Newborn Shoots: An Exercise In Patience
Originally posted on May 2, 2023
When I worked in the Walmart photo studio many years ago, we often have babies coming in with their parents for a family shoot. Or I suppose I should say that parents would bring their babies in for a family shoot and not the other way around. It was there that I quickly learned that babies tend to not want or care about family photos and have no trouble voicing their opinions on the matter.
Okay, I’m being silly but even when a little one came to the studio crying their eyes out and fussing about the goofy outfit Mama stuck them in, there’s always something great about baby shoots. And newborn shoots in particular were special days.
It’s been a long time since I’ve photographed a baby. But when my good friend send me a picture of her first little one when she was just a few hours old, I saw those cheeks and knew that we had to do a newborn shoot.
Ideally, newborn photo shoots should be within the first 10 to 12 days from delivery but not every baby or every family is up for that. In this case, my wee model was 18 days old which was just fine.
Not having a full studio presents problems for any session but new opportunities arise too. While studying various newborn poses, I noticed that a full setup with bean bags, bolsters, and lights makes for interesting posing ideas but the photos I saw definitely weren’t very natural looking. Just like with adult models, capturing the life and essence of that person is far more important than fashionable photos that people will roll their eyes at in a few years. Or with newborns, hearing someone say that the baby doesn’t look very comfortable is definitely not a good thing to hear about one of your pictures.
So with just some blankets and a bed close to an open window, I began taking pictures. And she began to cry. And thus begins the true adventure of newborn photography. After all, who wants to be stuck in front of a camera with everyone watching instead of curled up sleeping with Daddy?
And of course, with babies, there is…let’s put this delicately, a lot of random fluids to be careful of. Especially when Mommy is the target. This is where one needs infinite patience. After all, you can hardly blame your tiny model for doing what’s natural. It’s also part of what makes these shoots so special. Capturing new life and all the precious gifts that come with it is an honour for a photographer and it’s a gift that I cherish deeply.
Without further ado, please meet little Stella Joan Marie!
