10 things that you didn’t know about newborn photography
1. Newborn photoshoots are best to take place in the first 14 days of life
Why so soon? Because newborn babies are sleepiest and most flexible at this stage. They can be moulded into cute poses and can fit into tiny props. Once they discover the power of stretching it’s hard to pose them. This doesn’t mean of course that older newborns cannot be photographed but the photos style will be different from the younger newborns, this will be more relaxed and less posed.
2. Best when the little one is sleeping
The best look on newborn babies is when they are asleep. The calmness on their face is adorable. Also if they are not easy settled, there are various techniques that are used to soothe the baby and fall into a natural state of calmness and eventually, sleep. What happens if the baby is wide awake ? Awake babies are still adorable, this is out of question. Any newborn photoshoot can be turned into a successful session even with a wide awake baby, by simply posing them relaxed into props with comfy, soft surface.
3. Safety comes first
When it comes to babies safety, MHB Photography makes a priority out of baby’s well being and comfort throughout the entire photoshoot. Firstly, I’m a trained photographer, I proudly graduated Damian McGillicuddy’s Baby Whisper Academy course when I in started in 2016. I know how to position the baby safely into pose without putting any pressure on their fragile little body.
4. Babies love being wrapped
Mastering newborn wrapping techniques is very important in newborn photography, wraps are one of the main props used during a newborn photoshoot. When they are wrapped, babies experience a familiar feeling similar to the one when they are in the womb. The wrap gives them protection and warmth and the babies just love that.
5. Props are a must
The props are a wonderful way to add style and character to your photos. At MHB Photography we have a variety of props that can cover any taste and style you might have, from buckets to bowls, blankets, flowers, rompers, wraps, hats you name it. Newborns love the comfy textures and this is the main goal of the session, that the baby is and looks comfortable. Props not only give a different angle to the photograph, but they also help you keep your baby happy while playing with them. Photographers love to capture real memories.
6. Colours and textures
Adding a variety of colours and textures to your newborn gallery is definitely my specialty. I love incorporating different props and outfits in the session and combining them into an original and creative set up. Fuzzy rompers, hand knitted sets, boohoo dresses I have them all in all colours.I encourage parents to think about their colour scheme before coming in for their newborn photoshoot and imagine how the photos will look like when hung up on their walls.
7. More time posing, less time photographing
The reality behind those cute newborn photos is that there is actually more time is spent posing than actual photographing. Babies can have fussy moments as well they can move right when we achieved that beautiful pose and then we have to start all over again. The good news is that in the end, it’s all worth it!
8. Soothing techniques
When it comes to soothing techniques, I learned through my experience a great deal of soothing techniques. Parents are sometimes blown away of how quick their baby can settle down. So a few tricks are making a warm and cosy temperature for them, using white noise during the session, feed the baby more often (forget their feeding schedule for few hours), wrap them in cosy layers, find their comfortable position…and yes, it works all the time!
9.’Perfect as a baby skin’ is a myth
Newborn photos require a lot of skin editing, their skin is not as perfect as you see them in magazines. They often have acne, blotches, flakes and all of how else can we make all these go away if not by the miraculous use of editing software. At MHB Photography, we pay attention to the smallest details and like deliver beautiful perfect skin photos to our customer, hence just one photos can take hours of editing.
10.Expectation versus reality
Sometimes we want something but it can all be unpredictable with babies so you should be ready to adapt if some poses won’t be possible. It’s a human tendency to expect too much but when ideas are discussed prior the session, everyone is happy.
