Newborn photography may not be one of the first things that come to mind when you start thinking about starting a photography business, but it’s easily one of the most rewarding fields to be in if you love working with newborns and families.

There’s plenty of photographers who specialize in just maternity and newborn photography… like a wedding, you’ll want to capture the memories, and if you score them as a maternity client, they’ll often come back to you for newborn photos, then at 1 years old, 2 years old, family photos, etc.

Now if you’re currently hyping yourself up into taking the plunge and finally go pro, you probably already know that a newborn photo session is not for the faint of heart. So today, we’re giving you 10 solid newborn photography tips that’ll make your life as a newbie newborn photography as fulfilling and as smooth-sailing as possible.

#1 Safety is Your First Priority

I’ve said this before on our guide to becoming a newborn photographer and I’ll say it again. Being a professional newborn photographer is more than being prepared to clean up after every little “accident” on the set. It’s about always, always going the extra mile to ensure a safe, comfortable environment for the baby in every session that you do.

Come into the shoot well prepared with everything you’ll need to make sure the baby’s safe and comfy. That means having hypoallergenic blankets at the ready, layering your set with enough cushioning, ensuring your props don’t have any hard and sharp surfaces that might scratch or cause splinters. You might even want to spend the time to go through an infant care workshop just to bring your confidence up in handling and working with babies.

Here’s Lisa of The Milky Way with a handful of solid tips that can help you provide better, safer newborn photography sessions:

#2 Schedule the Perfect Newborn Photography Shooting Date

The typical image of a raging, tantrum-throwing baby is often enough to put off aspiring professional newborn photographers. Wailing babies aren’t exactly the most cooperative subjects. Now there are a million different ways to soothe a grumpy baby during a shoot, but here’s a brilliant little tip that can help you keep them pacified:

Do the shoot within 7 to 14 days after the baby’s birth. Newborns in this 7 to 14-day window are still adjusting to the outside world and will need a lot of sleep to develop their growing bodies. This is exactly when you want to be doing all your posing, wrapping, and shooting as you gently adjust them into wonderful poses in their sleepy time. Go a little further than 14 days in and babies may start to become more energetic and stop being as behaved so it’s best to plan accordingly!

#3 A Comfy Baby is a Happy Baby

Another thing you can do to make sure your newborn photography sessions go as smoothly as possible is to create a nice, warm and comfortable environment for the baby. Aside from scheduling the best date for the shoot, you’ll want to tick a few additional things off of your pre-session checklist.

First, you’re going to need a space heater if your place gets really chilly. Grown adults don’t particularly like staying out in the cold, so just imagine how an infant would do in these conditions. Investing in a white noise machine is also a good idea as it does a great job at simulating a womb-like environment that soothes restless babies and helps them sleep a little better during the shoot.

You’ll also want extra diapers, hypoallergenic blankies, and a hygiene kit consisting of baby wipes, crib pads, paper towels and other baby-safe sanitizing items that’ll help you fix up every projectile-vomiting incident while on set. Finally, you’ll want to be in sync with the baby’s nap schedule and make sure that they’re all nice and fed before the session starts.

#4 Invest in a Macro Lens

You can certainly get away with a slightly longer lens and some cropping, but one of the better investments you can get as a budding newborn photographer is a true macro lens. There are budget alternatives to more premium macro lenses from pretty much every camera manufacturer out there so make sure to do your research.

That initial investment of course will more than pay for itself as soon as you start taking incredible detail shots that not a lot of your peers may be doing for their clients. Throwing in a nice set of close up shots of their child’s cute little toes, scrunched up nose, drowsy eyes and sweet little lips and outstretched tiny hands will add a lot of value to your work.

Take a look at how Fenna of Wonder Fotografie uses her macro lens for her stunning newborn work:

#5 Get Newborn Photography Props ASAP!

Using props for newborn photography work is such a huge part of the job that I even did a dedicated post on the best, unique newborn photography props you can get. Setting up the right scene and selecting the right props are just some of the easiest ways you can differentiate yourself from the competition and cultivate your style as a newborn photographer.

