What you need:
A camera. Point and shoot is fine. DSLR is better.
If you don't shoot in manual mode on your DSLR, and you are going to be taking your photos indoors, think about getting the manual out and learning to shoot in Aperture Priority mode. It's very easy, and you'll get nicer results. Nothing wrong with shooting auto though, if that's all you can do. You will need to shoot without flash though, so put your dial to the no flash mode.
There's no need to go out and buy all kinds of crazy stuff for your newborn photos (although I certainly do-lol). Lots of the things that are already in your baby's nursery will be perfect for photos. Think cool blankets (blankets with cool texture are great), cute hats, etc. You can put your baby in baskets that you have decorating your house, or in cool decorative bowls, or planters (take the plant and dirt out first... hehe)
The absolute first thing you should do is find a good spot. You want to be near a good light source, because we are turning the flash off. Flash photos are fine for snapshots, but newborns do not like flashes going off in their faces, and the photos look MUCH nicer with only natural light. So, look for a nice big window, or set of windows, or sliding glass door or even a doorway. You don't want sunbeams coming in the window though. You want even lighting. If it's warm enough outside, you can do your photos right outside. Just pick an overcast day, or shoot after 7:30 or so in the evening. You don't want harsh sunlight, because it will cause shadows in your photos that are unflattering for portrait work.
Next thing to think about is the fact that you will want to do these newborn photos within the first 2 weeks of life. I know it's going to be tough, especially because you are the mom who birthed this baby, and you might not be feeling 100%, but if you want the sleepy, curly newborn photos, you really have to get them in the first 2 weeks. Remember that you don't have to do it all at one session, and you can take all day to do it if you or the baby need frequent breaks.
Next thing you need is a super sleepy baby. I mean zonked. Out cold. I suggest feeding the baby for a nice long session if you're nursing, or a nice big bottle if you're bottle feeding. Then snuggle until he/she is nice and sound asleep. You want them seriously out cold. That is the trick to getting them to pose and be moldable. Do the arm test. Pick the baby's arm up and let it go. If it falls down with no resistance, they are good and asleep. if they startle or jerk, or anything like that, they're not asleep enough.
Here is Luke before our shoot yesterday. (Bad photo quality- only taken for illustrative purposes.lol)
Now, as far as your setup. I would recommend getting everything set up ahead of time, so that when your baby is all nice and fed and sound asleep, you can get right going on your photos.
I use a beanbag, but if you don't have a beanbag, you can pile up towels or blankets to make a little nest to place the baby in. Then i stick a lundry basket in back of the beanbag, to extend whatever i'm using as a background onto, so that i have more room for the photos. You don't want whatever is in the room to be showing in your photos.
Here is my beanbag/laundry basket set up. (This is high tech, right?
) The window I am using is directly to the left of my set up here. It happens to be in my bedroom, and it is two large windows, right next to each other.
And here is my setup with the blanket I'm using for a backdrop over it. I got this blanket on clearance at Target for like 12 dollars. i use it on the back of my couch when I'm not using it for photos.
So, at this point, you're ready to shoot. If you're using a point and shoot, you're going to want to use the portrait mode (the little head icon) without flash. You may need to refer to the manual for your specific camera if you don't know how to turn the flash off or access the portrait mode. If you're using a DSLR, you can also use portrait mode, or auto-no flash, or aperture priority mode. If you're using aperture priority mode, you'll want your aperture to be between 2 and 3. This will be big enough to let lots of light in and will give you a nice blurred background.
The thing you want to pay attention to the most is your focus. A slightly blurry, or soft photo is unacceptable for portrait work. If you're using a point and shoot, make sure you don't get too close to the baby. Your camera will not be able to get focus if you are too close.
The other thing to think about is that most of us are probably using digital cameras. OVERSHOOT! If you get bad ones, you can delete them. There is no harm in overshooting. The more photos you take, the better chance you have of getting the perfect photo. (I shot 230 photos of Luke yesterday)
Back to focus. If you are consistently getting soft, or blurry photos using this set up, my guess is that you are in a spot that doesn't have enough light. Without getting into a super technical discussion of manual camera operation, let me just say that photos are basically painted with light. There has to be enough light for your photo to be properly exposed and in focus. When in auto, your camera will compensate however it has to in order to get enough light for exposure. This means it will use a very slow shutter speed (slow shutter speed gives more time for light to enter the camera). And slow shutter speed can cause blurry photos. So, if you are consistently getting blur, find a brighter spot, bigger windo, go outside, or something like that. More light will allow for a faster shutter speed, which will make a sharper photo.
Once you're all set up, just start shooting. Take your time. Pay attention to the details. Get the little feet, the cord, the little things that will be gone before you know it. If your baby starts to stir, take time to comfort him back to sleep. (I keep saying him. it's because I have a boy. You guys know I mean him or her, right?) take time out to nurse or feed again, if you have to. Don't overlook awake photos too, though, You'll want those too. So, if the little one wakes up and is quiet alert, grab some photos then too.
Here are some examples of photos I took yesterday, using the set up above.
Also, don't overlook that nursery that you spent lots of money and time putting together and making cute. Bring that little butter bean in there and grab some photos.
This photo is taken on his little rug in his nursery. If you are able to go to the fabric store, think about buying a yard of stretchy knit fabric (think t-shirt material) for swaddling for photos (you'll need to cut it down to the right size for your baby). It's super cute. I am kind of homebound and haven't been able to get out and get some, so I cut up a t-shirt of my hubby's for these. lol
In the crib. i stood on a chair to get up high enough to get this shot. For God's sake, be careful! especially if you are post op!
Laid my damask fabric on the floor under his nursery window for this one
And these photos are set up back in my room, in front of the window. I used the laundry basket to drape the damask fabric over and i laid the black fabric on a piece of foamcore, so that there would be a firm surface to lay the baby on. I used some DVD cases under the side of the foamcore where i was going to put the baby's head, to prop it up just a little (Again, high tech... lol use what you have. There is no wrong way to do this). Some of the photos I took from above, showing only the black, and some i took from the side, showing the damask backdrop also.
If you go for this pose, you want to make sure they are REALLY asleep. You may need to arrange them how you want them, and then kind of hold them in position until they relax and fall asleep again. make sure you arrange the feet to hide the junk- especially if it's a boy. Boy junk is really cumbersome for photos. lol And another characteristic of nice protraits is that they generally never have baby genitalia showing.
If you happen to be in Michael's or AC Moor or one of those places and you see some tiny wings, you might as well buy them.
The other thing that puts the finishing touch on portraits is post processing. Cleaning up the skin is my biggest thing that I do. Luke's skin is pretty nice, but i have cleaned up some flakes and blotches, and smoothed his skin a little bit- while still trying to maintain a sense of reality. i don't want him to look like a porcelain doll. If you don't have photoshop or a similar program, it may be hard for you to post process your photo, so i am offering this:
If you use the above info to take some photos of your new baby and are in the July DDC (pm me if you are in other DDC's- I'll do what i can), you can send me your favorite shot (as long as it is reasonably well exposed and in sharp focus), and I'll post process it for you in both color and black and white. Just PM me for my email address. It may take me a couple days, but I will do at least one photo for anyone who wants me to, who has used the above info to get photos of their baby.
Happy shooting!!
If there are ANY questions, please post them, and I'll be happy to try and answer.
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Tips for photographing your newborn (epic post.. with lots of photos)
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