your pics, they are so cute!!! i hope i manage to get some that are that good!
@unit8 - Thanks Paul, thats a good point, ill have to remember to get some of those types of shots
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Keep in mind that since the baby is 6 weeks it maybe more challenging to get him/her into a deep sleep. Here are some things to keep in mind...keep the area warm, and have white noise. Layer the bean bag with multiple blankets. Put some sort of pee pad in between the blankets. Take extra blankets. Have some socks/receiving blankets on hand to tuck under the blanket to lift the baby where needed. For instance, if you need an arm lifted a tad you can use the sock to help with that. Newborn sessions take about 3 hours. So go knowing it may take that long. Also take the time when posing the baby to uncurl their little fingers it will look much better in the final photo. Take photos of the hands/feet....some detail shots. Have fun! Be prepared to possible be peed on. I was peed on the last session I did...lol. I have one photo in my 365 project, and one in my Outtake folder. Feel free to take a look. I'm no expert by any means but I'm learning as I go along. .
@mrsb1980 - Thanks Rebecca - there are some really great tips there!!! & i love your pics, they are so cute!!! i hope i manage to get some that are that good!
@unit8 - Thanks Paul, thats a good point, ill have to remember to get some of those types of shots
@mmartin - Thanks Michelle - some very good tips!
@3whiteroses - i will keep lots of pee pads handy (i have three kids so we have HEAPS of them around. Thanks for the tips!!!
Thanks again everyone for your replies & great tips!!!