Newborn Photography 101
You don’t have to look far online to fine the obligatory, ” Nailed it!” newborn photo. Many DIY folks have thought to themselves, ” if I just plop my infant down on this aesthetically pleasing surface then I can just whip out my iPhone then I can BAM,” … and a ( typically ) awful photo is born. Concepts like directional lighting, depth-of-field, and color balance seem easy when they’re executed by a professional, but the subtleties of the art form are pretty obvious after a few real-life attempts.
Enter Kendra, one half of Lightshed Photography Studio’s team and resident baby-wrangler. She’s been working with newborns for the past ten years and knows a thing or two about how to photograph and how never to photograph children and infants. ” Trust me, it could be a science,” she joked the other day. ” You don’t have to look further then my husband Dan to notice that some people know how to do it and some don’t. I mean, I love him, but he can handle the commercial work and leave the kiddos to me.”
Because Kendra knows that it’s never as simple as it seems, she’s compiled a list of suggestions for your upcoming newborn session!
Newborn Prep
- Toasty Kiddos. We typically have the studio thermostat set to 75 – 85 degrees during a newborn session; this means that you’re going to want to go ahead and dress in layers if your little one was born in the winter months ( you’re going to end up taking some of it off ). This helps baby sleep ( and sometimes dad too ).
- Include Family Heirlooms / Props. It’s a FABULOUS idea to bring items that have been handed down from kiddo to kiddo. Many times parents will have blankets or outfits that they had as children available to use for the newborn session. Kendra ended up using a Tonka toy truck she and her sister had as kids for her nephew’s newborn session ( grandpa is a contractor ).
- Budget 3-4 hours. There will be beautiful photography… but there will also be crying, peeing, and pooping. We always block off four hours in-studio for these sessions assuming Kendra will only be photographing for 45-60 minutes of that time. Feel free to take a nap or order a pizza from down the street!
While these suggestions are a good starting point, they’re still just the top of the iceberg. Give us a call at 978-854-5348 or email kendra@lightshedphoto.com for more great information on getting professional portraits of your little one done!