NEWBORN PHOTOSHOOT

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I LOVE photography! I am a total amateur but I think that’s okay. As a Mom, it is super important to me to capture those memories to keep forever. I have studied a bit and practiced using my camera. Because I’m sure I’ll get asked, I shoot with a Nikon D5100 and used my prime 50mm lens for this shoot. Although I wish I could do so much more and be so much better at it, I love the images I have captured and the feelings that they invoke. We recently had our third baby. My husband is currently out of a job and money is very tight. I would have loved to go to a professional photographer and have his pictures taken just to save me the stress. But, I also LOVE coming up with ideas for photos and tracking down props and outfits for the shoot. When he was less than a week old and still super sleepy and so sweet, I took a day and spent a couple hours just enjoying him and taking his picture. I believe that whether you have a super fancy camera that you know how to navigate or just a simple phone camera, it is so important to take those photos and keep them. I know that I have such a poor memory and I absolutely love being able to look back over photos I’ve taken and REMEMBER! I will look back on these photos and remember his perfect, soft baby skin and wrinkles. I will remember the SMELL….oh how I love that new baby smell. I will see his HAIR…so much hair…and remember how soft it was and how funny it was to all of us that no matter what it would stick straight up. I will remember that it was just the two of us that day in a very warm, quiet house capturing a moment in time.

Here are a few tips for taking your own newborn pics:

***BE SAFE! This is the most important. There are so many images on Pinterest that professional photographers have created that are just amazing. But there is a lot of editing that goes into those perfect images with the perfect pose. I’m sure you’ve seen the ones where the baby seems to have their head straight up or they are suspended in fabric. The parents are generally there holding the baby’s head in place. The baby is not off the ground the way they appear. Again…lots of editing. Use common sense and never put your baby at risk.

***A warm baby with a full tummy is generally a happy baby. I made sure to feed Lincoln just before we started the shoot. I also turned the heat up in my home so he would be comfortable without a shirt on. I have used space heaters in the past or even a heating pad under the blanket just on warm.

***LIGHTING. This will make the biggest difference in your images. I took these right by our window in the middle of the day and Lincoln loved basking in the warm diffused light. Practice different lighting scenarios and you will find what you like best in your images.

***DON’T STRESS! I have lots of experience with this one. Whether you are taking photos of your newborn or older kids…they feel that stress and will respond accordingly. It is almost impossible to get a picture of my older kids if I am stressed out and grouchy. RELAX. HAVE FUN! And…..enjoy the moment. It is part of the memory after all.

***Keep it simple. I have done elaborate backdrops and fun things for shoots in the past. I feel that for newborns it’s best to keep it super simple and allow the focus to be on the baby. I purchased his cute little crocheted outfits on Amazon for less than $15.00 each! I grabbed a few things I had around the house…the basket and the dump truck…and a whole lot of blankets. Solid colored fluffy blankets are perfect for this type of shoot.

***Practice! You are not going to be a professional photographer overnight…or possibly ever. Practice getting the best images possible with what you have! If you have a nice camera, read a few articles and the manual! If you are just using your phone, practice getting the perfect lighting or pose. Remember that there are a lot of critics out there. What matters most is how the images make YOU feel and if you like them. 🙂

***Invest in photo editing tools and have fun playing around with them. I personally LOVE Lightroom. I can improve most images and I love learning new tricks on the program. I also have Photoshop Elements and use it for a few things like creating our photo birth announcement, Christmas cards and stuff like that.

***If you have zero desire to take your own photos and have some money to pay a professional photographer….absolutely do it! I’ve never heard of anyone regretting capturing beautiful images of their family.

On to the photos…couldn’t you just eat him up?!

I love this one because he always sleeps with his hands on his face like this.

Cute squishy baby with pouty lips.

His teeny tiny umbilical cord. This simple image will remind me of so many things. He had a two-vessel cord and was monitored very closely at the end of my pregnancy. I had nonstress tests twice a week starting at 36 weeks. At 38 1/2 weeks his heart rate dropped to 70 a few times during the test and I was induced and had him just a few hours later. That’s a story for another day. But I am grateful for the teeny tiny umbilical cord that did what it was intended to and brought nutrients to this little guy and allowed him to grow into this perfect little human. Memories.

He is absolute perfection. I may be a little biased though. 😉

I also decided to do a few pictures with this crusty old dump truck. He woke up during these and I got just a few…some of them are totally awkward but they still make me smile. Don’t you love when babies go cross-eyed?

Totally out of focus. Whatevs. He looks adorable and so relaxed.

I want to kiss his little face! Man, I love this kid.

Starting to wake up…

Remember to capture the little details…the ear, lips, toes, etc. My babies have all been so hairy. Look at his fuzzy face and ears!

I also took a few in just a simple pair of jeans with a blue blanket. I used bigger blankets underneath to prop him up. Handsome fella.

Look at that sweet little grin.

This kid is going to have some serious blue eyes like his Daddy and big brother.

I hope this post answered a few questions about DIY photography for you or at least gave you some ideas. If not, I hope you enjoyed the images of my cute baby! Please share share share! Now go take some pictures of your loved ones!