Calling all new mamas and daddies! Don‘t miss out on those precious early moments with your new baby! Being a new and first time mum myself, I know how important it is to catch those first moments. But as with many things, the current state of our world means many of us have missed out on newborn photo shoots.
My little one was born in September so she’s 4 months now and I must have thousands of photos of her on my phone, as I’m sure you do too! But as a photographer I wanted ‘proper’ photos every couple of weeks to capture her changing and growing..... they’re only this tiny once right?
So if, like me, you’ve had your pregnancy, birth and newborn days overshadowed by this pandemic then this is for you... I’ve put together a few tips and tricks to taking your own baby photos and you can do it all on your phone!
Lighting
The best way to get beautiful photos is to make sure you have good lighting, this doesn’t necessarily mean artificial lighting, I mostly shoot using natural light and all the photos in this blog are shot using natural light.
Shooting outside in February isn’t ideal right? But you can easily shoot indoors using natural light. The best way to optimise light shooting indoors is to shoot near a window. In this shot my baby is on my bed and the window is on the left. It was an overcast day which meant I had no harsh shadows to contend with.
If you shoot on a sunny day and have sun streaming through the window, it will create harsh and dark shadows... don’t get me wrong, using the sun to your advantage can be beautiful but on a cloudy day the light is soft and much easier to work with.
I would have bubba facing the light and shoot towards baby with your back 45° to the window, this way you use all the light without blocking it with your body.
2. Levels
Levels are important in creating a beautiful photo and you can be creative with this and find out what catches your eye.
I like to shoot at baby’s level, it’s not necessarily how we see them day to day because we are normally above them or holding them so it creates a new perspective and therefore an eye catching photo, in these photos, again, baby was on my bed and I crouched dow and had the camera at her eye level.
3. Depth
Depth in a photo is great for close ups, like babies feet or hands, you want to have the desired detail in focus and a softer background. It creates a story and a mood and is really fun to play around with. In this photo as you can see I’ve moved to babies head to shoot down, which leaves her beautiful eyes as the focus. She is a little older here (3.5 months) so is a bit more interested in the camera.
I love to capture close ups as part of the shoot too, capturing those tiny toes! Always catch those details.
4. How to prepare
The best time for a shoot is when you have a happy sleepy baby. You want this to be enjoyable so make sure you pick a time of day when your baby is content. For me it’s after a nap and feed in the morning, But sleepy photos are just as adorable if you can manage without disturbing little one!
I like to keep it simple with plain white bedsheets but this part is very flexible, let your creativity flow!! There’s so many options with outfits on shops like Etsy, but a simple swaddle is just as effective.
5. Go black and white
I love a black and white photo, I think they’re so striking, give it a go you might just love the results!
I bought a bit of bedsheet up close to the camera here which is another way to creat depth!
Have fun with it, capture moments you want to remember and PRINT YOUR PHOTOS... I love to fill my walls with photos, don’t just leave them on your phone, they’re far too special.
I hope these little tips help you capture some gorgeous photos , I’d love to see them too, follow me on Instagram and tag me! @moss_photographic_ Or drop me a message if you have any questions.
Maz xx