Hi Lina 🙂 I am so happy that you loved this post! Many find their true passion is with Newborn/Baby Photography, but aren’t sure where to start. This post is a great start for quick tips but because of all of our readers who wanted more info, and more detailed information, we created a very detailed and complete Newborn Photography Workshop, it might be something that would be perfect for you. Feel free to check it out right here. If any questions, just email me 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Zam Photography provides photography services for (weddings, seniors, family, children, fashion, and events). Zam Photography serves the Houston area. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides wedding photography photographs. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides Newborn photography and specializes in newborn posed photography. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides children photography. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides family photography. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides engagement and couples photography. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides senior photography sessions. Zam Photography of Kingwood, Texas provides fashion photography sessions. Zam Photography provides photography in Kingwood and the greater Houston area.Even if it’s a few emails, a phone call, or an in person meeting at a coffee shop, have a consultation with the family at some point before the shoot. Address things like what the family will wear (use a service like Pinterest to create a board for the family to look at for suggestions on how they might dress), what time of day would be the best for them, and what they’re looking to get out of the shoot (i.e., candids, headshots, or a holiday card).
_{#1 – it automatically forces you to slow down. That’s a good thing. You can check your settings, review the composition, and exposure to make sure you’ve got everything right. All to often it’s easy to get carried away once you put the camera up to your eye and forget to check something only to see later you had the wrong White Balance, or ISO was 6400, or you accidentally shot Small JPG. Slow down, avoid an “oops”.}
“The best thing you can do for your couples is to allow them to be awkward at first. I think a lot of couples see the images of our clients in these poses and moments and think that they will never be like that or look like that. But what most of them forget is that it took time to get these. They didn’t see the build-up to these moments or the silly, awkward moments before or after the image we chose to share.”
Unless you use flash you will need to learn to use natural light. It can sometimes be tricky to use but does provide the most natural looking photographs opposed to using flash. Try and avoid shooting in the midday sun if possible and also look for shaded areas outdoors. These areas can provide cover so you avoid big shadows on faces and people aren’t squinting in the images.
The conclusion: if all of this seems like a ton of information to digest, then keep it simple and look for two criteria: Do you like the photos and do they make you feel happy? Not a super visual person? Then it’s totally fine to ignore the first question and move onto the second: Do you like the photographer and do they make you feel happy? More important than lighting, composition, or any fancy technology, those are the power rules to live by.
If having the digital files from your session is important to you, then there are some details that you’ll definitely want to understand up front. Does the photographer offer digital files to the client? If so, are they included in the price? And if they’re extra, how much will they cost? Will you get a print release? Some photographers will give you a print release that allows you to print the photos anywhere you want, while others will restrict you to a certain printer, or even to web-use only.
Jonas Peterson has been in the wedding photography scene for a long time. With blog posts on his website along going back as far as 2008 it’s clear to see why he is highly regarded within the industry. We get the sense that with Jonas’s work it is all about the story. We found this quote from an interview he did with Norwegian Wedding Blog where he says –

Dears, I am a long-time passionate about dslr photography and having 2 little kids myself I know how difficult it is to take perfect shots when you need to take care of the baby and at the same time you Re the one behind the camera. I experienced a newborn session in an atelier twice with a photographer lady which I adore and now want to go this way too and give it a try. Was waiting for a girl friend newborn in order to get some training first but after I’ve read this I am going to post a note about searching a newborn model and don’t worey about the whoke thing.

Lifestyle newborn sessions – Are a bit more casual approach to newborn photography. There may be some posing but the intention is to capture more natural images of the baby and their home. These sessions can be done up to 6 weeks old and usually last 1-2 hours max. My favorite thing about lifestyle newborn photography is capturing the wonder and amazement between the family members. Newborns are incredible but so is the love in the air. Memories of this time-frame often become fuzzy for new parents and that is precisely why I feel these types of shoots are so important.

Blooming Tree Photography is a family-oriented photography studio located in Frisco, Texas. Jessica, their photographer, specializes in child, family, and newborn photography, and is an expert in custom portraiture and lifestyle photography. Blooming Tree Photography’s style is natural, and driven by Jessica's passion for capturing intimate family moments to be shared with everyone.

A new baby is an expanding family — so why not include the whole family in some of those shots? If possible, get a few family shots in the session, including everyone together, some of just mum and baby, just dad and baby and just the siblings and baby. Remember that mom just grew an entire human being and is probably both still recovering and a bit self-conscious.Bella Baby is the face of hospital baby portraiture. We bring experienced, professional photographers into the hospitals to capture your baby's first photograph with a natural, artistic style. We believe that babies look the most beautiful when being held in their parents' arms or cuddled in one of their own baby blankets. Bella Baby captures this beauty by using only "real things"...natural window light, professional photographers and professional grade SLR digital cameras.

From a professional photographer stand point, I second what a lot of people have said already. Try looking on Craigslist to see if there are any photographers that are just starting out. I know that I brought in a lot of business from Craigslist, and charged very little while I was portfolio building. This is especially great for maternity photos....

