The Draw of Posed Newborn Photography

There are generally two types of newborn photographers – lifestyle and posed.  Lifestyle newborn photography focuses more on the interaction of the parents with the baby.  They’re usually relatively short sessions, involve only the use of a swaddle or blanket and maybe a headband or two for the baby, and are usually done in the family’s home with natural light.  On the other hand, posed newborn photography sessions are generally done in a studio, take much longer, involve a multitude of props, and are harder to execute.  So why the heck do I prefer the latter?

I started out as a lifestyle photographer, photographing both families with older children and infants. About a year into my photography career, a friend asked me if I ever did “Anne Geddes“-style newborn photos.  I admitted I hadn’t, but that question sparked my curiosity and that spark soon turned into a little fire of passion in my heart that I could. not. stop.  I very quickly started working newborn poses into my lifestyle newborn sessions.  I would try just one or two poses each time, until eventually, I started to master them.

I amassed hundreds of newborn props.  In my collection, I have over 300 knit newborn hats, hundreds of blankets and swaddles in every color, and dozens of mostly-wooden props.

Now, my newborn photo sessions include around 15-20 minutes of family photos at the beginning, which can either be traditional using a backdrop or lifestyle photos in my all-white studio bedroom, and then the rest of the session is spent doing posed newborn photography, usually around 10 different poses/setups during each session.

With posed newborn photography, I really love how the baby becomes a work of art.  I spend so much time literally molding them into cute little shapes where their hands and feet (and even their little cheeks), are perfectly placed to show their newness and angelic beauty.  It becomes a zen-like experience for me, where my inner perfectionist comes out to play.  I really do giggle and smile throughout most of the session.  The babies are just SO cute!!!

Here are the different poses:

Traditional family portraits

 

Lifestyle family portraits

Then, we move to the smaller studio room to finish your posed newborn photography session with this typical flow: 

Full swaddle

Partial swaddle

After the partial swaddle, I capture all of those perfect little details with my macro lens

Side-lying

Tushie-up (this one is all about getting those cute back rolls!)

Elbows out

Taco pose (the baby is folder over like a taco with their toes sticking out like the lettuce.. tee tee hee)

Froggy

Fallen Froggy or Home Alone (as I’ve so dubbed it)

Huck Finn – I don’t often do this one, but it’s nice to have up my sleeve

Props –  There are way too many props to share all of the ways I can use them.  I have dozens and dozens of them!

If you’d like to reserve a Northern Virginia newborn photography session with me, contact me today!  And check out my newborn photography Pinterest board for even more inspiration.