Photo Tips:
Newborn and Baby Photography

A baby is the most precious gift of all. The photos you take of your newborn/baby will be plentiful – especially in the digital age! Unfortunately they don't always show what your see. Your baby is perfect and you would like your photos to show this. We have put together some tips to help you take the best photo you can.

There are two types/styles of photos that you will take of your beautiful newborn/baby:

• Documentary style
  Examples of these types of photographs are: being weighed for the first time in the maternity ward, their first smile, the first time they crawl etc;
  
  
• Portrait
  This is where you try to emulate what a professional photographer does and take that ‘Special’ photo. These are the ones that you will frame for your wall, or use for invitations, cards or birth announcements.

Both styles have a completely different purpose. For the documentary style, you can almost say that anything goes, however, if you are able to follow some rules below, great! Below is an example of each.

Documentary vs Portrait style photographs

We have put together a list of tips that will help you take the best photo you can of your baby:

1. Home Studio Set Up
   The easiest way to set up your own home studio, is to get a plain, light coloured sheet. If indoors, drape it over your lounge and onto the floor. If you are outdoors, drape it over an outdoor table and onto the ground.
   
   If your baby is still not sitting up, put a pillow underneath the sheet, for support for the baby. If they are almost sitting, lean then up against the pillow.
   
   

   Home Studio Setup

   
   
2. Background – Keep It Clean and Light!
   Clutter can very easily distract from the main subject. The plainer the background, the more the focus will be on your baby.
   
   
3. Lighting: The best light is natural light
   The best time for natural light is mid morning or mid afternoon. This is where the sun is the softest. For indoors or on cloudy days, use your flash (night flash or fill flash are great). If you are using a flash, please consider Rule 5: Stand Back and Zoom In.
   
   
4. Take Test Shots and Review Them
   You will have limited time per sitting - your baby will not pose for you for too long. Therefore, make sure you have your camera set up correctly, take a few test shots without your baby looking. Try it with a flash, without a flash and with varying distances away from the baby. Review the photos on your camera by zooming into the image and check whether you have the clarity you desire.
   
   
5. Stand Back and Zoom In
   There are a number of reasons why this rule is so important:
   - Zooming in isolates the subject from the background;
   - Being too close you can distort your baby’s face;
   - The flash can drown out the baby’s features;
   - If using a flash, the lighting will be a lot softer on the baby’s face, if you stand back and zoom in.
   If you have no choice but to stand close, put your camera on the flower setting (i.e. macro).
   
   
   

   Examples of photos taken of the same baby... all on the same day.

   Camera is too close. The baby's face is distorted.	The flash used was too close. Detail has been lost.	Same photo: No distortion

   
   
   
6. Photographers Assistant
   A helper is invaluable. While they try to make the baby smile or look a certain way, you are then free to take as many photos as is possible.
   
   
7. Positioning
   Bring yourself down to their level and face them directly. This will avoid photos of the tops of their heads or looking up their nostrils
   
   
8. Angles
   Change the angle that you take the photo from. Take them from the front and side.
   
   
9. Be ready!
   Half press your shutter down and wait. This way the camera is already focused and your response time will be quicker when your baby does the perfect pose. You will also be assured of crisper images.
   
   
10. Be Snap Happy
    Go crazy – in the digital age, it doesn’t cost any extra (the more photos you ‘shoot’ the better).
    

Now that you have some beautiful photos of your Newborn Baby, why not incorporate them into a Birth Announcement, Christening Invitation or Thank You Card you send out. We welcome you to browse through our designs. Alternatively, contact us as we can work together to choose the perfect design for you.

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