When you are looking into booking newborn photos for your baby’s arrival, it is important to take yourselves into consideration as well. A lot of inquiring clients don’t even realize that taking newborn photos with parents is an option for their session. It is important to ask this question at the initial inquiry, as some photographers don’t offer this as at all and will only photograph the baby solo. This article will provide you with some newborn photo ideas with parents to help you decide what you would like for your session.
I highly encourage you, if you can, to participate in your newborn session. Parents need to be in newborn photos – these memories will be looked upon fondly by you and your children. This is all about capturing your changing family, and will likely be your first family portraits together.
With that said, the early days post delivery with a new baby at home is a rough adjustment for all parties involved. We are tired from lack of sleep, we are juggling all of the nuances of a new baby, questioning every little thing, and sometimes, don’t even have a minute to ourselves to shower. New parents, especially moms, can be quite hard on themselves, so it is a nice break from this new “routine” to have a moment for ourselves and get a little bit dolled up to capture these special portraits. When you look back at these photos, you won’t see tired faces, you’ll just see and feel love. The goal is to capture the closeness of your new little family, and the love shared between all for this new little baby. How do you pose a parent with a newborn? Follow along for some tips and tricks.
When should I take photos with my newborn baby?
The recommended timeframe for photographing newborns is before the two week mark, ideally between 7-10 days old. Earlier than 5 or 6 days is not great, as mom’s milk may have just come in and baby and mom may not have found their nursing/feeding groove just yet.
Posing a newborn with parents – 7 Ideas
Struggling with poses for parents and babies? There are a lot of different ideas for newborn poses with parents. As mentioned earlier, the goal of these images is to show the closeness and love between parents and baby. Holding baby close to the chest, nuzzling their noses and ears, and sharing a sweet moment between parents are all ideal images to capture here.
1. Posing a wrapped newborn with parents (or unwrapped)
This is the go-to starting pose for newborns with parents, especially if we start with an awake, or not-so-interested-in-sleep baby. It allows for parents to comfortable hold their little one and get them close to their chest and faces and snuggle them. It is also easy to transfer baby between mom and dad to get a variety of shots as well.
2. Baby in daddy’s hands/arms
I really love photographing babies in their daddy’s arms. This really highlights how tiny your newborn is and that at one point in time, they really did fit in your hands. As dads’ arms and hands are generally larger, these are easier poses for dad to achieve, and require less flexibility. Dad’s hand positioning also gives appropriate support for baby on bottom and at the upper chest and neck for the newborn.
3. Posing Mom and Baby laying down
This is probably the most requested pose from moms to have with their little ones. This is also where most moms will request a shift in color from the neutral palette to something that coordinates with the baby’s other images or color scheme from their individual photos. This is a great pose to incorporate into a nursery, or parent’s bedroom.
4. Mom and newborn- angel wings for your session
Our babies are our angels, and I’ve delighted in creating these stunning angel wing portraits for mom and her newborn little baby. This is really all about how the connection between mom and her child, and just a really divine moment. It is for sure more of an art piece for you to treasure.
5. Mom wrapped with baby
I love doing this shot with moms and their baby. Sometimes we throw in a sibling as well. There is just a serene coziness with baby on mom’s chest with mom looking adoringly at their baby. In truth, it is a position mom’s and dad’s find themselves in with their baby a lot and is so cozy for both. Baby can feel their parents’ heartbeats and warmth, and I’ve always thought that the baby weight on your chest feels like the best stress blanket. wrapping mom and baby in delicate tulle and fabric also allows us to see baby’s delicate features and silhouette underneath.
6. Closeup of baby
Sometimes, the focus shifts to just the baby, even while in their parents arms- with just a hint of parents in the background loving on their little one.
7. Mom Sitting with Baby
This is just another option with baby usually posed on mom’s chest or wrapped. It gives mom a break from standing, and looks really glamorous. It is perfect for adding in siblings too!
What Should parents wear in newborn photos?
Parents should consider the style of their home or nursery when choosing what to wear for their newborn portraits.
- Neutrals are always a timeless option and what most parents choose to wear for their newborn portraits as a family. If we have done a previous maternity session together, some moms will carry over a particular dress or look into their newborn portraits as a family.
- For mom and baby together, this can be a chance to play with colors that tie into baby’s nursery or overall color scheme of the baby’s session. This is evident in the mom and me angel-wings poses, and the lie down shots that most all moms request for their sessions.
- Where are you displaying your baby’s photos? The nursery may lend itself to more color in your family, sibling, or mom and me images, while the living or family room may be better suited to a neutral palette that goes well with your decor, or can transition well with changes in your decor.
Final Thoughts – Newborn Photos with Parents
If you are considering a professional newborn session for your baby, do ask about newborn photos with parents, and what poses for parents with baby, or style your photographer can achieve for you. You will never regret having photos of your little one as a new family. They grow so quickly and time flies so fast, that it will be hard to picture that they once truly did fit in your hands. Unless you have photos, of course!
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Sofia Ribeiro is a Union County New Jersey newborn photographer, servicing the surrounding counties and areas, including all of North and Central New Jersey, and New York City and Staten Island, NY as well.
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