posingnewborns

By Kelly Brown
Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 1
1 2 3

Creating the Perfect Environment Using Natural Light Communicating with the Parents

4 5 6

Settling Techniques Posing on a Bean Bag Using Props

7 8 9

Posing with Siblings Posing with Parents Working with Multiples

10 11

PosingImages
Composite Newborns by Kelly Brown More on Safety Title of Chapter here 2
 Chapter 1
Creating the Perfect
Environment

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 3

Creating the
Perfect Environment

T
o create the perfect environment, it is important
to understand the environment that babies come
from.

The temperature inside the mother’s womb is 38 C /

100 Fahrenheit. Because newborns cannot regulate
their body temperature as well as an adult can it needs
to be protected from both cold and heat. It’s best to
warm the studio to 28 degrees Celsius/ 82 degrees
Fahrenheit. You can do this with a small space heater
and another larger heater that has a thermostat.

It’s important to keep an eye on the temperature

throughout the session and to also make sure the par-
ents are comfortable with the temperature.

The womb is also full of sounds, particularly the

whooshing of the mother’s blood and digestive sys-
tem, and the thumping of her heart and voice, which
sounds louder than it would transmitted through the
air since it reverberates through the bones and fluids
in her body. Because of this, it’s good to play white
noise throughout the session on either an iPhone or
iPad and have a small heart beat rhythm playing as
well.

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 4

 Chapter 2
Use Natural Light

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 5

 Using Natural Light
In this course, natural light is being used when working with newborns.
A great natural light scenario would be a large southeast facing window in
the studio with a sheer white curtain to diffuse the light.

Depending on where your studio is located and what your source of light is, you
may have to schedule your sessions around this. If the best light happens to
come in the morning, then you’ll want to try to book your sessions then. >>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 6

<<< Using Natural Light
If your window has direct sunlight,
this can cause harsh shadows so dif-
fuse this with a sheer curtain.

Since the temperature of light may

vary depending on if it’s sunny or
cloudy, use a grey card in order to get
perfect white balance and exposure.

Angle your bag and props toward

the light so the light falls beautifully
across the baby’s face. By positioning
the baby at a 45-degree angle to the
light, you will softly highlight all of the
baby’s little features perfectly.

Use large reflectors to fill any shad-

ows when needed.

{ }
Key Points:
• Use natural light
• Position the baby at a 45-degree
angle to the light
• Use a reflector, if needed, to fill in
the shadows

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Chapter 3
Communicating with
the Parents
Communicating
with the Parents
A
fter the parents have contacted you for the first time,
send them information about what to expect from a new-
born session as well as when the session should take
place and where the session will be held. Refer to the sidebar
on the right for appropriate client information.
Once a session time and date has been confirmed, let them
know to wear something cool and comfortable, and to try
and avoid logos and patterns on shirts that could be dis-
tracting in the photographs.
At the beginning of the session, ask the parents if there is
anything in particular that they would like. Some will have
very clear ideas and others will say “I love everything I’ve
seen of yours!” At the end of the day, they have come to
you as a professional photographer to capture the newest,
most precious member of their family so they can remem-
ber every little detail about them at that age. Talking to
your client and understanding what they want, as we are
all different, is very important. It’s great to get the clients
involved in the styling of the session. At Little Pieces Pho-
tography, over the last couple of years, the sales have been
higher as the clients have had input on colour selection and
the choices in props used. >>>
Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown
Educate the client: Session
information & when to book
The best time to book a newborn session is
during the pregnancy. Make a tentative book-
ing with the parents based on their due date
and then have them contact you when they
arrive home from the hospital with their new
baby. You can then arrange a suitable time and
date for the photo session.
The ideal time to photograph newborn babies
is around 6-10 days of age.
It’s good to allow for plenty of time for feeding
and cuddling during the session, so it will take
between 2-4 hours. If your studio has lots of
props for you to choose from, involve the par-
ents in the styling of the session.
At Little Pieces Photography, the session fee
covers the custom-styled photography and a
private online gallery. The private online gal-
lery will display approximately 20 images, each
personally and creatively edited by Kelly. The
session fee does not include any prints or digi-
tal negatives but will be deducted from the cli-
ents’ choice of package when ordering.
9
 { The best form of
advertising is
word of mouth!
}
<<< Communicating with the Parents

Fill your studio with colours and props

that you love, and have fun with your
clients. It’s better for them to love all of
the photos because they were involved
than to have them be unhappy because
items were chosen without their input.

