10 Newborn Photography Tips to Capture Perfect Baby Photos

Newborn babies are so cute!

They’re so adorable with their innocence, tiny fingers, and subtle movements. It’s like the angels sent them for us to forget our entire being and give us a certain joyous feeling.

This is why we love to capture their photographs to make the feeling last. And while they look perfect in photos, many photographers agree that they’re difficult to capture. This is because of the different working conditions and of course, unexpected incidents.

Babies in a box, a glass jar, or with butterflies around… People may think they’re done in actual but this can never be. Babies are delicate beings and one cannot just put them wherever they want.

This is where the power of Photoshop comes in. First of all, babies’ skin is still flaky and have red spots all over. Through newborn photo editing, one can make their skin smooth. After that, the magic of giving them surreal settings happen.

So if you are a photographer not ready for the action in newborn photography, here are some tips for you:

1. Timing is Everything

Babies can be moody and it may be stressful to take their photos when they’re upset. The best time to take their photos is during the first week of life. They are very malleable in their first few days so there will be no problem in getting them in best positions. They are also at their sleepiest state during the first week. Thus, there is less instance of having a wailing baby during the photoshoot.

2. Babies Like Warmth

Maintain a warm atmosphere to keep babies cooperative. In other words, to keep them asleep during the photoshoot. The photoshoot will be faster and easier if the babies are asleep as you keep snapping photos away.

3. Plan Your Concept Ahead of Time

Even famous photographers plan their concept ahead of time. It helps a lot and it saves time if you already have composed a vision of the final image long before the shoot starts. Gather the props early and set up the lighting that you want before having the baby in the room.

4. Choose Only Up to Three Poses

With your concept, plan only up to three poses for the photoshoot. This is a good consideration not only as a photographer but for the baby as well. Get the baby into adorable poses and shoot from multiple angles. Try experimenting with your shots. This way, you will have an easier time in culling and editing photos later on.

5. Keep it Simple

There is no point in having the baby in difficult posing positions. It will only wake the baby up and will even be at risk of being fussy during the entire shoot. It is important to keep in mind the reasons for newborn photography. It is capturing the precious little moments and real-life memories.

You may try to illicit a dimpled smile by gently tickling the chin. You may also want to keep the camera ready on the very moment when the baby wakes up and cutely yawns.

6. Do Not Be Intimidated.

If you are afraid to commit mistakes, don’t. Newborn photography can be stressful if you are going to think about how the professionals do it. Just calm down and keep everything simple. You have to make sure that you explain to the baby’s parents tedious it’s going to be. If in case you do some shooting mistakes, take comfort that photo editing can be done later to correct them.

7. Learn How to Wait

You should not hurry to finish the photoshoot right away. Newborn photography is difficult, and that’s something you should know before taking on the project.

Sometimes, the shooting conditions do not go as we expect it to happen. Sometimes, babies pee everywhere and poop anytime within the session. Also, they cry a lot when they’re disturbed so you need to be careful in putting them to certain poses.

You should learn how to wait until certain conditions are met before taking the pictures.

8. Be Patient with Your Shots

It can be frustrating to have hundreds of shots but not having one that you like. Since you are using digital photography, do not worry about not having the best shots. Keep snapping if you find a new angle or a new lighting effect. You have more time to check out your shots later on during post-processing. At least you will have many photos to choose from once you start with your newborn photo editing.

9. Never Use the Flash!

Aside from creating really harsh shadows, the flash is literally rash for the baby. Even adults get irritated with the flash. What more with babies who have very sensitive eyes? A soft and natural lighting source, like the windows, is all that you need. If you cannot avoid it and you need to use the flash, make sure that you have a diffuser to soften the harsh light. If you cannot get the right lighting, you can always adjust it through photo editing.

10. Get Professional Help for Newborn Photo Editing

Newborn photo editing can be laborious. One has to master specific techniques to perfect the image that parents would love to look at. While others want to do the newborn photo editing themselves, others leave it to professionals. Ephotovn for one has many years of experience in making plain-looking newborn photos to marvelous pictures. They specialize in retouches, clipping path services and of course, newborn photo editing.

Newborn photography is one of the most popular ways to preserve precious memories. Those dreamy images that you see on social media are not produced out of magic. Sometimes, it would actually take a village to set up the props, make the baby calm, and finish the shoot without any problem. After that, a series of post-processing methods will be applied. This will create the magical newborn photos that are gushed over by doting parents.