Newborn Photography – [Learn] How to Capture Adorable Baby Pictures

Taking pictures of infants is not an easy task as we only have limited poses and prop options. Newborns are very fragile so putting them into an outdoor setting is also a kind of risk.

Handling the parents and the newborn child while taking a perfect Instagram newborn portrait can be overwhelming for the newbies and beginners in baby photography out there.

This Newborn Photography Guide will help you with every aspect of the infant baby photoshoot. From posing to using limited props and help you capture stunning newborn photos even with minimal equipment.

10 Newborn Photography Tips Everyone Should Know

1. Safety First

The child’s safety is more important than any photo shoot; that is why making sure that the baby is safe and secure with props and background is one of the most crucial things. 

• Washing hands before touching the baby is a must to ensure safety, particularly during these times. 
  
• Keep your wires organized and keep the baby away from them.
  
• The baby’s skin is also susceptible, so handle it very carefully. 
  
• Ensure that the baby is safe and comfortable in an outdoor setting and not bothered by any insects on the grass.
  
• Make Sure the Baby is Well Clothed in between the Shoots. 
  
• Don’t expose the newborn’s naked skin to the cold air for longer times as they are susceptible to hypothermia.
  
• Don’t keep scorching Lights very close to the baby. Make sure they are at a safe distance from the baby.

  2. Use Props

The second one, from our tips for newborn photography, are props. Props are crucial in baby photography, so make sure that you are using your props sensibly. 

Every prop that you put in the picture needs to have a purpose. Sometimes, it helps to enhance the background or enhance the baby’s features. Do not let your props overshadow the baby because it will result in photos not focused on the child. 

Some Props you can use in infant photography are:

• Trendy headbands

• Stuffed toys

• Aesthetic and vintage baskets

• Colorful beanies

• Pastel flowers 

• Helium balloons

• Soap bubbles

• Miniature furniture

• Vintage showpieces

3. Dress up with Beautiful Outfits

Do not go overboard with outfits and overwhelm the child with different costumes as it may look a bit artificial. Baby photography is all about praising the features, delicacy, and details of the child. the best rule for newborn photoshoot outfits is that you should keep it simple and aesthetic.

We suggest you use white, grey, or pastel-colored sheets as outfits in photography because essential newborn photo tips include “The newborn does not need a costume, keep it simple and subtle.” If you want the baby to wear an outfit, it’s better if the outfit is plain white so that the outfit cannot overshadow the features of the baby.

4. Go DIY

One of the best newborn photography tips for beginners is go DIY as new photographers often doesnot have money to buy expensive props and equipment.

There are many tutorials for making props, read or watch them and have an instant DIY Newborn Photography solution.

So, do it yourself instead of ordering expensive stuff for the photography of newborns. You can also create your props and customize them just the way you want. 

You can also DIY the background of your outdoor setting for a photoshoot and add items that you think will enhance the portrait’s overall feel. Beginner Photographers need to experiment with different things instead of sticking to the cliché stuff.

5. Edit Your Newborn Photos

Editing and post-processing have the potential to transform an ordinary image into a celebrity portrait. So make sure to pay attention to your editing skills even if you have committed a few mistakes in capturing a newborn baby’s essence, editing, and can fix it. 

You can turn the mother-infant picture black and white to give it depth.

You can also adjust the picture’s lighting by doing post-processing as it adds creativity to the image. If your background does not feel suitable in the picture, you can easily change it and have a mockup background for the newborn photo.

6. Take Newborn photography classes

Not every photographer can do a photoshoot for a baby after reading few baby photography tips, so you also need to take professional newborn photography classes to learn the intricate details of this vast field. 

These classes will teach you how to be creative with photography and create great poses to take portraits of newborns without any risk. Professional lighting and editing skills are also taught in newborn photography classes. 

These classes will give you all the necessary techniques and tips for photographing newborns, so if you are a beginner, make sure to attend them.

7. Use Natural lighting

Some people never want their infant to be exposed to heavy lights for a newborn baby photo shoot; that is why natural lighting is a crucial element in baby photography. 

While taking pictures of newborns, choose either dawn or dusk because, at this time, light is in a soft yellowish orange tone, but in the daytime, light is harsh blueish, so this might damage the delicate skin of a newborn.

Natural lighting benefits are infinite as it creates an aesthetical vibe around the baby and gives the photographer better angles for shooting babies.

8. Try simple Newborn Photography Poses

The true essence of newborn child photography is in capturing the innocent and pure babies’ photos. At the same time, poses also play a key role in making a photograph iconic, ensuring that your poses are creative, simple, and basic.

While creating poses, keep the comfort and safety of the child in mind. The “Newborn frog pose” is all over the internet due to its ability to enhance Baby’s features and cuteness. You can also experiment with a wrap pose, side pose as they are super basic, and you should not go for advanced poses until you have mastered these.

9. Use Professional Equipment

While capturing a newborn, you have to display the intricate details in their features and focus their delicacy while letting the props and setup elevate the photo’s overall vibe, so for that, you need advanced camera equipment and lighting that can complement your photography.

As a beginner, Choose a DSLR or any camera that is easy to operate and has perfect pixels. Using the right equipment, you can elevate even the dull and boring pictures. Different other gadgets can also help you enhance your photo quality, so buy whatever you think will help you upgrade your newborn photography skills.

10.Use Background

Background plays a vital role in your newborn picture; that is why it is included in our infant photography tips.

1)Background of a garden will change the vibe of the picture and make it look natural and organic

2) Background of a room full of white sheets and curtains will make your photo look aesthetically pleasing and an absolute social media type of portrait.

3) A plain black background will make the viewer pay attention to the baby and props

4) A background with a lot going on will distract people.

So make sure to choose your setup wisely, as it can alter the vibe of your photo.