Some clients will come to you because

they love your work and some will come
to you because you are the closest and
most convenient and others because of
your reputation. Understanding what
your client wants will not only help your
sales, but giving them the service they
deserve will encourage them to spread
the word about your business. The best
form of advertising is word of mouth!

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Chapter 4
Settling Techniques
 Settling Techniques

W
hen the family arrives, the baby may or may not already
be asleep. The baby should be asleep for the session, so
you may have to spend time getting the baby settled.

If the baby is hungry, it is best for them to feed before the ses-
sion starts so that the session doesn’t have to be interrupted.

Ask the mom or dad to undress and loosely wrap the baby, leav-
ing the nappy between their legs before they feed so that they
are not disturbed if they fall asleep while feeding.

If the baby is sound asleep when they arrive, you can start the
session straight away.

When settling the baby while they are awake and fed, loosely
wrap the baby and gently rock him or her back and forth. This
is reminiscent of the movements they experienced in the womb,
as they had been gently tumbling and floating in amniotic fluid.

If the baby is upset with a pain or wind, place them upright on

your shoulder and move them gently from side to side, patting
their back. If they become too unsettled, you can pass them
back to their mother for comforting.

Once they are asleep, place them down gently either on the bag
or in a prop.

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 Chapter 5
Posing on a bag

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 13

Posing on a Bag

A
ny beanbag would be good for posing
the newborns on, but it would be ideal
to use a posing pod. A posing pod is per-
fect because of its flat-topped shape and large
size, making it safe and easy to pose on. You
can purchase posing bags at the following two
places:

• Newborn Baby Posing Limited

• Shoot baby

When setting the posing bag up, it’s good

to layer it with up to 5 blankets and clamp
them to the backdrop stand so it’s nice and
smooth.

As every baby is different, you should go

through a series of poses. If they are not
comfortable in one pose, move onto the
next one.

When working on the posing bag, use cloth

nappies, because they are firm when they
are folded, to raise and support the baby
into position from underneath the bottom
layer of blankets. >>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 14

<<< Posing on a Bag

It’s good to flow/transition from

the baby’s back, to side, to tum-
my. This helps to keep them set-
tled when posing them. Start
with the baby on their back,
usually with a wrap around the
baby to keep their legs and
arms secure.

When photographing down-

wards, always keep the camera
strap around your neck!

A 24-70mm lens is a good range,

allowing you to photograph
without standing on anything
where you could potentially be-
come unstable and fall.

With the baby posed on his or

her back, you can get a least 3
different angles for photos with
very small movements of the
babies hands.

>>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 15

 <<< Posing on a Bag

After photographing the baby on their back, gently During any of the above setups, the baby should
roll them onto their side, clamping the blanket to the not be left in these positions for too long. If you
backdrop stand. The baby can be wrapped and pho- need to, have a parent sit close to the bag to
tographed again from different angles with slight support the baby’s head if necessary. It is always
adjustments to their hands and feet for variety. better to be safe than sorry. I will often clone out
a parent’s support hand from an image, and it
From the side pose, gently roll them further onto
makes them feel involved as well, which they love.
their tummy and bring their elbow and knee together.
With this pose, you can get another 3 different shots.
Then turn the baby toward the front of the bag and
bring their arms up and under the chin so the chin is
resting on the wrists. Again, take images from differ-
ent angles and use either headbands or little hats for
variety.

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Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 17
 Chapter 6
Use props to create
visual interest

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 Using Props

U
sing props is a great way to add
visual interest to your images,
and to get the parents involved
in crafting the session. Refer to page 21
for resources on what kinds of props to
use and where to buy them. >>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 19

 <<< Using Props

When using props it’s extremely important to

choose props that are solid and sturdy.

Always have a support hand on the baby

during any of these setups unless they are ly-
ing securely on their back inside a prop, but
always have someone close by when taking
the image.

Again, cloth nappies are great to line props

with so the baby is nice and comfortable and
supported at all times.

Never should a baby be placed in something

that could potentially break or fall. The safe-
ty of the baby is the number one aspect of
the shoot.

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 20

 Props Resources

W hen choosing props, Little Pieces Photography looks for items that are unique and in natural tones.
Anything wooden or metal is great. You can shop online, in antique shops or homeware stores.

