10 Tips on Newborn Photography for Newbies

Taking pictures of your newborn can be exciting. You probably have got a lot of ideas already. In your imagination, your baby will look angelic, cute, and innocent. Still, this is not as easy as you may think it is, especially if you are a first-time photographer. You need the right tips on newborn photography for newbies.

Before you even begin, there are ten (10) things to consider:

1. The shot lists

It is true that babies’ moods are unpredictable. No matter how much we try to prepare them for this, anything can still happen. For starters, ‘safe shots’ are the best options. Once you have enough selections, you can start getting more creative with angles and ideas.

2. The choice of lens

For one of the tips on newborn photography for newbies, the choice of lens is the second to consider. You do not want to miss the moments, so it is best to use a fast 50/85mm prime lens. Operating at wide apertures will also help you to work in environments with less light.

Another thing is that you get to capture stills with your subject as the main focus. The blurred backdrop can be used to remove the distraction.

3. The setting of the camera

If you feel uncomfortable using manual mode, change your camera setting into aperture priority—with a wide f/4 to f/5.6 for aperture. Let your newborn’s face be the main focus. Let a bit of backdrop section into the frame. You can use a colorful background to make a more dynamic scene.

Your child’s feet can be alternatives for the main focus. Throw the rest of your baby frame into an artistic blur.

4. The attachment of the zoom lens to vary shot compositions

This is one of the tips on newborn photography for newbies you get to try. Break down several focuses in turns, from your baby’s feet, hands, nose, ears, or face. You can have up close shots of your child’s cuteness in different angles. After that, span out wide for contextual portraits. Have one that shows your child from head to toe.

5. The lighting

To make the shots look as natural as possible, avoid using flash. A flash only ruins the calm atmosphere you want to create. The image of texture and tone can also be ruined by a flash. For example: place the cot or your child near a window. Use a white sheet or curtain as a diffuser for a brighter day. Expose the kid’s face.

6. Decluttering the scene

Another one of the tips on newborn photography for newbies is to declutter the scene. Instead of nappies or bottles that are distracting, decorate the scene with soft-colored blankets, your baby’s loved toy, or a teddy bear.

7. Choosing black-and-white to convey more emotions

Actually, you can do either or both. There is no restriction here. Some people prefer black-and-white for sentimental value. You can start shooting photos in colors before desaturating them later. You can also use a B&W feature in your editing program after all the pictures are taken.

The photo-editing programs you can use are Photoshop or the Presets in Lightroom. With Photoshop, you can experiment on the curves. With the other one, you get to work on control contrast and brightness. Three things you can arrange when it comes to brightness: shadows, midtones, and highlights.

8. The stock collection per the baby’s growth

Babies grow so fast. To keep track on that, you can have more than just a few shots at one time. Many parents love taking pictures of theirs according to their periodical intervals. From here, you get to keep track of the changes as the baby grows. For this tip, you can use this collection of printed photos as a gift to your relatives.

As one of the tips on newborn photography for newbies, you can also choose to play around a bit with graphic designing effects. For example: alter the backdrop into something else, like a cartoon scene or an outer space in the editing process. If you prefer the old-school style, leave them just like that.

9. Newborn photography with their parents

This trick is not just to emphasize the proportions of your baby. This can also show the natural bond between the child and their parents. There are three things to use here: a wide aperture, a ramp up IOS, and the low-lighting scene. You can shoot the baby’s hand holding their mom’s finger or lying face to face with their dad, for example.

10. Making sure the baby is most comfortable first

When the infant is asleep, it is usually the best way to get the newborn photography shots done. Make sure the baby is well-fed first. Once they are asleep, the noisy shutter will not disturb them. You can gently position their tiny hands and feet without them resisting.

Here are the 10 tips on newborn photograph for newbies. Since anything can happen with babies, make sure that you do this right.

Tags: baby, Camera, newborn, newborn photo, newborn photography, photo