YOU WANT NEWBORN BABY PHOTOS BUT CAN'T VISIT A PROFESSIONAL STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHER DURING LOCKDOWN - HERE'S WHAT TO DO:

Newborn baby with a clear ideaNewborn baby girl has her own ideas about being photographed

TIPS FROM A SOMERSET NEWBORN AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER FOR CAPTURING YOUR BABY DURING THEIR FIRST WEEKS AND MONTHS AT HOME

This darn virus and the tsunami of worries that washes along with it has caught us unprepared in so many ways. How could any of us have predicted just how quickly, and drastically, our lives would change. 

Many of my photoshoots have been put on hold, but babies and newborns wait for no-one! With this in mind, I’ve created a basic tip sheet to help you get the most of your home photos helping you to save those beautiful, spontaneous moments. 

Capturing those precious moments of your baby throughout their first weeks and months will create lasting family memories for generations, and it's fun to do to! Use whatever device you feel most comfortable with, you don't need a fancy camera. Keep two things in firmly mind - 

• The light
• The moment

Photograph those first stretches and cries, photograph the cuddles, the mess and the exhaustion. These are their very first life experiences, and you absolutely need to capture them, no matter where you are and what you are doing, they are times that you don't want to forget. 

Here are some more tips to get you started:

1. Look for the light. Watch as it falls across your baby. Touch the screen on your phone to adjust your exposure. 

2. If your baby is happier at the beginning of the day then plan your photo session for the morning.

3. Get down nice and low, see the world at their level. 

4. Babies tend to sleep a lot in those first few weeks of life. To capture those sleepy peaceful moments make sure your baby is warm, well fed and feels secure. 

5. If baby is awake, capture all those amazing first expressions, yawns, stretches, smiles and winks!

Newborn photography at homeDo it yourself newborn photography, don't miss out on capturing the early days of your baby's life during lockdown.

6. Exist in photos with your baby! Take turns with your partner to photograph those special moments when you’re interacting with your baby while they’re awake or when you’re rocking them off to sleep. When they’re older they will love to look back at these amazing memories.

Mum and newborn babyThe connection between Mum and newborn baby

7. Get in nice and close to capture all those perfect little baby features, their hands, tiny feet, and beautiful faces, place a tiny foot or a hand in yours to show proportion. 

8. Soft window light is best and turn off your flash, it can be very unflattering to your baby. 

9. Don’t forget to look at what’s going on in the background. Busy backgrounds can be distracting, so keep it nice and simple. 

10. Don’t forget to backup your photos for safe storage.

11. Have fun creating beautiful video slideshows and photo books, remember to print your photos so you have them forever. 

12. Lastly, share your images. Upload them to social media and share with friends and family around the world. 

13. Use your time to stay organised and ahead of the game, pick your favourite shots from each day or week and make a point of storing them in a separate favourite folder or print album. 

14. Share them with me!  I will be choosing one photo a week for a free professional retouch! 

Here’s an example edit of me and my two little monkeys when they were 3 months old. Duvet cover as a makeshift backdrop, camera set on timer - okay so I took about twenty shots to get this one - but well worth the effort!

Don't forget to share them with me on the relevant Facebook post - I will choose one a week, while there is interest, to give you a professional edit - I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do - and a weekly challenge to keep me on my toes! ;).  

xx