Welcoming a newborn child into the world is an amazing experience. As a parent, you never forget the moment you saw your newborn baby and the overwhelming joy and thrill you felt.
However, newborns do not remain newborns for long. Many parents feel rushed to catch precious moments of their newborns before they are off and running, which is why newborn photography is essential.
Taking photographs of newborns might look easy, but it isn’t — it can be quite challenging. Newborn babies are delicate, so taking photographs of them requires extra care and caution.
The article will show you where newborn photography can take place, why a newborn photography studio is the best location, some studio essentials, and a few tips to help make the photos magical.
Newborn Photograph Locations
You can take newborn photographs in several locations. Here are some of them:
- On-Location Photography: On-location newborn photography is when the newborn photograph is taken at the client’s home.
- Outdoor Photography: Although not as common, this type of photography occurs when the newborn’s photograph is taken outdoors.
- Studio Photography: As the name implies, studio photography refers to taking a newborn’s picture at a newborn photography studio.
Benefits of a Newborn Photography Studio
Below are some major reasons people choose studio photography sessions over others for their newborns.
Natural and Dynamic Space
A professional newborn photography studio elevates the pictures and experiences to a level that others do not provide.
Professional newborn studios are usually spacious and beautifully decorated, providing a neutral environment excellent for creating incredible infant portraits.
Natural Lighting
A newborn photography studio is full of natural lighting and professional equipment to create a fantastic atmosphere. Newborn studios are designed to provide the perfect amount of light to capture pure expression and emotion.
With the perfect lighting, you can get better results, and the photo session will be more enjoyable with less time spent on editing the images.
Readily Available Space
Imagine a scenario when you just had your baby, and you are exhausted and recovering. There’s laundry to be done, and the house is in disarray.
Newborn parents don’t want to go through the stress of cleaning their home and getting things in order just because they want to take their newborn’s photo. Instead, they want to focus on taking care of their newborn and enjoying their bonding moments together.
Newborn parents often choose to avoid the stress by going to a studio that will capture the beautiful moments of their newborn baby.
Controlled Temperature
A newborn photography studio’s temperature can be controlled to provide the appropriate environment for an infant to feel comfortable, warm, and relaxed throughout the photo session.
Access to Outfits, Wraps, and Props
Newborn photography studios usually have a variety of wraps, props, and outfits for the baby. They offer many comfortable and beautiful options, saving parents the stress of worrying about how to dress their baby during the photoshoot.
Newborn Photography Studio Essentials
Here are a few essential items every newborn photography studio should have:
Posing Beanbag: You’ll need a place to lay the newborns and pose them easily. To get the newborn into cute poses, you can use a beanbag. Beanbags are designed for the task and are easy to use. Because beanbags are soft and comfortable, they ensure that babies don’t burst into tears due to discomfort.
Posing Fabric: Another essential item to have in a newborn photography studio is a posing fabric. Because most newborn photography involves sleeping babies, it’s important to have a posing fabric to help get them into that perfect pose.
Wraps and Props: Investing in newborn-friendly props is essential for any photography studio looking to enter the market. They not only keep the babies satisfied but also provide versatility for photos. You must invest in good wraps to add color and beauty to the pictures.
Beanbag Stand: A posing beanbag helps get newborns into comfortable poses. However, placing the beanbag on the ground can generate some angle issues. Similarly, placing the beanbag on a table or an elevated surface can cause the background objects to creep into the picture.
This is where a beanbag stand comes in. With a beanbag stand, you can elevate the posing bag, thus eliminating angle issues while ensuring that the newborns remain the focus of the images.
Backdrops: Backdrops are a very important part of any photography studio. Thanks to backdrops, you can add character to the pictures taken. Backdrops also allow for better focus on the subject.
Studio Samples: Parents appreciate it when there are things to look at. These include looking at, touching, and feeling products you have worked on, such as albums, canvases, and photo blocks.
Coffee and Tea: Most parents of newborns are sleep-deprived. They’ve mostly spent countless hours trying to soothe their baby at night. They might not mention it, but having a self-service bar for coffee and tea can go a long way in keeping your clients happy.
Baby Essentials: Equipping your studio with baby essentials is a necessity when photographing newborn babies. A shoot can last up to 2-4 hours, and in this space of time, it can be expected that babies will wet their diapers.
You need to be prepared for such a situation by having disposable sheets to protect your props and other equipment. You should also have in-stock other baby-care items such as diapers, diaper cream, wipes, shushers, pacifiers, toys, etc.
Tips for Newborn Photo Sessions
Here are useful tips for newborn sessions to ensure the experience goes smoothly:
Safety first: Newborn babies are quite delicate. Hence, whatever you choose to do, ensure that it is safe. This includes how you pose the baby and whatever props you choose to use.
