5 Rules for Photographing a Newborn
A newborn is one of the most adorable things in the world. Even if you are not a photographer or have experience with children, it can be easy to take amazing photos of them. Read this blog post for few important rules to follow when photographing a newborn.
- Location
One of the first rules to photograph a newborn is picking out an appropriate location. Newborns are very time-sensitive creatures, and they do not like it when you try to force them into doing something that isn’t natural for them.
If their parents’ bed is comfortable enough at night, then the kid will probably be most comfortable there as well. It’s also best if your house doesn’t have too many distractions around; this means quickly moving any animals away from the area where you’ll be shooting (especially cats).
- Lighting
Newborns tend to have very sensitive skin, so you mustn’t pick a location with too much lighting. Move them somewhere else if the area has harsh sunlight coming through windows or a bright overhead light fixture.
It is best if your house doesn’t have any lights on at all during this time because newborns are not used to seeing things clearly in their first few days of life (they’re born with blurry vision).
A good alternative would be lamps instead; some photographers even recommend candlelight for its warm glow and low illumination level. A Detroit Newborn Photographer would consider these things when picking out a location for your newborn’s shoot.
- Safety First
First and foremost, you want to make sure that the newborn is safe. If they are very young (less than a week old), then it’s best if someone else holds them while you remove all of the sharp or heavy objects from their surroundings. It includes furniture legs with pointed tips, nails sticking out on old boards in your house, etcetera.
- Don’t Touch
This may seem like a silly rule to photographers who have never taken pictures of babies before, but it is important nonetheless. When photographing any person in general (babies included), you want them to feel natural and comfortable so they can express themselves in their photos.
If you start touching them when they’re just two days old, then the chances are that when they’re ten years old, all you’ll ever get from them is cries instead of smiles when having their picture taken.
- The Eyes Have It
When taking a photo of someone, the most important thing to capture is their eyes. This rule applies even more so when photographing newborns because they have not learned how to control their facial expressions yet.
If you get a shot with them smiling or blinking, then that’s great; but if all you can grab are photos where they’re sleeping soundly and looking adorable in general, then it’ll still be worth posting on social media for your friends and family members to see.
Conclusion
Newborn photography is a great way to capture an important time in your life and share it with others. While there are certain rules that you should keep in mind when photographing newborns, the most important thing is that they’re safe.