Newborn Photography Ideas:

First pictures

First pictures can be organic, delicate, and easy to capture for you. As for the early one or two days, babies tend to sleep a lot, so you can take their portraits with minimal effort. Also, you can capture the baby first pictures at the hospital as a memory.

 

For boys

If you want to capture a portrait of boys, you can use a darker background and props to depict depth. In boys’ case, simple props and dark backgrounds look pleasing as they give a tint of insight to pictures.

Check out our article on newborn baby boy Poses

For Girls

For newborn girl pictures, you need to play with the props such as flowers and baskets. You can add many pastel, white colors in the form of background, props, and sheets to give the pictures an elegant vibe.

With siblings

If you are doing newborn and sibling photography, you need to show their bond and choose poses to depict their relation and love. Sibling photographs are all about fun, bonding, and an organic, simple, and basic photo.

With family

When doing mom and baby photography or family photography, you need to keep it real and basic. Let them show their real emotions and capture a perfect candid shot. Pay attention to their outfits as well; they should be whitish colored.

At Home

Pictures that are taken at Home require a lot of attention and detail. We would recommend taking a picture near a window or in natural light to enhance the baby’s features. You can also make a DIY basket with colorful cotton as a prop or even a tent with wooden sticks and fur fabric to give your pictures a heavenly feel.

At the studio

At the studio, shoots are intricate but very creative as they give you a chance to experiment with different props, setup, and outfits. Studio lighting also can be a significant factor in enhancing your images. Look at the following pictures and see the props and setup.

Newborn Photography Setup

Lighting setup

Newborn photography Setup is Very much necessary if you intend to capture an elite and delicate portrait, you need to enhance all the details and, for that, pay great attention to your lighting. While taking pictures of newborns, avoid heavy lighting as this may affect their eyes. Either use very natural lighting or sunlight in which you can capture better portraits.

Adjust the light in a way that it looks moderate and does not overwhelm the whole picture. The photo’s main motive is to be as natural as possible, so you should prefer sunlight at dawn as that yellow and orange light helps capture the best portraits.

Best Camera for Newborn Photography

Fujifilm X-T30 is considered the best camera for newborn photography, and if you are a beginner, it is a holy grail for you. It is the best mirrorless Fujifilm camera because of its fantastic performance and sophisticated and detailed clicks.

Its maximum image size is also great, and it is three times faster than the other cameras. Its ability to capture light in a better way and image enhancing features make it the best camera for newborn photography as it can do justice to the intricate details needed in newborn baby photography.

Best Lens for Newborn Photography

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is the best lens for newborn photography you can get as it contains high refraction lens elements and gaussian options, which makes your images professional and blur-free.

This lens is perfect for eliminating astigmatism to ensure crisp images of a newborn to add depth to the photography. Its focal length is 50mm, and its closest focusing distance is 1.5 feet, so you can take closer portraits of the child hassle-free.

FAQs for Newborn or Infant Photography

When to take newborn photos?

The best time for newborn photos is within 1-2 weeks because, in this time, you can take the rarest and unique pictures and after that, the features of babies also start to change, so the best time to take newborn photos is from 5th day of birth to 12th day.

Make sure you do not exceed the time as, after 20 weeks, newborn photoshoot methods also change, and you have to alter many things. You cannot do the same poses or props, so the best time to take newborn photos is the first few days.

How to take newborn photos at Home?

If you want to capture your newborn’s photos but do not know how to take newborn photos, you can follow some tips to make your DIY portraits enjoyable. As you are in your personal space, you have plenty of time to capture different poses from various angles, and a photographer does not invest this much time in one shoot.

Ensure adequate lighting; if not, you can take your newborn to a garden or lawn to have the perfect lighting for portraits. Let your baby sleep and then capture pictures because the pictures of sleeping babies are most famous. Try to capture all the tiny details of your child, like their finger or feet or facial features, and you have mastered the art of how to take baby pictures.

How Much Does a Newborn Photoshoot Cost on average?

Newborn photography costs $200 on average, but this also depends on the photographer’s service. For example, the level of his skills, is he doing any poses? He will deliver your photos and the quality of their equipment, set up, poses, and props how much time he will provide your photos.

What are the Best Camera Settings for Newborn Photography?

Always use manual or aperture priority mode if you are photographing newborns. If you are a beginner, aperture priority will be easier for you to handle. Shutter speed and aperture can also affect the overall color in your images, so make sure to balance them as well.

To take a perfect portrait of the child in which the baby is focused while the background is blurred, you need to have at least a Basic Knowledge in photography

• Shoot RAW to edit the picture later on. But if you are not planning to edit, a JPEG setting is best for you.
  
• Aperture: Choose a F Stop Number Lower than f2.8 For a Bokeh Effect
  
• Focal Length: If you want the Comic Effect Go for the Lower Focal Lengths like 20mm or less and for Portraits use 85mm or more focal length
  
• Shutter Speed : It is best to use a Tripod if you are shooting at slow shutter speeds but a shutter speed of 1/focal length is usually adequate to prevent any motion blur associated with movement.
  
• ISO : Use the Native ISO of your camera for taking High Quality Images

White balance will be moderate if your light is good and auto white balance is a perfect option. Choose autofocus to get a more sharp picture.

Conclusion

Newborn photography is the most intricate form of art, but newborn photography tips can help you tackle the situation. Make sure to have great lighting while taking pictures because light plays an essential role in infant photography.

Keep it simple and organic as you do not need to add many useless things in your picture and distract your audience from the photo’s primary purpose. Just let the photo be delicate and basic. Your camera also doesn’t need to be a top-notch one for baby photoshoot.

Newborn pictures are all about showing the raw delicacy in your photographs. We hope our newborn photo tips are helpful for you.