Posing a subject is a skill that many photographers find challenging in itself, but posing a newborn baby can be downright terrifying for some. When it comes to newborn photography, safety always comes first. This delicate mini human is fragile and doesn’t adhere to any posing cues, so as a newborn photographer, you must become an expert at how to properly and safely pose babies. In previous articles, we taught you a comprehensive set of newborn photography tips, and in this article, we’ll dive in deeper and give you 5 easy newborn poses to try at your next photo session. Each basic newborn pose has simple variations you can try to get different angles and compositions.
These tips are an excerpt from our Newborn Photography Workshop. Check it out here or access it as a Premium Member here.
1. Back Newborn Pose
This pose is a simple and natural pose for newborns. Simply lay the newborn on his/her back and place their hands on their tummy. A Westcott 5-1 reflector can be used to add light, but make sure not to reflect the light directly into a newborn’s sensitive eyes.
Get the Small Details in The Back Pose
When shooting newborn portraits, be sure to get in close to get details. They grow so fast that it’s soon difficult to remember what their little fingers and toes looked like after just being born. The little details will be cherished and remembered by mom and dad for years to come. Additionally, capturing both the wide full body shots along with the tighter detail shots add a storytelling element to your shoot.
Capture Newborn Candids in the Back Pose
For a newborn session, always be prepared for anything. Newborns can be unpredictable. One minute you have a calm, serene and sleeping baby, the next minute she’s red-faced and screaming her head off.
Have your camera ready to go for these moments. During this shoot, Baby Ellie woke up mid-shoot and blinked her sleepy eyes up at Pye. Remember to adjust your settings, speeding up the shutter and compensating for the baby’s movements so that your images will still be sharp.
Babies don’t generally move too fast, but we recommend staying above 1/100 of a second and ideally around the 1/200 to 1/250 of a second range.
Capture a Full Length Photo in the Back Pose
This shot seems simple, but can be a bit tricky because it requires a bit of time and patience. You want to make sure that the newborn is in deep sleep first so posing them will not wake them up. Hold the baby’s legs in the same position for about 30-60 seconds, and generally the legs will stay long enough for you to get a full-length shot.
2. Simple Side Lying Newborn Pose
For this newborn pose, start with the newborn on their tummy and then gently ease them onto their side, allowing the baby to rest on their side arm while crossing their legs. Use the silver side of the reflector to catch and fill light into the shadows on the newborn’s face. Shoot the image directly facing the baby to get an intimate perspective of the sleeping baby.
3. Tummy Newborn Pose
The tummy newborn pose is a versatile pose that provides many different angles and cute variations. Start by moving the baby to lie on his/her tummy. Remember that babies are resilient and sturdy, but you always want to be cautious and overly safe, especially when dealing with their fragile head and neck. If there is any tension or flexing of the head or neck, wait for the baby to relax and then turn the head into position.
Side Angle Tummy Pose
With the baby on his or her tummy, you can take the photo from the side, such as the image below.
Top Down Tummy Pose
For the first variation of this newborn pose, you can adjust their hands underneath their chin and shoot from the top down, getting the side angle, looking at the newborn’s face.
Front Side Portrait Tummy Newborn Pose
This is a slight variation of the newborn pose above. Simply adjust the camera angle to shoot a top down shot directly onto the baby’s body. It does a great job of showing a newborn’s body shape. You don’t need a reflector because you’ll be standing where the reflector was.
In the image above, we used a basket with a pillow inside of it. However, this concept works with almost any prop. For more inspiration, see our article on newborn photography props.
4. Seated and Wrapped Newborn Pose
For this newborn pose, gently seat the baby and wrap them in a soft blanket or cloth, ensuring only their face and maybe some hands or feet peek out. This pose evokes feelings of protection and security and works best when the baby is in a deeper sleep. Using contrasting textures and colors can make the picture pop even more.
While newborns cannot sit upright by themselves, you can wrap them up and support the neck for long enough to take a few upright, seated photos, as illustrated in the photo above. For more creative concepts, see our article on newborn photography ideas.
5. Newborn Held By Family Pose
One of the best, most significant newborn photos you can take is of the newborn with his or her family. Capture one of the full family, one of the newborn being held by the parents, one of the newborn being held by a sibling, and other combinations.
There’s nothing like the warmth of a family member’s arms. This pose is particularly touching as it emphasizes love, connection, and the relationships that the baby will grow into.
Conclusion
Capturing stunning and timeless photos of newborns can be a challenging task for any photographer, but it doesn’t have to be daunting. By incorporating some easy newborn photography poses into your next session, you can create beautiful and memorable images that will last a lifetime. From the classic “froggy” pose to the simple “head on hands” pose, these poses are not only easy to execute but also highlight the delicate beauty of newborns. Remember to always prioritize the safety and comfort of the baby, and don’t be afraid to get creative with your poses. With these easy poses and a little bit of practice, you’ll be well on your way to capturing stunning photos of your littlest clients.
Now that you know the three basic posing positions, you can start getting creative with props, backgrounds and angles. To get more tips on photographing newborns, check out our Newborn Photography Workshop here.
