Photographing babies in a natural, in-the-moment way is known as baby-led posing. Actually, it’s not even posing, it’s letting babies do what they do best – cuddling with you, lying down awake or asleep, feeding or even crying.
We see a lot of studio posed baby shoots, but it doesn’t have to be that way. While highly stylised, posed and propped photos are a thing, we prefer leaving babies to do their own thing. You can get gorgeous photos of your baby and their tiny little feet, hands and face while your baby is comfortable and feels secure with you. Babies are the best posers – just the way they move, curl up and stretch out is gorgeous, not to mention their facial expressions. They are naturally photogenic (it makes editing your pics a hard job) and because there’s no waiting for babies to ‘perform’ or pose, sessions can be quick.
The reason I didn’t organise newborn pics of my eldest daughter was because the photos I saw were so posed and set up, and I thought it was the only way to have newborn photos, but it wasn’t me. There is a much more natural and realistic approach and style, made to look beautiful with natural daylight. Timewise, everywhere you look it seems like a session takes three hours. That’s a long time for parents and baby to be in front of the camera and out of action – you need to have the time and tenacity for that. Realistically, you’re lucky if you’ve washed your hair before the session. Natural, lifestyle photos are much more relaxed for everyone, plus newborn photos are a celebration of everyone in the family, not just the newborn baby.
If you haven’t tried out a family photo session because you thought it’s not for you, there really is a photographer for everyone. Whatever your style, lifestyle and mood – find the work that feels comfortable for you, that you can imagine yourself in, and that captures you and your new baby in a way that makes your heart beat a little faster. Newborns change every week, and you’ll love having photographic memories to look back on that time when they were unbelievably tiny.
Article by Little Manly Photography