Extra caution is required when you use special props. You should never use a prop that may endanger the baby without taking necessary precautions.
Communicate with the client: Before the session, it’s important to communicate with your client and familiarize yourself with their preferences and expectations.
Send your client an email ahead of the scheduled day of the photoshoot. You should include the shoot’s duration and keep them posted about the warmth of the place and the layered dressing required.
It’s easier to take photographs of newborns when they are sleeping: Sleeping babies are peaceful babies. Most newborn images are shot while the babies are sleeping. It’s easier and less stressful for photographers to work with sleeping babies because they are calm and less alert.
This does not mean you cannot take a photo of a newborn that’s awake, but this is more difficult, as they easily wriggle out of place.
You can request that the client prepare the baby before the shoot, and this can include details like keeping the baby awake until the photography session starts and feeding the baby in full just before the session to ensure that they sleep through the session.
Plan and prepare your props: After communicating with the client and getting informed of their preferences, you can decide on the props to use. Choose props that will enhance the beauty of your image and are baby-friendly.
Create a baby-friendly environment: Everything is new to the baby, and if you want the newborn to continue snoozing away while you take photographs, you’ll need to create a warm, baby-friendly environment. A warm environment is vital, as newborns are less likely to be fussy at a warmer temperature.
Additionally, the environment doesn’t have to be noise-free — it can be soft and consistent. In fact, soft and consistent noise often helps babies stay calm longer.
If the room already has some consistent noise, the newborn is less likely to react to any noise made during the shoot. Newborns love white noises and the sound of a heartbeat. You can play these sounds while you shoot.
Let the baby inspire you: Newborns are adorable, and photography is an art that you can use to express just how sweet they are.
Don’t strive for perfection in every shot. Look for the baby’s appealing features, and focus on how you can capture the baby in a sweet pose with these features highlighted. It could be the baby’s eyes, lips, or even ears.
Each baby is unique, so you should find out how each baby inspires you or takes your breath away and capture it up close.
Bring in the mother, father, or sibling for a pose: As you capture the newborn, you can bring in the baby’s mother, father, or sibling for some family photos.
If you can, take a few shots with family members during the session. These shots should include everyone together, a few with just mom and the baby, dad and the baby, and sibling(s) and the baby.
With parents and siblings in some shots, there are more options for poses. However, the focus should be more on the baby.
Be patient: Even when you’ve set everything you need for the shoot, you’ll still need to exercise some patience.
Taking the perfect shot sometimes requires that you handle, swaddle, cuddle, and spend time with the baby. This is a slow process that requires patience. You must also ensure that you are careful while handling newborns. Remember, they are delicate.
Be flexible: Be flexible and open to ideas. Having your mind fixed on a particular shot may cause you to spend all your time and energy on a picture that won’t look flattering on an infant. In the process, you miss a lot of amazing shots.
If you are more flexible with your shots, you might not be able to take the shots you want, but you will be able to shoot the baby’s unique features and achieve several breath-taking shots.
Carefully edit the shots: The last and probably the most important part is editing. It’s important to edit carefully, as it heavily impacts the finished picture and the overall feel of the image.
The Best Camera to Use in a Newborn Photography Studio
Newborn shoots do not require a sophisticated or fast-performing camera since they are usually taken in a room with natural lighting. However, there are some features that you must think about before purchasing a camera to take newborn photographs, and these include the following.
- The camera should possess a higher ISO because newborn photographs are usually shot using natural light.
- The camera should have ample noise ratings.
- Choose a camera with a wide aperture.
- You need a lens or camera body with stabilization because you might be shooting in a room with poor lighting and need to shoot at slower shutter speeds.
- Since you’ll be capturing sleeping babies, you’ll have to make sure your closing shutter isn’t loud so as not to wake the babies. Therefore, consider getting a camera that sports a quiet mode. Conversely, you can use a white noise machine to mask the sound of the shutter.
- Think about the camera’s resolution. It’s important to select a balanced resolution because a lower one won’t allow you to take prints. Also, a higher one cannot handle ISO properly.
Furthermore, cameras with higher megapixels take pictures that show all skin imperfections, which means you need to edit more.
Some cameras that meet the criteria include Sony Alpha a7 III and Nikon Z 6.
Conclusion
Beautiful photography is essential for capturing a baby’s milestones, from their sleepy smiles, tiny fingers, and toes to their delicate hair.
There are many options for taking these photos. However, a newborn photography studio is the perfect place to capture these moments.
With the right tools and procedures, you can be sure to create amazing images that capture some of an infant’s best moments. You’ll also have an enjoyable session that keeps everyone happy, warm, stress-free, and safe. For more articles like this, you can visit our website.
