Des Moines, Iowa Studio Newborn Session: My Approach to Newborn Sessions
Newborns are such a unique subject to document. You can’t reason with them, so really baby does so much directing when it comes to the workflow of a newborn session. I’ve been photographing newborns for a couple years now, and since I have two kiddos of my own, I feel more and more confident all the time documenting newborns — finicky and all. :) Here’s my basic approach to newborn sessions:
Prep the parents ahead of time! In the months leading up to baby, I send an email with all my tips and tricks for prepping for their newborn session. Tips such as bring more than one outfit, wait to get baby dressed in their photo outfit until you’ve arrived, try to have baby freshly fed, sync up with a nap, etc. New parents always appreciate all the insights on prepping as much as they can for their newborn session.
I always start the shoot by getting solo shots of baby. Either in their crib, or on a plain backdrop such as a bed, I find this is the easiest time to try and get those solo + detail shots of baby.
Then when bring in baby’s parents and get those classic cradling baby, smiling at the camera, looking at baby shots. The goal is to make sure I accomplish all the basics right off the bat.
Then we get solo shots with each parent. Classic cradles, smiling at camera, some noseys with baby, etc. Again, the classic shots.
Once I feel like we’ve gotten all the “needed” shots, I check in and see if we want to do an outfit change.
At this point, I switch things up by either bringing in a chair, bassinet, or switching rooms if we’re at home.
Rinse and repeat! I’ll try and get some more solo shots of baby, then more of everyone, more individuals, etc. When I repeat the process, I’ll throw in some different poses, more “artsy” angles, etc to switch things up. Again, at this point we’ve gotten all the “needs” so we can have fun with it for the remainder of the shoot.
I’ve found that this simple system works so well with most babies. An even balance of solo shots, to being held by their parents, is usually the sweet spot to get a little bit of everything and then some. Check out all of my favorite shots from one of my most recent studio newborn sessions! See if you can recognize the pattern :)
