Just like all areas of professional photography, new-born photography requires the right set of skills to be able to capture high quality photos. However, there's one important exception: it's the only area of photography where the photographer is completely responsible for the welfare and safety of the subject. As a photographer, you will hold, soothe, comfort, wrap, clean, pose, and even feed your subject: the baby. That’s why you need new-born photography skills to be able to handle your delicate subject safely and comfortably throughout the photo session. Here are useful tips to help boost your photography skills:
Photograph at Under Two Weeks:
Babies tend to sleep a lot during the day in the first few days following their birth. However, that changes pretty fast, when they hit two weeks. As they start getting used to the outside world, they spend more time awake every day. Besides, they also begin to gain muscle tone, which makes it difficult to curl them up into lovely poses. Because of this, you need to take new-born photos before they're two weeks old, when they're still in the sleeping phase. In addition, babies under 14 days are gorgeously bendy and flexible, which, when coupled with sound sleep, makes it easy to pose them gently into adorable positions.
To get the best shots, it's advised not to do a session when the baby is less than 5 days old. Why? Because at that time, the baby's feeding is not yet established. And when he is not fed properly, he won't sleep well, which might interrupt a photo shoot. You want the baby on a full belly, to make them sleep better when being photographed. Also, because some babies don't look their best immediately after birth, you need to give them a few days so that their faces can settle.
Keep it Warm:
Birthday suits are the outfits of choice when taking new-born photos. However, at that stage, babies are still used to their mothers' womb temperature, which is about 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. So, turn up the heat to keep the baby warm. Room temperatures between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit will make the baby sleep comfortably during the photo session. But, anything can happen when you have a new-born without a diaper, so be ready with wipes and paper towels, just in case.
Always Be Attentive:
As a new-born photographer, you need to be able to capture those slight changes in expression or posture that come and go in seconds. Your little subject may suddenly smile, yawn or open her eyes, providing you with a once in a lifetime opportunity to capture the special moment. So keep your eyes open always, and be ready to act immediately whenever an opportunity arises. Being attentive gives you a competitive edge over your fellow photographers because you're able to catch those rare magic moments.
Be Patient:
A new-born photo shoot can take between an hour to up to several hours, so you need some serious patience to achieve those perfect poses. Your ability to take perfect photos will depend entirely on the baby. If he's well fed and sleeps soundly, then the session shouldn't take long. However, if he keeps on waking up and crying in the middle of the shoot, then you'll have to take a break to feed the baby, and put him back to sleep. That can take a while, especially if you're dealing with twins, so be patient if you want to get those perfect poses.
Overall, taking photos is easy and fun of you know how to do it right. Implement the above tips, and watch your new-born photography skills improve in no time.
Photograph at Under Two Weeks:
Babies tend to sleep a lot during the day in the first few days following their birth. However, that changes pretty fast, when they hit two weeks. As they start getting used to the outside world, they spend more time awake every day. Besides, they also begin to gain muscle tone, which makes it difficult to curl them up into lovely poses. Because of this, you need to take new-born photos before they're two weeks old, when they're still in the sleeping phase. In addition, babies under 14 days are gorgeously bendy and flexible, which, when coupled with sound sleep, makes it easy to pose them gently into adorable positions.
To get the best shots, it's advised not to do a session when the baby is less than 5 days old. Why? Because at that time, the baby's feeding is not yet established. And when he is not fed properly, he won't sleep well, which might interrupt a photo shoot. You want the baby on a full belly, to make them sleep better when being photographed. Also, because some babies don't look their best immediately after birth, you need to give them a few days so that their faces can settle.
Keep it Warm:
Birthday suits are the outfits of choice when taking new-born photos. However, at that stage, babies are still used to their mothers' womb temperature, which is about 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. So, turn up the heat to keep the baby warm. Room temperatures between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit will make the baby sleep comfortably during the photo session. But, anything can happen when you have a new-born without a diaper, so be ready with wipes and paper towels, just in case.
Always Be Attentive:
As a new-born photographer, you need to be able to capture those slight changes in expression or posture that come and go in seconds. Your little subject may suddenly smile, yawn or open her eyes, providing you with a once in a lifetime opportunity to capture the special moment. So keep your eyes open always, and be ready to act immediately whenever an opportunity arises. Being attentive gives you a competitive edge over your fellow photographers because you're able to catch those rare magic moments.
Be Patient:
A new-born photo shoot can take between an hour to up to several hours, so you need some serious patience to achieve those perfect poses. Your ability to take perfect photos will depend entirely on the baby. If he's well fed and sleeps soundly, then the session shouldn't take long. However, if he keeps on waking up and crying in the middle of the shoot, then you'll have to take a break to feed the baby, and put him back to sleep. That can take a while, especially if you're dealing with twins, so be patient if you want to get those perfect poses.
Overall, taking photos is easy and fun of you know how to do it right. Implement the above tips, and watch your new-born photography skills improve in no time.