Newborn photography tips
Photographing all of these adorable little newborns isn't always easy work but it's always worth it! Here's some Newborn photography tips which will hopefully help you on your photography journey. You may be a photographer looking for newborn photography tips or you may be an expecting parent who has stumbled across my blog, either way hopefully you will find this information useful!
Below I have listed my top tips with more in depth information for each point......
My top 5 newborn photography tips!
Make sure you know how to use your lighting and camera properly
This is a big and main part of making sure you get the photos right in camera, rather than panicking in the editing process. When using my studio lights i always have my ISO on 100 and shutter speed on 200 and when photographing the baby my aperture is at 2.8. When i am photographing the newborn family photos i usually put my aperture up a bit to around 4.5 to make sure the whole family is in focus. I will then adjust my studio light accordingly to make sure the lights are the correct exposure. You will get used to it after time, practice makes perfect 😊
Newborns like to be warm so make sure your studio is warm and cosy
Another tip when photographing newborns is to remember to have your studio warn enough for the baby. Newborns have just come from being all cosy in their mothers womb and will hate being cold. Newborns also can't regulate their own body temperature yet so if you are photographing the newborn baby naked or unwrapped it's essential your studio is warm.
Use white noise or a baby shusher
Every newborn session I will use some kind of white noise. I have a baby shusher which is essentially the sound of someone just shushing and this works really well for settling the baby. Newborns are used to some kind of background noise as this is what it sounds like for them while the are growing in the womb.
Photograph the newborn wrapped at the beginning
Usually I will start my newborn sessions with the baby wrapped as this will help settle the baby and make them feel cosy and secure. After i have finished the wrapped photos i will then lead to the unwrapped photos. At the start of newborn sessions sometimes the babies are not very happy as they have been warm and cosy and then we take their babygrow off to start the session, which no baby really likes. Wrap them up and slowly give them time to settle and then you can start taking some beautiful newborn photos.
Make sure the newborn has just had a long feed
Before you start every newborn session you want to make sure that baby has a full belly of milk and is sleepy. It's best to take the babies clothes off down to their nappy before the feed, this way they are less disrupted after the feed. Once the baby has finished feeding, burped and settled you can start the newborn session.
One last bonus tip..... patience
I think this might actually be one of the most important things, you have to be really patient. You cannot rush a newborn session, you have to be calm and soothing with the newborn baby. Some babies will take longer to settle or be having more feeds but that is how it is and these little babies will be ready on their own terms which is ok, Patience will get you there 😊
My newborn photography studio
Looking to book in a newborn session? Well you have come to the right place, have a browse of my website and if you like what you see pop me a message and we can have a chat your your session!
- My studio is based in Sidcup but i cover surrounding areas such as Swanley, Dartford, Bromley, Orpington, Bexley, Beckenham and more.
- Find out more about my newborn prices here
- It's only a £99 deposit to secure your newborn session and then the balance for your chosen package is due on the day of your session
- I love including family and sibling photos as well, it's great to include the whole family!
If you would like to find out a little bit more about me, have a browse of my about me page here. Last of all thank you for taking the time to read my blog and if you have any questions regarding booking a newborn photography session, don't hesitate to contact me here.
It's never too late too book a session, I specialise in Maternity, newborn, family and older baby photography. Want to get some ideas for your session? Check out my portfolio here