I feel so much for all the families out there that are missing out on newborn photos due to the current social distancing restrictions so I thought I would put together a little blog with some tips on how to take your own pictures at home. Although the restrictions eased this week, there may be some concerns within individual families with letting visitors into your home.
Firstly, please remember that the safety of your baby is the most important thing and many newborn poses you see are achieved with the help of an assistant and an experienced photographer. Please do not attempt these poses.
I myself am not an experienced photographer in this area but I can definitely give you some tips on how to take some simply lifestyle photos yourself as that’s my jam
Prepare prepare prepare
If you put in a bit of planning before hand, the process will feel easier and the end result be more what you are after.
* Look for your best light. Go through your house and find a nice big window that lets in lots of beautiful natural light. You don’t want harsh sunlight beaming at you, but instead some lovely soft light drifting in. You might find a few areas within your home – in the loungeroom, your bedroom or baby’s nursery are ideal but not mandatory.
* Tidy up these areas to remove distractions, open up the blinds and turn off the lights to let in as much natural light as possible.
* Crank the heating up in your home – you may want to wear appropriate clothing for this as I know that when feeding your body temp is already up so it may be uncomfortable wearing bulky or warm clothes but the warmer the house, the more settled your baby will be.
* Keep the clothing simple. Both yours and your baby’s. Pop your baby in a plain white or neutral onesie – something you’d like showing up in the photographs if you like but that is reasonably easy to remove as you may want to strip him or her down to their nappy so we can see their little fingers and toes.
* Find a safe, flat surface near the light source that you can place your baby on. It may be your bed or on the floor. If your baby is raised onto something, please make sure they are safely away from any edges.
* Chose your accessories to match the mood you are after. If you after light and airy shots, choose white blankets or bed linen or for dark and moody tones, chose darker ones. You can use textured wraps and blankets for layering and wrapping your baby so have them handy.
When you are ready to shoot
* Firstly, ensure that your baby is happy and take a break or give your baby a feed if your baby is unsettled.
* Aim to angle the top of your baby’s head towards the light (the window) with the rest of the body angled away.
* Move around your baby and experiment with the angles. You can get in close and take from afar and tilt your camera until you get lots of different options. If taking from above, make sure you are stable and your camera strap is around your neck.
* You will be guided by your baby as to how he or she is feeling on the day so take it easy on yourself if it doesn’t all work out the first time, you have the luxury of time and I am sure you will have some beautiful keepsakes to remember.
