What to expect from your newborn photoshoot plus baby photo inspiration

If you’re looking ahead to your newborn session with me, or are considering making a booking, this article is for you.

In it, I’m going to tell you more about what you can expect from your newborn photoshoot experience.

Plus, I’ll be sharing with you some baby photo ideas to show you what may be possible during your baby’s very first photoshoot!

Bespoke newborn portrait sessions

I take a very baby-led approach to newborn photography. Each session is completely bespoke.

I consider every photoshoot as a collaboration between myself and my clients, and I pride myself on crafting an experience that’s tailored to your unique requirements. 

Before the session, we will discuss the style of newborn photos that you like as well as the colours and textures that you may wish for me to incorporate into your baby’s photo session. We’ll also talk about how you plan to use your photos – whether they are intended for your walls at home or a family album – as it’s useful to consider and plan this in advance. 

Beautiful baby portraits to treasure

As an experienced newborn photographer, I can say with confidence that you’ll come away with beautiful baby photos that you’ll love.

I’ve photographed oodles of newborn babies  and am fully safety-trained, so you can rest assured that if you choose me as your newborn photographer your baby will be in the safest of hands!

Newborn photo inspiration

The very nature of bespoke, baby-led sessions means that I cannot guarantee to create particular images of your baby. As you probably can appreciate, no two babies are the same and they may be more or less receptive to being handled depending on how they are feeling on the day. 

You may have a very sleepy newborn. However, if they’re going through a growth spurt and want feeding more regularly than normal, or if they’re unsettled due to any number of reasons – tiredness, wind - then they may be awake a little more. In this case, we will get some lovely wide awake newborn photographs which are equally beautiful. 

I am experienced and flexible enough to work around them, however they are feeling on the day.

Whatever happens, you’ll end up with 20-25 beautifully crafted shots of your baby as a result of your portrait session with me; plenty for sharing with adoring family and friends, and to fill a family photo album or to create a wall art display.

Five popular baby photos

These are some of the most popular style newborn photos that I create for parents. Hopefully these will help you to consider what type of images you might want of your baby. 

1)     Naked baby 

An ideal time for newborn photos is within the first three weeks of your baby’s life. This is when they are still brand new, very sleepy, a bit wrinkly and are still curled up as they were in the womb. 

To capture their delicate soft skin and all the tiny details that makes this stage of life so special, I like to try and capture some naked skin shots for you. The room temperature of my studio is adjusted before you arrive to make sure it’s perfect for your little bundle.

If your baby isn’t too keen on being naked, then it’s certainly not a problem. I have some lovely wraps and will use these to cover up the baby’s skin which works well as they love the feeling of being tucked up at this stage.

My style is to keep baby portraits quite minimalistic, although I may also incorporate props and accessories such as bonnets, headbands, hats or teddies, depending on your preferences.

As a side note, because most babes will be naked or wearing very little for at least some the session, my photography studio is kept very warm! A comfortable temperature for a newborn who’s wearing little or no clothing is around 26 degrees, so a quick tip for you would be to come wearing light layers yourself, which you can take off as necessary during your baby’s shoot. 

Related reading: Three ways to get a newborn baby to sleep

2)     Close-ups

The tiny features of your baby are also something I consider essential to photograph.

Never again will your baby be so small and delicate, which is why it‘s so lovely to do close-up photographs of their face and body.

I usually aim to take pictures of their beautiful long eyelashes, their tiny hands and curled fingers, their delicate nails and even the fine body hair and little bits of fluff they may have on their shoulders or between their toes.

There will be many details that make your baby unique and it’ll be my aim to document these so they won’t be forgotten. 

3)     Baby in the parent’s hands

Other wonderful newborn photos to take in those early weeks are those that give perspective and show how tiny they are! I love finding different ways of showing how small your baby is at this moment in time.

A great way to emphasise this is to photograph them while being held in the hands, or in the arms, of a parent. Some babies can even fit into the single hand of their dad, and this is lovely to capture for you.

When that baby goes on to become a teenager who is taller than that parent, then you can all look back and marvel fondly at the memory!

4)     Baby with parents

Some parents, and particularly new mums, are reluctant to be photographed during their baby’s newborn photoshoot. While it’s completely understandable (and there’s no judgement here), getting in front of the camera for even just a few shots is something I always encourage.

I think it’s important to capture certain moments and the occasion of the newborn shoot is the perfect opportunity.

Mums, you needn’t worry about how you look or what you’re wearing. The point of these photos is to create a family portrait that shows you all truly are in this incredibly exciting stage of your life. As a professional photographer, I know the best, most flattering angles so that I can make you look your best.

For those parents who are very reticent to be in front of the camera, a silhouette shot can work really well, as shown here. 

5)     Baby with siblings

On a similar theme, I also love to photograph new babies with any older siblings that they may have.

If there are children in the family, they are very welcome to attend your baby’s newborn photoshoot and I will capture photographs of them together.

If you have a young child or toddler, I tend to lay the children down alongside each other. If your child, or children, are older and capable of safely holding the baby, then we can do this instead.

Safety is my number 1 priority though, so I’ll gauge what’s right for your family on the day of the shoot.

To encourage younger children to play along during the photoshoot, I have lots of things up my sleeve - toys, stickers and even sing silly songs to direct their attention towards the baby or the camera. You have been warned! 😊

Interested in a baby photoshoot?

Find out more about my newborn photography service and view even more examples of my work here on the website and in my blog.

You can also download my free guide to newborn photography via the form below. It's packed with useful information and my top tips on how to prepare for your baby's time in the spotlight! 

If you’d like to book in, please contact me either by phone or via the website. It would be a pleasure to photograph your baby. 

Andrea

Related reading: Three things to consider when choosing your newborn photographer