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Picture of baby sleeping on mother's chest

5 Tips for Taking Better Photos of your Baby

Published on: 17th Apr 2023 in Family, Top tips | Reading Time: 5 minutes

So, you’ve got a little baby at home..congratulations! I’m guessing that any second you get that isn’t engulfed with the rollercoaster craziness of caring for a baby you are trying to capture every tiny toe, curled up fist or little smile (wind? smile? either way..they look cute!)? Your results might not quite be what you’d hoped for though.

There are a few simple ways that you can make sure you get some really beautiful photos of your baby that will really take you back to this moment in time. Photos you will cherish when you blink and your baby is all grown+lanky, wandering around town with their mates eating Gregg’s sausage rolls (as my ‘little baby’ is right now!).

The good news is you don’t need a special, fancy camera to take better photos of your baby..these five tips will work just fine with your camera phone.

So off we go!

1.Think about your timing

Picture of sleepy baby stretching on a bed

Always think about when your baby is going to be most settled and chilled as that will be the best time for having a little home shoot. Most likely shortly after a feed, when they will probably be sleepy, comfy and a bit happier to be moved around a little bit for some photos!

Time of day is also crucial..you will get the most beautiful pictures of your baby when they are lit by lovely daylight so avoid timing your little shoot for any time of day where they will be lit by artificial light (and definitely no flash please!).

2. Think about where to take your photos of your baby

Picture of swaddled newborn baby being held by mother with light falling on the baby's face

Home is generally the best place to get some really special pictures of your baby, plus it has the added bonus of being able to add to the story telling nature of your pictures, capturing baby at the heart of their first home.

I love photographing babies at home and I really do think it’s the best place to do it! You can read my blog post all about why home is the best place to photograph your newborn baby here: Why your home is definitely not too small for a newborn photo shoot!

As for deciding whereabouts in your home to go; always be guided by light… bedrooms can work really well if you open curtains and blinds as wide as they will let the maximum amount of light in.

In darker homes you may need to get up close to the window to get enough light for your images. In this shot I asked mum to sit on a seat near the window of this fairly dark room to capture the beautiful light falling on to baby’s face.

3. Think about your backdrop

Newborn baby smiling and lying on bed in city centre apartment photo shoot

Keep an eye on what is in the background of your shot..although it is wonderful to get some of the family home in the images, too much clutter in the background can be distracting from the star of the image..your baby!

Beds work brilliantly as backdrops to take better pictures of your baby..baby can be lay down on the bed (ideally with their face towards the light coming from the window) and you can get down nice and low so your camera is on a level with baby or also shoot from above quite easily (just make sure you put the camera strap on please, don’t want any cameras being dropped on babies!)

If your baby is awake and happy to have a little bit of tummy time, you can set up a shot on the bed that will work brilliantly to get portraits of their faces..place a pillow on the bed with a blanket over it right towards the end of the bed, facing the light. You get down low and ready with your camera, then have someone carefully place baby across the pillow..you probably won’t have long to get this shot before baby has had enough so make sure you recruit an assistant to place baby and that you have all your camera settings ready to go and capture that beautiful face!

An alternative spot for getting face pictures of babies who have some neck strength is just resting on a shoulder

For babies who are old enough, this is also the time to pull out your best songs and toy waving to try and get their attention and some shots looking straight into the camera. The old ‘watch the birdy’ classic trick is a classic for a reason!

4. Think about details

Picture of little baby's hand resting on knitted grey blanket

Make sure you grab some shots of the tiny details of your lovely baby..the little toes, fingers, squashy thighs. All the things that will really take you back to this time when they are huge and grown! It’s lovely to include special mementos in your photos too like a cardie knitted by grandma or a special blanket you have been given. They all add to telling the story of this amazing time in your family and make much better, meaningful pictures of your newborn.

5. Make sure you get in some of the photos with your baby

Newborn baby being held by mother and father in picture taken on newborn photo shoot at home

Although it is wonderful fun photographing your tiny baby and you may really not feel camera ready after all the sleepless nights, absolutely make sure that you get in some of the photos! It’s so important to have photos of the family together at this time so that when your baby is grown they can look back at these photos and see just how smitten you were with them! I can guarantee they will value these images so much and won’t care at all about any bed head or eye bags so make sure you get in these pictures. So get in the pictures..for your kids and also for you. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

I hope these tips have got your mind ticking and you’re ready to get out and grab some better ( or great!) pictures of your baby and have some fun in the process!

If you want me to capture this magic time for your family and make sure you are in the frame too, just drop me a message or download a family brochure now..I’d love to help you all save these memories before you blink and your baby is all grown and out wandering round town with their mates!