Do you ever scroll through Facebook and see all these cute professional photos of your friends' infants and wonder how much money they must have spent on that. We all know it can be quite a costly activity. Times are tough at the moment so we want to take the stress away with some handy tips on how to do your own DIY Infant Photos.
Set the Scene
You may be at home or still in the hospital, it is simple to set a scene for these photos. To prepare the background, just add a swaddle or fun printed bassinet/cot sheet to place your baby on. You want them placed in the middle (safety first) of either a bassinet or cot, either on their back or their side.
Feeding and sleep times
The best time of the day to take these photos are after your newborn is fully fed and has been burped. Give them a bit of time to kick around and use up some energy after the feed, roughly 20 mins, depending on their sleep windows. You want to capture them just as they are starting to get tired and ready for another sleep.
Lighting
Make sure you have lots of natural lighting available for the shoot. You don’t want direct sunlight so overcast days can be perfect lighting for a newborn photo to get great exposure without all the shadows or glare.
PRO tip: Place the baby's face in a 45 degree angle towards the light.
Styling your baby
Baby’s feel secure when they are swaddled and can be alot easier to work with so we recommend swaddling your baby in a cute jersey/muslin wrap to make sure they are comfortable for the shoot. If you have a particular outfit you would like your baby to wear, be sure that the room temperature is warm enough so that your baby stays settled.
Settling your baby
A lot of professional photographers recommend having a dummy handy to get those perfect photos when your baby is a little unsettled. So have one handy and a white noise machine to create a calming mood for your little one.
Final style options
If you think you want some more depth to your photos, add some fake or real greenery to your image (recommend to keep space between your baby on the items added to the image and to never leave your baby alone). This can add depth to your photos, also the ever popular announcement cards are perfect for this occasion.
Take your photos
You don’t need a fancy professional camera, your phone's camera is pretty hi spec these days and will do just as good of a job. Take as many as you like and pick the ones you want to keep from then on.
Taking infant (3+months photos)
The only difference with taking DIY photos the older they get, is your baby will generally be more interactive and awake during these sessions, so make sure to grab their favourite toy, snacks (if they are at the solid food stage) and music. This will help keep them entertained for longer periods and help get those beautiful smiling moments you want to capture.
We hope this helps save you some coins and get those perfect newborn photos to share to the world.
Until next time,
Georgia xo