When Louise was born, we already had our DSLR camera. But being first-time parents, Fred and I were always tired and exhausted to think about taking photos. The first few weeks were like a roller coaster ride, one minute we’re happy, then next we’re worried about everything. Even the simplest cry of our baby made us nervous.
So for our second baby, we made it to the point to try having our newborn and sibling photography. I’ve read somewhere that the suggested age of the baby for the newborn photo shoot is within the first ten days. Why? Because at this age, babies are mostly very sleepy, enabling you to get very sweet and peaceful photos of your sleeping little bundle of joy.
Okay, so there I was, planning and expecting to do everything as planned. And then Martina came out. I had breast milk problem for the first three days, then her jaundice got worst from day 4 and then I became very very emotional on day 5. I was crying for almost 1 whole day that time for no valid reason (part of postpartum I guess and it sucks!). The jaundice and my anxiety issues continued and so we weren’t able to hold the photo shoot based on our schedule. And what’s worst? My mind was not in the mood to prepare for our props.
Day 14 came and there I was, telling Fred to just do it! Gathering all the things I could think of, we went to our bedroom and started shooting! It wasn’t easy, but based on our experience, here are the things worth considering:
- Time of photo shoot
Know the time when it’s easy for you and your baby to do the photo shoot. It would be best to do it when you as the new sleepless mother has finished getting a good rest. Then feed your baby and get ready when he/she starts to fall asleep. As for the sibling, make sure he/she’s in good mood.
In our case, we were all set to start the shoot but Martina woke up unexpectedly, thanks to her Ate Louise! So for all the images we got, our baby’s awake.
- Camera and lighting
Aim for natural light. It’s a good thing our bedroom has a good light coming in. If you don’t have a DSLR camera, don’t worry. A very good phone can be handy for your photo shoot. Try to use mobile applications like Snapseed for some editing of course.
- Props and setup
As mentioned above, I wasn’t able to prepare for good props and even the backdrop. So Fred just made sure to make the background blurry so we can get presentable photos. As a mother who loves doing crafts, it’s a good thing I was able to make headbands for Martina when I was still pregnant. As for the cloth, luckily I purchased a good bathrobe before. Actually, you can use any blanket or towel which has a good texture. Don’t worry much about the clothing, newborns are cutest when they’re naked, as if they just came out from the womb.
- Baby necessities
Within 1-2 hours of photo shoot, expect a couple of burping and peeing and if you’re lucky, a few pooping. So make sure you have burp cloths and baby wipes within your reach. All these happened when we had our shoot so I ended up doing some cleaning.
- The poses
Be a Pinterest lover for this one. You can get amazing newborn and sibling photos from this site. But then again, your photos depend much on your baby and the mood of the sibling. As long as the baby is very sleepy and the older sibling is in good mood, don’t waste any minute. Work on their poses and just start rolling the camera!
Here are some of our photos:
There you have it, I hope this article is helpful to anyone planning for a DIY newborn and sibling photo shoot. Also, as parents, try to have some poses with your kids. This is something we didn’t do because of the lack of planning and again, thanks to my postpartum issues.