How to get amazing newborn baby photographs

Every family deserves amazing newborn baby photographs. But while we all have decent cameras in our back pockets these days, it’s not quite as simple as piling out a smartphone and taking a snapshot. There’s a whole other side to newborn photography that my clients often remark upon.

Taking the photo is actually a very small proportion of the session time – which also explains why newborn shoots tend to be several hours long. There’s something of an art to getting the world’s newest members to settle, either in awake contentment or blissful sleep.

So how do I do it?

Baby is the Boss

My sessions are entirely baby-led. In my studio, your little one calls the shots (quite literally) and everything I do flows from how your baby is feeling on the day.

Hungry? We’ll take a break and give your little one a feed (and a burp!)

Not sleepy? No problem, we’ll take some amazing awake photographs of your baby and let them burn off some energy.

Cranky and tired? We simply create the optimum environment for them to drift off.

With two young children of my own, as well as experience working with many newborns in my studio, I’ve got a wealth of practical knowledge and understanding which helps me detect what your baby needs at any given moment.

Whether they’re hungry, tired or struggling with wind, it’s never a rush – we simply pause and take the time to give your newborn whatever they need, and then continue. Patience is the name of the game.

Most babies will cry at some point during the session, and that’s ok. It lets us know that they need something. I make it my business to understand what they’re looking for, and to know the difference between a baby who is genuinely unsettled and a baby who is just having a bit of a fidget.

Sometimes, a quick swaddle is all it takes to turn a cranky baby into Sleeping Beauty.

I’ve had clients call me a baby whisperer, and I take great pride in that. I want you to be able to sit back, rest comfortably, confident in the knowledge that your little one couldn’t be in better hands.

So what about poses?

Again, baby is in charge

Babies are just like us – they have their own quirks, likes and dislikes. Some prefer to be on their tummies, others on their backs. Some like to have their hands free to roam while others prefer to have them held tight, depending on how strong their Moro reflex is.

I’ll always do my best to get a specific shot that’s important to you. But of course, not every baby likes every position, and I will never compromise your little one’s safety and comfort, so there is a degree of flexibility involved.

If your baby is showing signs that they aren’t settled, we will simply move on and come back later in the session if it’s possible.

However, most babies love to be swaddled and soothed with white noise – it reminds them of the safety, warmth and comfort of their time in the womb – so while I can’t guarantee any specific images, I have a number of tools at my disposal to give us the best possible chance. Either way, I promise you some amazing newborn photographs of your baby that you’ll treasure forever.

Capturing uniquely personal moments

One other benefit of being entirely baby-led in these sessions is that it makes it more likely that we see the little quirks and behaviours that make your newborn the individual character they are.

Perhaps they like to move their hands in a particular way, or to play with their lips. When we keep the session perfectly in tune with your baby, we’re far more likely to get a chance to capture these natural details.

One of my sons has always loved to curl his hands into fists but with his thumb poking out between his second and third fingers. I look back fondly at images of him in those first couple of weeks of life, and appreciate how amazing it is that I have a photograph of his hands in that very same position, back when those little fists were oh so tiny. Somehow, he picked up a habit so young that he still uses for comfort now, a year down the line.

What it all comes down to, at the end of the day, is that amazing newborn baby photographs come when you have a happy baby. And a happy baby comes when you put their needs, wants and desires at the heart of everything you do.

So, I don’t apologise for the fact I let my tiniest clients call the tune. I just make it my business to be highly skilled at listening to those cues.

And at the end of the session, that’s what really gives those amazing newborn photographs that my clients come to me to capture.

Why not secure your space and book with me today.