Three Things Moms Need To Know About Studio Newborn Photography
Three tips for a successful newborn session
Your little one is on the way. It is an exciting time and there is no doubt that you are going to want professional photos. Newborn photography is a very different experience than things like headshots, weddings or graduation photos. Knowing what to expect will help you plan and enjoy the results of your baby’s first photo session.
Newborn Sessions Take Time
Everything that has to do with a newborn happens in a suspended time portal. Few things happen quickly. There are three main things that take a lot of time during the session.
First, is feeding. Most photographers have mom feed the baby right when she gets to the studio. The reason for eating immediately before photos is that it encourages the baby to sleep deeply. This will give the photographer about an hour ot do to pose and take photos before the baby has to be fed again.
Second, is posing. Nearly all poses require that the baby is asleep. Newborns have certain behaviors the photographer has to take in to account while posing. Because of this, the photographer often has to stop and soothe along the way and slowly place the baby into those adorable poses. Poses are completed in stages so that the baby feels safe and secure the whole time. It can take up to 15 minutes or more to get the baby styled. And that is just for one shot!
The third thing that adds time to newborn sessions is waking up too early. It is not uncommon for a baby to be 90% wrapped and posed only to wake up and need soothing . Then, the whole posing process begins again. Patience is something you have to have at your session. Each of these things, feeding, posing, and soothing back to sleep can take time.
Expect Fewer Images
Not only does it take a lot of time to wrap and/or pose newborns for the actual photo, it also takes time processing the images afer the session. Believe it or not, newborn skin requires a lot of retouching. You may not think so, but it’s true. Your photographer will spend upwards of 10 to 15 minutes per image to retouch so your baby looks fantastic.
Because of this and other concerns, most newborn sessions have about 10 to 25 images in their gallery. While you may be used to wedding photographers who show you hundreds of images, or a holiday mini session where you get 50 images in 20 minutes, this is generally not the case with newborn portraits. The number of images depends on many things such as how well mom and the baby are prepared for the session, the demeanor of the baby the day photos are made and the types of images you want. For example, if you want family, sibling, and baby-alone images, that is a lot to accomplish in a 2 or 3 hour session. Add in a baby who decides to cluster feed that day and images can be even harder to get.
Honor What Your Baby Is Able To Do
Every newborn session is different simply because each baby is unique. This obvious statement is sometimes cast aside by overly enthusiastic moms who have high expectations for portraits. While it is fun to go on Pinterest and look at newborn photos you may want for your new baby, keep in mind that not every baby can do every pose. Some babies simply do not like to be in certain positions. Other babies do not like certain textures. Your newborn definitely follows developmental patterns and newborn photography pays close attention to how the baby is reacting during the session.
Yes, I know that camping theme with the baby adorably leaning over a bucket is to die for. But it is good to have reasonable expectations and to rejoice in the images your baby completes. Newborns already have a personality. They have preferences. Let the images they make accentuate who they are at this time. When you look back in 15 years, you will recognize attributes that showed themselves in a teeny way during your son’s or daughter’s first photo shoot.
Studio newborn sessions have the advantave of showcasing features of your baby that more casual photo shoots can miss. But they do require pre-planning, good preparation, and patience. Following these recommendations will help you get the best images from your session.
Talk to an expert about planning your perfect newborn session.
How to Get Started in Newborn Photography: Part 1 Safety
Learn how to get trained in newborn photography safety.
If you are familiar at all with newborn photos, you know that they can be super cute. I know that is what attracted me so many years ago when I began thinking about becoming a newborn photographer. There are a few things, however, that I wish people had pointed out to me early on. It would have made things a bit easier for me. So here, I am going to tell you those things. I hope that these insights from a working Los Angeles newborn photographer help you in your endeavor. This is Part One of a series. Here, I talk about newborn safety.
Getting Started in Newborn Photography: Safety
Before you even think about grabbing a camera and snapping photos, the first thing you need to do is learn as much as you can about newborn photography safety. When you see adorable newborn pictures, what you are looking at, if it is done safely, is an image that has been heavily produced after the fact. In other words, the image you see and the one that was originally taken by the camera are two very different things. There are a few different ways you can learn about newborn photography safety.
Kelly Brown Kelly Brown is one of about 4 or 5 world renowned newborn photographers. She offers a free class that covers the very basics in newborn safety. This class is a start, but it is NOT enough. She also offers extensive training on the 9 or 10 common newborn poses. Safety for each pose is included. I cannot emphasize how critical it is that you watch, listen and observe from Kelly Brown. In my opinion, she is the best there is. She is conservative, meaning there are certain poses she won’t do, and she is so careful while handling newborns. This is not true with many of the videos on newborn posing on YouTube, where the baby is jiggled and jolted around like a rag doll. These kinds of photographers are not the ones you want to emulated yourself after. The other great thing about Kelly Brown is, she does NOT use an assistant. So if you are new to the field and do not have money to pay someone, Kelly shows you that it is possible to do newborn posing alone. It is very difficult, but it is possible.
Julia Kelleher Julia Kelleher is another of the world famous newborn photographers. She is an inspiration on many levels. She offers an extensive class on newborn posing that also talks a lot about safety. In her case, she works with an assistant. So you can see what a different experience it is to have a helper next to you. It can mean you are able to do more poses, or even more than one newborn session a day. She covers the same 9 or 10 basic poses that are the standard today.
American Association for Newborn Photography Safety As of this writing, there is no governmental or industry standard for what constitutes safe newborn posing. There are general guidelines based on experienced photographers and some pediatricians who have chimed in on the matter. However, there is a grass roots attempt to try and create some kind of minimum standard for newborn posing safety. That is what this organization is trying to do. It is operated by a couple of experienced newborn photographers and a pediatrician. They offer an online class you can take. You then pass an exam, and you get a certification. At the very least, it is an attempt to hold people accountable. And if you get certified, more parents will feel safer about using you.
Newborn Care Specialist Training I do not know if any other newborn photographers have completed newborn care training. But I did. I took the training online. This particular class is taught by an experienced newborn care specialist. For me, I learned so much about what newborns can do, how they behave, how to soothe them and so much more. The training is about 40 hours, and there is a ton of information. But it will help you feel more confident around newborns. It is one thing to have experience with your OWN kids, but when you are handling other peoples’ newborns, most of that goes out the window. Almost every bit of information in this class will help you be a better newborn photographer.
Observe an experienced photographer. Nothing comes close to observing one or more experienced newborn photographers. By experienced, I mean someone who has at least 150 successful newborn sessions under their belt. Fewer that this, in my opinion, is not experienced enough. When I was training, I went and worked with 4 or 5 different newborn photographers. Some I mentored with online, others I went and spent 2 days or more and observed as many sessions as I could. I recommend clocking at least 10 hours observing experienced photographers, before you try photographing newborns on your own.
Before you can do anything about photographing newborns, you have to know a lot about them. You have to understand what their joints and muscles are able to do, how posing is done slowly and in stages and how to move safely from one pose to the next.
Katie is a newborn photographer at Panos Productions Photography. We create showpiece images for modern moms who want to remember everything they love about their kids, forever.