Contact Me
Photographing Your Newborn Baby Yourself at Home (Because Lockdown!)
As a London Newborn Baby Photographer (I cover all of the South East too!), I’ve photographed literally hundreds of brand new bundles of joy! Today I’m going to share with you some of my top tips for photographing your own newborn baby at home. Because lockdown..
(Have older kids? Download my guide 10 Tips For Photographing Your Kids In Lockdown!)
Newborn baby photos are important!
There are some essential newborn baby photos that sadly you’ll never be able to photograph yourself as a parent (that would be photos with yourself in them of course!). I of course recommend hiring a professional photographer like me as soon as you can, to take these for you.
However you will of course want to take tons of photos yourself of your lovely new baby. That’s where I hope my tips will come in handy.
First things first.. safety!
We’re not talking about recreating those newborn photos you see where baby is suspended from a branch, wrapped in a piece of fabric, or sort of ‘sat up’ in the ‘froggy’ position that was popular a few years ago.. Those photos are made using Photoshop trickery.
So don’t try any of that at home!
In my humble opinion, that’s all becoming a bit dated nowadays anyway. There’s a definite move towards more natural, sweet and authentic newborn baby photography, shot at home rather than in a studio.
5 Easy Tips for Photographing Your Baby at Home | From Top London Newborn Baby Photographer
(All photos by me! London Newborn Baby Photographer Schryver Photo).
1). Include elements of your home in the photos
I just love photographing babies in their own home. It gives such a personal touch to your photos! Thinking ahead to that not-so-distant day in the future when your newborn baby is suddenly old enough to want to look back on their baby pics, half the nostalgia trip is seeing what ‘home’ looked like then.
The likelihood is that it’ll all look hideously uncool in ten years time of course, but that’s half the fun ;)
2). Photograph the little details
Baby’s teeny fingernails, toes, ears.. these little details will never be quite so little ever again, so capture them on camera now!
Those little toes..!
Details I love to photograph include hands, feet, lips, ears, chubby thighs, belly button (whether cord stump still attached or not..!), and that downy mop of hair (yup, including that weird bald patch they get at the back of the head!).
3). Keep it real! (my entire ethos as a professional newborn photographer)
We’ve all seen those pics of newborn babies sound asleep and angelic-looking. It’s not really that representative of what a newborn baby is reeeeally like, is it?!
Some of my favourite newborn baby photographs tell a bit more of the real story. Whether it’s a photo of baby mid-yawn (or mid-wail!), or of their weird ‘I’m in the process of filling my nappy and concentrating HARD’ face that you grow to know so well!
Real Life is best
As a professional London Newborn Baby Photographer I make it my business to photograph all the ups and downs of caring for your new bundle of joy, and all the ‘normal’! Rather than an unrealistic cookie-cutter picture of your life as a growing family.
So, it’s mostly going be about the feeding/changing/burping routines that become your life! (That is until the next stage comes around and you’re picking mushed up broccoli out of the carpet and chasing your little rascal around your home..).
4). Include YOURSELVES in the photos!
I can’t stress this point enough really! Please please please get in the photo yourself sometimes! Perfect example – I have very few photos of myself with my daughter when she was a baby. Really, I could count them on one hand.
I wasn’t actually a London newborn baby photographer yet by that point (not professionally anyway), so I don’t suppose it really occurred to me as something I ought to take the time out to do! Plus I felt fat, and of course ridiculously tired.. I totally regret it now. This applies to both mums and dads of course.
Get in the damn pics!
So whether you get your partner or a friend to take some simple portraits of you with your new baby, or hire a professional London newborn baby photographer to come and take some awesome photos of you as a family, make sure you get in the picture somehow!
5). Oh, and get siblings, pets and Grandma involved while you’re at it..
Snap the other family members with your new baby too! Whether that’s siblings, grandma, or pets.
As a professional London newborn baby photographer I always encourage ALL family members to be involved in the shoot, furry or otherwise. If grandparents happen to be popping round then all the better. They can get involved too :)
Are you looking for a London Newborn Baby Photographer to come and photograph your family?
Book a session now for when lockdown is over..
If you’d like to book me for a family and baby photo shoot in your home, anywhere in the UK (I travel!) just click below and we can schedule your Intro Call. We’ll do this on Skype/Zoom so we can ‘meet’ and ensure I’m the right fit for you and your family.
Gift certificates
Gift Certificates are available to purchase from £195 – I can even set up your own ‘gifting’ page on my website – if family or friends want to buy you something to celebrate the birth of your baby, you can direct them there to gift an amount towards your photo shoot (or a framed print, photo book, etc..).
Relaxed and natural newborn baby photos
I allow plenty of time during a newborn baby photo shoot for breaks for feeding, nappy changes and of course lots of cups of tea. The photo shoot is really relaxed.
No need to worry about preparing anything for the shoot and I promise you really don’t need to hoover for me.. No awkward posing or saying “cheese!” either!
Let me know how you get on!
I really hope you enjoy trying out these easy tips! Let me know how you get on by using #helensphototips or tagging me @schryverphoto on Facebook or Insta. Do get in touch or leave a comment below if you have any questions!
Helen xoxo
London Newborn Baby Photographer. I travel worldwide 📸
Facebook Comments
