The birth of a child is such a special and significant thing. As a woman who has been hoping for a child for the past 6.5 years, I understand more than most how miraculous and wonderful this time is. A newborn baby is so tiny and perfect, cuddly and sleepy – but this time… it’s so fleeting and brief! They grow so fast. And that’s why it’s so important to capture this moment so you can cherish this time forever. With so many photographers of varying talents, experience, and ability – I think it’s important for you to know how to find the right photography for your newborn portrait wants and needs!

Posed vs Lifestyle
The first thing you should decide is if you prefer a lifestyle photography or posed newborn photography. Lifestyle photography would be done in your home and is meant to capture your life, your family, as they are. Posed portraiture, however, are those cute, sweet, stylized baby portraits you see of the baby swaddled or nestled into baskets or other props. Both types of photography are beautiful ways to capture your new child, the goal is for you to decide which one speaks to you most!

Regardless of what style of photography you are drawn to there are some things you should really strongly consider. First of all, there are no “do-overs” for newborn portraits. There is a small window for capturing these newborn images so making certain you chose an experienced and skilled photographer is necessary to preserving this tender time. Things to look for in newborn photographer work should be consistency in image quality, good exposure (baby isn’t too bright white or dark), it’s well composed so your baby gets to be the star, look for good skin tone and complexion, and properly coloring throughout. Again – I cannot express this enough but EXPERIENCE WITH NEWBORNS is the most important thing. There is a proper way to work with newborns for their safety and to capture this time and not everyone is skilled in the right way for it. And I always encourage you to seek out your newborn photography before you little guy or gal arrives! Most porfessional photographers will have some things they’ll want to go over with you beforehand and it’s best to get all the details hammered out so that you get your little one’s session scheduled before it’s too late.

Newborn Lifestyle Photography
If you’ve decided in-home, lifestyle newborn photography is more to your taste – AWESOME! This style of photography means that your photographer will come into your home and capture those special moments between you and your loved ones as they unfold. This type of session really requires you to feel comfortable with your photographer because you’ll have to feel relaxed and truly you in front of the camera. So meeting your photographer ahead of time and getting to know them and be sure you’re comfortable with them is really a great idea.

So what are some things you should look for your newborn lifestyle photographer to capture? Well obviously they should have images of babies but they shouldn’t seem overly posed. You should see images of families in the nursery or other living spaces. You would hopefully see detailed shots like hands holding baby, tight shots of callucs or fingernails. And of course, EMOTION is the most important thing. The whole objective of lifestyle photography is to capture real and genuine moments and emotions. So that is the first thing you want to be sure to see!

Though I tend to shoot more posed newborn portraits in my own photography work, I do capture a little lifestyle imagery when I shoot in my clients homes. Here’s a few simple samples of some more lifestyle inspired images.

Newborn Portrait Photography
And if you’ve decided you prefer the more artfully crafted posed newborn portrait photography, equally AWESOME! This style of photography may require you to drive to the photographers studio or some may come to your home. These photographers often provide their own props, wraps, etc for your newborn portraits as it’s part of their professional style. They also tend to have a list of things you need to know to be sure your home and/or newborn are ready for their session. It is especailly important with this type of photography to meet with your photographer before your little one arrives so you can be sure to be prepared for the day of your session.

Here are some things to look for with this style of photographer. Again it is incredibly important to look out for a photographer who uses proper posing and newborn safety! There are so many new photographers who have no idea how to actually pose a newborn with the baby’s safety in mind. I’ve watched some horrifying behind the scenes videos where the photographer was posing the baby in a rather dangerous way – so be sure you’re photographer puts your child’s safety first and foremost! Next look for photographers whos images show baby’s face unobstructed from hands or blankets. Details are really important to these photographers too and they strive to always capture all of baby’s fingers and toes. And of course, flattering poses not only for baby (that hide their privates) but also for mom and dad too!

I’ve been honing my newborn photography under some esteemed newborn photographers for the past few years. Here’s some samples of my posed newborn portraits.

Personally, I love doing newborn photography! It’s a real art to pose these little ones! Each newborn I’ve worked with has had their own unique personality from day one and nothing makes me happier than getting to witness and capture the beginning of their awesome life! Plus, getting to snuggle these littles definitely helps heal my aching heart. If you’ve got a little guy or gal on the way – I’d love to meet and plan out your newborn session! Shoot me a message today at [email protected]!