Taking Photos of Your Newborn

After forty long weeks of carrying your bundle of joy, your little one has arrived and now you've brought him home. You are probably eager to fill those empty baby-themed picture frames that you've collected over the past nine months or so, or that your friends and your loved ones have given you as gifts. Actually, you are probably hoping to fill numerous picture frames with pictures of that cute baby, proudly displaying every moment of his life, waking or sleeping.

Newborn babies can be difficult to photograph since their attention span is not very developed and their moods may change at the drop of a hat. That smiling, cuddly baby can turn into a squiggly, squirming, yelling baby before the flash goes off on your new digital camera. However, you do not need to worry. There will be numerous times that you will be able to take photos in the weeks, months, and also years to come. The suggestions that follow will enable you to capture picture frame worthy moments (but aren't they all?) with your newborn with ease:

• Be familiar with your equipment. New mothers often buy a brand new camera just before their baby is born. Make sure you read the handbook for your camera and familiarize yourself with its settings even if it is not a recent purchase. Test out the camera, and pay special attention to its zooming capabilities as well as the wide angle. Verify and see that the battery is charged up all the way, and that the camera is equipped with a nice big memory card.

• Make your baby nice and cheerful. This shouldn't be too hard for just about any baby if it's had enough sleep, has got a full tummy, and also has a dry diaper. The room where you are photographing your little one should be comfortable and warm since infants this age can get too cold very easily. You will want some props to help with supporting baby for his photo shoot, like bedding, nursing pillows, and so on - make sure that whatever you decide on as a prop is gentle and baby friendly. If you have someone else to assist you with supporting the baby while taking photos, that can be really great.

• Choose a bright spot for your baby photo shoot. Keep any background or props on the basic side, like a solid blanket. Be sure that you dress your infant in simple clothing, since you don't want any wild patterns or bright colors to take away from the real target of the shoot.

• Be sure to take lots and lots of pictures. Your digital camera's biggest asset is that you don't need to wait for a shot to be perfect, and you can take dozens of photos and then delete some of them whenever you wish. Always capture your baby's pictures in color and then convert to black-and-white or sepia later if you wish to.

• Take plenty of candid shots without planning the shot. Why shouldn't a photo of your sweet baby with wet tears as well as a sad face be ideal for putting on your desk in a picture frame? The most candid pictures oftentimes wind up being the best!

So keep these suggestions in mind throughout your newborn photoshoot and you'll be sure to have some great results.


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Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Our colorful baby picture frames are perfect for highlighting your favorite infant and toddler photographs. Browse through our selection of cute picture frames or give us a call at 800-780-0699.