Once we got home from the hospital after my daughter was born I started searching the internet for newborn photography ideas. My plan was to use my new fancy camera and have my own little photo shoot with my daughter to get some cute pictures for the announcement we planned on sending. The more I looked at different photographer's sites the more I wished I had planned ahead to get a professional shoot set up. You know the photos I"m talking about. (The ones where the newborns are wrapped up in a blanket with an adorable knitted hat, sitting in a neat basket on rustic wood floors and awesome damask wallpaper in the background??) Well the more I looked into it the more I realized I should've been making these arrangements a few months before I was due. The photographers usually want to do newborn photos between the first 7-10 days of life. During this time the babies are still really sleepy so it makes it easier to put them in different poses and get lots of pictures. Highly sought after photographers are going to book up way in advance so it is best to contact them earlier rather than later on in your pregnancy.
The problem I ran into trying to take my own photos is that I wasn't prepared with the right props and had a hard time finding a good background in my own house. I was in no mindset to run around shopping for neat baskets, crocheted hats and fuzzy blankets after we got home from the hospital. (Again, had I planned ahead I could've had this stuff ready and possibly been able to pull off taking my own pictures.) I lucked out though because a friend of mine gave me the name of a girl that started out doing newborn and maternity photography as a hobby. She is still in the process of growing her business so she was able to fit us in last minute and she charged less than the going rate for these photos. Her name is Melissa and she came right to our house and brought backgrounds and props and was so patient with both of my kids. I wanted to get one of the two of them and of course getting them both to cooperate almost didn't happen. My daughter cried almost every time we would lay her down and my son had to be bribed with candy to do what we asked of him. My daughter was two weeks old at the time so had we done it a few days earlier she may have been a little more sleepy and less likely to cry when we put her down. By some miracle Melissa was able to get a bunch of good shots in the few minutes that the kids were willing to be photographed. Here are just a few of my favorites:
1. plan ahead (contact photographers in your area a few months before your due date to get on their
schedule)
2. purchase any accessories you want to include in the photos like hats, diaper covers, headbands, etc.
ahead of time and keep in mind you will need newborn sizes. (some photo prop shops I found on
etsy specifically make hats for newborns. (these are smaller usually than 0-3 sizes) Try these on the
baby before the day of the photo shoot to make sure they fit.
3. If you are going to be doing any photos that your hands will be in have a manicure. (I didn't do this
and was filing my nails last minute)
4. If you plan on doing photos yourself make sure you have backgrounds and props bought. Pinterest
is a good place to get ideas for different poses and use of props.
Those are great!! She looks soooo much like Kyle in the third one!
ReplyDelete