Excellent information! I’ll be doing my first maternity shoot in a few months. A friend of mine is preggers and we are getting so excited about doing her session. Just bought the cutest basket to put her sweet baby girl in once we get to the newborn session!! The information here is going to come in so handy for me shortly!! Thanks for posting this!! 🙂
“It is no small feat keeping a 3- and 6-year-old happy and engaged, but my kids had so much fun with Miss Kate that they kept asking when our next play date with her would be! From the moment I first contacted her until the day my final photos were ready, Kate was responsive, detail-oriented, full of helpful information, and a pure joy to work with! And the photos? Simply gorgeous. She captured my children’s personalities beautifully.”
That’s it! No expectations other than fun. Then prepare yourself. Bring along props, get mom to bring one of their favourite toys or books. I usually have a hand puppet and bubbles in my camera bag along with my gear. If the kids don’t want to sit and smile don’t force them. Then them run around and be kids for a while and shoot that. Play with them, make it fun. Then they may cooperate and sit for a bit a few minutes later.
Thank you!! I am not yet enrolled in photography classes, but at 32 if I hear one more person say “so why aren’t you a photographer?” I will cry. I love photography, just got my first SLR which I completely don’t understand yet, (aperture what??!?) but I will be learning. And since I am 7 months pregnant I was looking for some good tips in taking my own newborn photos, I appreciate you writing this! Very good info and depending how it goes, I may be pursuing a new career!

Excellent points, especially about using a tripod. The main benefit is that you'll need taking many nearly identical photos in order to get "the one" where everybody in the group is looking their best. Unless you've done this before, you'd be surprised how many shots it can take. Somebody's always looking away, blinking, has their head/hands etc. in a less than ideal position. Once everything is all set up as Darlene says, just shoot as many shots as you can in a very short amount of time.

Katie Lamb Photography is a photography studio based in Fort Worth, Texas. All sessions are conducted within the areas of Southlake, Keller, or Grapevine; travel outside of these areas is limited and depends on availability. This studio specializes in family, couple, mommy + me, and boudoir photography. Katie Lamb Photography also creates custom films that are 1.5 to 2 minutes in length.

Most photographers provide a set of proofs (usually unretouched, edited images) for the clients to view. Photographers may provide hard copy proofs in the form of 4x5 or 4x6 prints, a "magazine" of images with thumbnail sized pictures on multiple pages. Alternatively, they will provide an online proofing gallery. The images will sometimes include a digital watermark/company logo on the images. Some photographers provide these proofs for the client to keep, and some photographers require the client to make final print choices from the proofs and then return them or purchase them at an additional cost.

In contrast, there is an alternative approach for your individual or family portrait that may be more appropriate for a special memory. Here, you would have your own photo or photographs and then have them professionally done as a canvas painting or an oil painting that could easily be done in in a 20 x 30 inch painting that could be framed. In some cases, a few individual photographs of family members or an individual can be provided separately and the artist can combine into one painting.
^{Nursed Shots – some of the bests shots I’ve taken over the last month have been taken when people have been nursing Xavier. This puts him into a more upright position which makes him look a little more ‘human-like’ and opens up the angles for your photos. Try a number of positions (over the shoulder, sitting him up, laying him back in arms, lying him on his tummy etc) as each one opens up different possibilities. Also remember that your baby is not the only potential subject – parents, grandparents, siblings, friends etc all can add context to the shot and you’ll appreciate having more than just baby by themselves shots later!}
(Above) Hilarious Engagement Card Photo Pose Idea: If you have a funny engagement card such as this “Sh-t Just Got Real” wedding announcement card, then incorporate it as a photo prop into your engagement shoot pics. {Available from: Julie Ann Art . (<-This is a referral link, which means that we’ll earn a small commission if you choose to purchase this cute item. Thanks so much for helping to support our blog!}

Take a look at their blog and galleries. Are they consistent in all that I mentioned above: proper exposure, correct white balance, focus, and lighting? Ask for view a full gallery so you can see what type of variety you would get in a session and that all the images are consistent and flow nicely. You want to make sure that ALL of their images are high quality with exposure, white balance, focus and lighting. Below is an example of a full family session gallery. I typically give 25-30 images in a family session. You can see below that there are images of mom, dad, and baby. They are in several different poses. There are images of just baby, mom and baby, and dad and baby.

are beautiful and create interest in photos. I absolutely love using multiple textures and layers, especially important when working with a color palette a bit on the neutral or softer side (with a subtle color pop here or there). When I say textures one of the ways to achieve this is with different clothing materials and accents – tweed, crochet and embroidery details, lace, hand knit items, smocking, ribbons, ruffles, etc. Also, having different layers of clothing and accessories can add another dimension to the overall texture of the image. These details and added depth are especially important in black and white images. And it can be done beautifully with colorful brights or just pops of color here and there as well. Follow your own vision and style, also looking to what fits your subjects best.