Guest Post from Eve of Eden Photography
Ideas to photograph baby from newborn to six months old
While I’d say it’s definitely worth having your baby’s newborn and older photographs taken by a professional photographer who understands baby posing and lighting, it’s never been so easy to take your own pretty photos. By using your own phone or camera with the use of editing tools / filters for you to play around with can create some lovely shoots. So I thought I’d share some tips and tricks to get some beautiful photographs capturing your baby’s developmental stages, to document each important milestone, from newborn to six months.
When to Take
If you want to take photos to document your baby’s development it might be a good idea to take a photograph, maybe on the same day/date as your baby’s birthday, every month.
Baby at Newborn
In photography babies are classed as newborn if they are under and month old. At this stage newborns are asleep most of the time and curl up tightly so you can get some photos of baby asleep on their side, belly and laying on their front with chin first. It’s also nice to document newborn features for years to come like tiny toes, fingers, eyelashes, curls etc. so take close up shots of these.
Baby at One Month
At one month baby can lift its head you can make the most of this by capturing photographs down at the baby’s level, with baby on stomach lifting his head. Take photo at a 45 degree angle.
Also at one month, baby starts to follow items with its gaze. To make the most of this new skill you can you use an object to direct baby’s gaze towards camera to take a photo. Capturing the object in the photo also might be nice in order to show what is happening.
Baby at Two Months
Most babies being to smile responsively at two months and also begin to laugh and giggle. You can make the most of this by capturing a smiley photo to mark this age.
Baby at Three Months
At three months baby can laugh, squeal, gurgle, and coo. This is ideal to shoot some photos of baby laughing, and forming shapes with their lips and mouth.
Also, see if you can capture some photograph of baby holding its own head up steadily, which most can do at three months.
Baby at Four months
Baby can develop first tooth at four months old. If this is the case take some close up shots of baby’s face with mouth open showing first tooth. You can make baby laugh or smile to achieve this photograph and can also hold lip down with your finger to view new tooth.
Baby can now bear weight on their legs. Make use of this by shoots some photographs of baby holding your fingers and standing, feet touching the floor.
At four months most babies can grasp and reaches out for objects. To make the most of this new skill it might be nice to shoot baby holding favourite toy or even reaching to take it from parents or siblings.
Baby at Five months
Baby being able to roll over is a stage you might want to capture at five months old. I’d suggest to capture these photographs from different angles to observe which is best view of what looks like a roll. Also, take photos from both above and at level with baby and see which you prefer.
At five months, baby can play with hands and feet. These photos where baby grasps and holds their own feet are I think my most favourite as they create such interesting photos, especially if you can get baby to look at the camera.
Baby at Six months
Baby turns towards sounds. Use this to your advantage in all your photographs from now on!
Baby can roll in both directions. Again capture baby rolling over during this stage, but this time in both directions. You might like to try to capture photos in a sequence of fast shots to show the movement of the rolling.
Also, baby can sit momentarily without support, use this to your advantage to try a shoot baby sitting up while looking at the camera. You may need a hand with this pose to catch baby when they fall back.
Tips for most baby photographs
Tip 1: For most of these shots I’d say the key to ending up with attractive baby photographs is to try to capture the baby looking at or towards the camera. You’ll need lots of patience for this, but it will be worth it in the end.
Tip 2: I’d also suggest you shoot your baby photographs down at their level wherever possible. Photographs shot from above can look as if the viewer is dominant over the child. Shooting photos at baby’s own level gives the impressing the child is just as important as the viewer.
For more information or to book one of our photo sessions for newborns, baby, toddler, child, and family see our Newborn Photography Liverpool page.
For more information on baby’s developmental stages see http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6476/milestone-chart-one-to-six-months#ixzz2vr7SZwFl
Happy photographing 🙂
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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Wonderful photos, I was advised to photographer for a photo session, she knows how to handle children
When all of my kids were born, my wife and I opted for a cozy at-home photoshoot in black-and-white style. And as they grew, we made photos of each one of them hitting another monthly milestone with flowers, sweets, and fruit in the background. It all looked so great, and now we have a bundle of memories which we often resort to.