Baby Photography: Tips for Photographing Newborn Babies

Photographing newborn babies can be both interesting and challenging even for a seasoned, professional photographer. Newborns tend to sleep a lot, don’t smile that often, they are unable to sit up on their own, hold their heads up on their own and they cannot follow instructions. In this article, we have listed a few tips which could help you photograph newborns a little easier.

The 3 things to keep in mind while photographing a newborn are:

1-Composition.
2-Rapport with the baby.
3-Timing.

Lighting:

This is one of the most important aspects in photographing a baby. Remember that newborn babies have very sensitive eyes, and you do not want to startle them by using the flash of your camera. Try to avoid using the flash as much as possible. It is suggested that you shoot in natural light.
Increase the ISO and exposure compensation of on your camera, if required. If you must use flash ‘bounce’ it off the ceiling, so that the light is indirect. This way, you not only get less washed out shots of the baby, but also it helps in keeping the child’s eye safe from the harsh light. Another way to diffuse the light from the flash is putting a tissue over it.

Photo by : christopherallisonphotography

Angles:

The difficulty with newborn babies is that they cannot hold up their head and sit by themselves. Generally, in such a case, the very first tendency as a photographer is starting to take shots from above, with shots of the baby looking at you. Try getting down on the same level as the newborn, and fill the frame with the baby.

Taking close up shots is another way to improve the angles. You can get close up shots either by physically moving closer to the baby or by using a longer focal length. Getting the lens close to the newborn might startle them, therefore it is advisable to use a lens with long focal length.

Include other people:

Photographs of babies with parents, grandparents, siblings might make the compositions look even more interesting. You can also include another baby in the image and capture the bonding. This also helps control your angles, as it will get the baby in a more upright position.

Photo by : kristaguenin

Go Macro:

Focus on the smaller aspects of their face, or on a hand or feet. Going macro will capture the details you might miss otherwise. This will create beautiful images.

Black and White:

Newborn babies generally have a red spots on their face, their skin is usually blotchy. Using black and white can be effective in removing scratches, marks etc. As babies are soft and cuddly, and black and white kind of softens the image, it will help you bring out this feature of the baby.

Other tips include shooting in continuous mode, which will help you capture the subtle, small moments a baby makes. Putting babies in or on objects is another trick photographers like to use. Babies are tiny and easily fit into things, use your creativity here!

Photo by : Ruby Lane Photography

When photographing babies, you may find it difficult to get them look at the camera for the shot. Lucky for you, babies tend to look in the direction of the voice and can even raise their head towards the direction of the voice, so try using a rattle, toy or even a parent’s voice is a useful trick to grab the attention of the baby you are photographing.

Photo by : christopherallisonphotography

These are some ways to create good images of a newborn baby. Keep in mind that you are not just clicking photos – you are also making memories.