For knitted and handmade items, For larger props like blankets, buckets, crates &
try the following: nests, visit the following:

Brand New Babe Etsy

Love That Prop Ebay

Monkey Moo Moo Picsie Props

Little Doe Drops and Props

Love that Prop JD Vinatage

Faas Design Mr. & Mrs. And Co.

Handmadebylululu Sewing My Passion Local antique stores

Homeware stores

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 21

 Chapter 7
Posing newborns with
the siblings

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 22

 Posing with Siblings
When posing newborns with their older brothers or
sisters, keep it really simple and photograph them at
the beginning of the session while they’re nice and
interested.

Wrap the baby so they feel secure and so it’s easy

for the siblings to hold them. This will also prevent
the baby from startling.

For siblings under three, I like to lay them down and

place the baby in their arms, I have mom or dad nice
and close in case they move as well. By laying them

{ }
down, it avoids the baby from falling if the toddler
decides they’ve had enough and jumps up.
Parents absolutely
With older siblings, I will place the baby in their arms love the sibling shots
while they’re sitting comfortably on the floor.

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Chapter 8
Posing newborns with
the parents

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 24

 Posing with
the Parents

N
ot every parent will want to be in the
photos but it’s always encourage them
to be in them because it’s such a special
time. Tell them that if they don’t like them they
don’t have to buy them, but they always do.
Photograph the parents separately first,
and then together. Make it all about the
baby. This also helps the parents relax a bit
more as well. Take a series of images of the
parents looking at their baby, then looking
at the camera and then interacting with
their baby and each other.

When photographing the dads, show them

first how to hold the baby and then talk
them through the photo. Ask first if they’re
comfortable with taking their shirt off for a
skin-to-skin image. >>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 25

<<< Posing with the Parents

When positioning the baby with

the Mum I like them to hold the
baby close to their face, this is
a great way to capture the con-
nection and love between them.
Most mothers will be feeling a
little self conscious about their
bodies after birth so this is a
great way to come in close and
shoot from the chest up.

When photographing the par-

ents together, bring the dad in
from the side and turn them to-
wards each other so the baby is
in the middle. Talking to them
during the images and guide
them on what to do.

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 26

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 27
Chapter 9
Working with Multiples

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 28

 Working with
Multiples

W
hen photographing more than
one newborn, plan on doing 2-3
set ups with the babies together
and then photographing them separately
in an additional 2-3 set ups.
The perfect time to photograph babies
the babies together is when they’re
both asleep.

Try using larger baskets and props like

washtubs to pose twins and triplets in
together.

The length of the session and the ses-

sion fee can remain the same when
photographing multiples as it’s import-
ant to remember that the parents are
usually sleep deprived so it’s good to
get the session over as quickly as pos-
sible. You can do fewer individual set-
ups with twins as you will photograph
them together and those setups take a
little longer achieve.

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Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 30
 Chapter 10
Composite images

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Composite Images

T
here are some poses that will require some
Photoshop compositing. This means that you
will have to take more than one image (with
the camera in the same exact location) and them
merge them later in order to remove things such as
a supporting hand. Whenever you see a newborn
photo where it appears that the baby is holding his
or her head up with their hands, the image was com-
posited. >>>

Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 32

 <<< Composite Images

Composite images are the best way to really ensure the safety
of the baby when it comes to this pose. You don’t have to of-
fer certain poses like the wrapped sitting upright or the froggy
pose but every now and then a parent will request them.

It’s important for the parent to understand how the images are
created and what they have to do to help.

Inform the parents that if the baby becomes uncomfortable at

any stage, you will move onto the next setup. It can be good to
leave these poses until the end of the session anyway. The baby
also needs to be extremely sleepy for these setups.

You don’t want to attempt these images on your own for the
first time.

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Chapter 11
Important Safety Tips
 More on Safety

T
he safety of the baby is the most important aspect of your
session. Parents will also feel more comfortable throughout
the session knowing their baby is in safe hands

Always have a spotter/parent next to your baby when using props.

Use a support hand or finger when posing the baby and clone it
out later in Photoshop.

Don’t force a baby into any pose. Instead, move them to where they
are comfortable.

Have your camera strap around your neck when shooting above
the baby.

Never stand on anything above the baby in case you fall or it breaks.

Never put a baby inside or on an object that could potentially break

or fall.

Glass props should never be used.

Lastly, when photographing newborns, it doesn’t have to be compli-

cated. More often than not, less is best. Capturing the tiny details
that parents want to remember about their baby is what sells, not
the most elaborate, tricky setups.

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