How to Pose and Photograph Newborns

Newborn babies don’t care if you take their photo.
And once they’re fed, you can move their little arms and legs into a number of cute poses to snap photos while they snooze away, looking adorable.
Newborn photographer Jolie Molino knows how to deal with every newborn situation and pose babies to look their best, even when they get fussy.
See some of her favorite baby photos below — go ahead and try not to smile.
CAPTURING THOSE CHALLENGING NEWBORN POSES
By Jolie Molino in Phoenix, Arizona
Helping parents create a lasting memory of their newborn in an artistic way is very fulfilling. After all, it’s one of the single most important moments in a parent’s life. It’s so rewarding to see the looks on the parents’ faces during their ordering session — they are often moved to tears.
When I chose newborn photography as my niche, I had to quickly learn many newborn poses that parents request,
Here are a few hints and tricks to help you achieve some of my favorite newborn poses:
ALL WRAPPED UP

The primary focus for the fussy infant is swaddling. Babies prefer to be bundled and don’t like their arms and legs to be free. I start a session with a fussy baby by doing the swaddling poses first. Often, by the time I’m done, the baby is asleep. The little newborn above managed to get an arm out but soon fell asleep. I just love the smile I captured.

If you have a baby that is still fussy and struggling after swaddling, try to create white noise or ask the parent or assistant to shush loudly in their ear. Another must is to make sure the room is completely warm. Newborns don’t like cold, so the warmer it is for them, the more comfortable they’ll be and the easier it will be to capture the image. This is one of my all-time favorite poses.
THE AWAKE NEWBORN
Many moms want pictures of their babies with their eyes wide open. But newborns that are wide awake tend to flail about and they sometimes begin crying.

Again, try swaddling. For the picture above, swaddling calmed her down. To make the pose more interesting, I brought in color. Props are important: color, headbands, blankets, ties, contrasting swaddled wraps, etc. I love the soft yet bright colors in this image, and I love her slightly cross-eyed look.
IN DAD’S ARMS

This little one above cried every time we put her down. The only time she quit crying was when she was being burped. Her little tummy was just so upset. Often times, sitting babies up in the burping position calms them and their tummies.
This is also a great opportunity to grab an image of baby and dad. How can you look at those beautiful, large eyes and not fall in love!

In the image above, I placed the newborn’s back toward dad’s chest, and he secured her feet with one hand and her chest with the other, which made her feel cozy and safe. Again, this was another opportunity to get a pose with dad and baby. Dad, in his army uniform, was so protective of this little one. The drama drew me in and, again, created one of my most favorite images to date.
BIG BRO/BIG SIS

As a newborn photographer, I always get requests for sibling poses. Since many of the siblings are too young to hold the baby, I have to find creative ways to pose siblings with newborns in a safe yet artistic way.
In this image, I posed a sleeping baby on a stool using a solid paper background, so that I could remove my assistant in processing. (In the making of the photo, my assistant had her hands directly over the baby, with just enough room for me to remove her later.)
I then had mom place the older sibling at the baby’s head, and I asked her to kiss the baby.
To be a great newborn photographer you need practice, patience, and knowledge of how newborns “work.” Once you master the more challenging poses, it gives you an edge.
Remember, as you practice, newborn sessions become much easier. And, once you overcome the challenges of newborn posing, both you and your clients will be happy. Plus, you have great images for your website to attract even more potential clients.
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