I recommend starting with the basics: a few miniature beds (always a hit), posing props like bean bags, wraps, maybe throw in a few seasonal props in there with a holiday motif, and then a nice assortment of costumes for both genders. Now these props can quickly add up in cost but remember, you can build your prop collection along with your gear as you grow your business.

#6 Learn How to Safely Use Wraps for Newborn Photography

Babies snuggled up on beautiful wraps are a staple look for most newborn photographers. Not only does wrapping a newborn in a nice swaddle look unbearably cute in photos, but it also does a great job at soothing their anxiety as they adjust to the world outside their mother’s womb.

Unfortunately, swaddling up a baby’s delicate body isn’t as simple as it seems. It must be done very carefully and you definitely must put the practice in to get it done as safely as possible. But with the right training and enough experience, you’ll be mastering a skill that’ll serve you well throughout the entirety of your career.

So here’s a pro tip: practice with posing dolls and experiment with different wrap lengths and textures. Having longer wraps lets you leave a little more slack in your wraps. Stocking up on different textured wraps will let you have the right, complementing swaddle for the look you’re going for every time.

Here’s Lisa of The Milky Way once again with a handy guide to a very simple newborn wrap that every newborn photographer can do:

#7 Include the Siblings in the Shot

Now the newborn child will always be the star of the show, but that doesn’t mean other family members can’t share the spotlight. Try including the baby’s older siblings in the shot! They’ll be fighting and annoying each other to no end soon enough, so take this time to capture how adorable they look together during this very special moment for the family!

Having your toddler join the shoot may help them feel more involved and not feel left out with all the attention the entire household is pouring over the newest member of the family. Fenna of Wonder Fotografie has an amazing video about posing a baby with your client’s toddlers, so definitely check this out and add the baby-sibling pose in your bag of go-to looks!

#8 Offer “Fresh 48” Sessions

For people just hearing about this for the first time, a fresh 48 session is when you capture the first 48 hours of the baby’s life after delivery. This session is a common alternative to covering the labor and actual birth photos, while still letting the family document a lot of firsts of the baby’s life.

A fresh 48 can either be done on the birthing facility when the parents have had enough time to recover and touch up, or done at home right after getting discharged. The goal is to document many of the family’s firsts with the baby: first feeding, first bath with the parents, cutting the umbilical cord, and other precious, intimate moments.

These timeless photos will add more value to your work, more endearing photos for the family, and of course, more projects for your growing business.

#9 Natural Light is Your Best Friend

There’s no excuse not to get good lighting for your newborn work, even when you’re just starting out and working with a tight budget. Even if you can’t afford dedicated studio lighting just yet, remember that you still have nature’s greatest monolight – the sun. Even professional newborn photographers love working with natural light, so you should take advantage of this free light source in your sessions.

Working near a big light entry point, like windows, can easily give you that nice softbox effect that beautifully wraps around the baby’s features. Posing the baby nearby a large window at the classic 45-degree angle will instantly give you that timeless Rembrandt look. Pro tip: never ever have your light source pointing nose up — it’ll look very unflattering and unnatural.

You should also consider getting super affordable camera accessories like a reliable collapsible reflector to help you manipulate the available light better, or even a portable backdrop that’ll help you move your set around wherever there is good lighting.

Check out Kelly Brown’s crash course on controlling natural light for newborn photography if you need more ideas:

#10 Sell Newborn Photography Prints

We’ve briefly touched on selling prints on our guide to becoming a maternity photographer in 2021 (which you should definitely check out and consider adding maternity photography services to your site), and on there, we talked about how you’re leaving a lot of money on the table if you don’t sell newborn photography prints to your clients.

I’m not just talking about albums. Start thinking about partnering with local printing shops and come up with custom photography products such as large wall displays, custom frames, metal prints and so on. Consider offering these lovely custom-made newborn prints to your clients even when you’re just starting to maximize your profits.

Here’s a pro tip when upselling your clients for a custom-print package: don’t be too pushy! Instead, try to educate them on the value of physical, tangible photographic products that you can just easily pick up and show to friends and family many years down the road. Your lovely set of newborn photographs can be appreciated more that way, instead of just gathering digital dust in their media drives.

Have a look at Fenna of Wonder Fotografie and her wonderful video on marketing your newborn photography business and selling prints if you need more inspiration: