newborn smiling during newborn photoshoot

9 Tips for Taking Newborn Photos That Will Make You Cry

Every mom wants newborn photos of their baby. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Baby #1 or Baby #5— these moments fly by, and photos are the only way to capture these fleeting months.

While you can DIY these photos, there’s something to be said about hiring a newborn photographer. We take so much pressure off of the experience by helping you:

Narrow down photo ideas
Get the perfect lighting
Pick out outfits
Set up equipment
Edit your photos for quality
Provide canvas and printouts for your home and family!

You have enough to worry about right now. On the day of the session, we just want you to relax and take care of your baby. We do the rest.

Here’s what you can expect when you hire a professional to capture your baby’s first weeks!

Tips from a Tampa Newborn Photographer: How To Get The BEST Newborn Photos & Experience

We often hear from expectant moms wanting to capture maternity, newborn, and baby’s first-year photos. We always consider it an honor to be chosen to document such a special time in the lives of our clients.

Newborn sessions are unique and deserve special consideration. Through all of our experience, we’ve come up with some great tips to ensure your newborn photo session goes smoothly, and we’re better able to capture those sweet photos you’ll treasure for many years to come.

Tip #1: Schedule within 2 Weeks of Your Little One’s Arrival

Preferably between the baby’s first 7-14 days if you are wanting the adorable poses of baby sleeping. Sometimes parents choose (or circumstances demand) to wait until the baby is older, and this is perfectly fine.

If that’s the case, your baby may be more awake, and it may take longer to get the requested shots. But we always make it work!

Tip #2: Choose a Room for Your Newborn Photos

If the session is at your home, we’ll need you to send photos of the rooms you’d like at the time of day we’ll be doing your session.

This helps us prepare for lighting and possible “glow” shots we can get for your newborn photos. All you need to do is take pictures on your phone and send them to your Tampa newborn photographer (we hope that’s us!).

Tip #3: Create a Prioritized Shot List

newborn photos of baby lying on firefighter helment

During your consultation call, we’ll discuss your goals for your session and assist in coming up with a shot list. This list will be a collage of newborn photo ideas that you can gather via Pinterest, Instagram, or our own newborn photo gallery.

Don’t have ideas? No worries, we’ll have plenty.

From there, we’ll guide you through how to prioritize which photos you want the most so that time isn’t an issue.

Tip #4: Keep Outfit Choices Limited and Simple

Layers are a no-no because they will just bunch up during the session. Shirts with collars can be an issue as well.

Doing photos in just a diaper or with nothing on at all is preferable because that is how the baby is most comfortable. Plus, this way,we can capture the baby’s cute rolls and soft skin!

Tip #5: Feed Your Baby

You’ll want to do this right before your session. This increases the likelihood that your bundle of joy will sleep through their photo shoot, which makes for the easiest (and most adorable) newborn photos.

mom and dad holding their newborn - tampa newborn photographer

Tip #6: Make Them Comfortable

Here are three key ways to make your baby comfortable while we’re taking their newborn photos:

Loosen the baby’s diaper and clothing at least 1/2 hour before your session to get rid of marks on the skin.
Give them a warm bath before the session. This can help to keep the baby calm for his/her session.
If the session is at your home, keep the room as warm as possible and open up the curtains and blinds so we can use as much natural light as possible.

Tip #7: Plan for Delays

Expect to spend part of your session time changing, comforting, and potentially feeding your baby

Tip #8: Limit Guests

The fewer people present during the session, the better; and if siblings will be involved in the session, have someone there to keep them occupied while we’re doing other shots. The same goes for pets.

Tip #9: Stay Calm

Keep breathing through your session. The calmer you are, the calmer baby will be. Baby will probably cry during their newborn photo session, but no worries, we’ll have plenty of time to capture the shots.

Expecting? Talk to Brent, an experienced Tampa newborn photographer! Click here to start planning your newborn photo session.

mom and newborn during newborn photo snoot

March 10, 2023

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Find Inspiration for Your Session

Prepping for an engagement, maternity, newborn, family, or senior portrait session can make you feel excited, anxious, a smidge stressed … and of course, making a giant mess in your closet as you search for the perfect outfit. Inside our blog, we’re serving up all the inspo, tips, and tricks you need to have a stress-free photo session, from how to pose without feeling super awkward to what you and your family should wear. Reap the benefits of our 30 years of photography experience and wisdom, or just enjoy looking at the pretty pictures.