“When can we start photographing my newborn baby?” This is a question I hear very often.
The best time to photograph your newborn is in the very first days of life!
You are holding in your hands your little bundle of joy, so precious and beautiful that he tugs at your heartstrings. No doubt, you will never, ever forget how he was in these moments. But a month will pass and he will be entirely different, while another month will bring yet more changes. By six months of age he’ll be a complete human being in miniature, nothing at all like that little space alien that you brought home from the hospital.
Kids grow and change so very quickly; soon, the relevant question becomes not how to photograph these kids, but how to use a camera to catch that moving target darting around the playground. Those very first photographs are the most moving, demanding the talents of a professional photographer who specializes in child photography.
I regard photographing kids as not only a major privilege and pleasure, but also a great responsibility. Creating impressive and highly meaningful photographs of your kids that radiate natural innocence, brightness, and goodness is a true test of the professionalism of any photographer, regardless of his credentials or level of experience.
There are also particular requirements regarding the location where the photoshoot is conducted. First and foremost, it should be warm, bright, and maximally comfortable. Parents’ well-lit bedroom, or baby’s sunny abode are equally well-suited for the purpose. If the family occupies their very own home, and the session is scheduled during warm weather, at least part of the photoshoot can be conducted outdoors.
Important Organizational Details: Advice to Parents
To avoid scheduling conflicts, arrangements for the first photosession should be made not merely a few days in advance, but, rather, during the final days of pregnancy. The best photos are taken in the first five to ten days after baby’s arrival. During that period baby sleeps quite soundly, which allows us to easily position him in any desired pose.
From two weeks of age and onward things become a bit more complicated, because by then we are dealing with a developed human being in his own right, who does not hesitate to express his own will and desires.
As soon as I receive notice from you that your newborn has arrived, I will drop everything immediately and head straight to you to photograph your miracle baby. I’ll bring with me all the necessary props, including a variety of baby headgear and baskets. You can bring rugs, diapers and whatever, as you see fit. Your baby will never be the same as he is in these first days, so let’s photograph him just as he is.
Photographing Babies and Parents
Not infrequently, parents themselves will become an integral part of the photos (second in importance to the baby himself, of course). Heartwarming hugs, gentle, trembling hands holding your little miracle – all of these moving scenes will be deftly captured by the professional photographer.
Young mothers would best not resort to a full cosmetic makeover for a photosession with baby. Just a little foundation will do, with some elegant lipstick and eye liner. It’s best to stick with subtle shades, and to avoid loud jewelry. As for everything else, you may exercise complete freedom of choice.
