Have you ever wondered how I go about my newborn photography sessions?
How do I settle, position and pose baby so the light falls perfectly on their face?

How do I pose baby with mum and dad to capture those all new, precious connections?

Well, I have created a 'fly on the wall' episode especially for you! You will have full access to watch me, from the comfort of your own home. And the beauty of being able to watch over and over again whenever you feel necessary!

In this video I will be talking you through my workflow (The order of photo's I take for every single newborn session), settling techniques, wrapping techniques, how I prepare parents, ideal room temperature, camera settings etc etc. Basically everything I've spent the last 6 years learning!

 

You then have the option to purchase the optional addition of my 'Editing 101'. Here I will walk you through my culling process, how I present the images to my clients to choose and most importantly my step by step editing workflow.

 

Please note to get full use of these videos, a basic understanding of your camera is essential and for the editing 101 a basic understanding of photoshop is helpful.

 

 

10 Tips for photographing your Lockdown Newborn!

bethany rees photography poole newborn photographer bournemouth dorset

1) Take newborn photos within the first two weeks.

Definitely try and capture photo’s of your brand new baby within the first two weeks. I know you will be sleep deprived, especially in this crazy period of time! But it will be worth it i promise, get that new-ness captured while you still can! Plus babies this age are alot sleepier and willing to let you move and leave them to snooze while you snap away!

2) Find the room with the most natural light in the house.

Lighting is SO important, in all types of photography. It will make such a difference. Look for soft, natural lighting. You want to avoid the harsh sunlight beaming through the windows. Often, cloudy days provide the perfect lighting. Keep an eye on the rooms in your house, what time of day is the best lighting in that room? Preparation is key!

3) Keep the room warm.

Baby’s LOVE to be warm. Having a cosy warm room will help your baby settle and stay comfortable during the shoot, make sure there are no drafts! Also, consider using a white noise machine or app. The sounds can block out any movement or sudden noises and keeps them nice and snoozy while your fussing around him/her.

4) Feed your baby before shooting.

Make sure your baby has a nice, full belly before the shoot! It will help keep your baby happy and comfortable while you take photos. I always like to say happy babies make happy photos!

5) Keep it simple.

To me, less is more. Keep it simple. Keep your background clean. Do you have a white bedsheet? Lay them on a bed parallel to the window. Don’t try and force them into unnatural poses or try putting them in a basket. If they flop their arms out when they’re sleeping, that’s ok! It’s genuine and real. The beauty in the simplicity will keep your photo looking modern, natural, and clean.

6) Get in close. Capture the details.

Get your camera close to your subject. For example, capture details like your baby’s fingers and toes! Babies grow so fast and capturing these little details are so important; it will help you remember how small and tiny they used to be. Don’t be afraid to get in close so you can really highlight the small details!

7) Don’t forget a family photo!

Do your best to get a photo of the WHOLE family. If you have older siblings and/or pets, do your best to get them in the shot—your family is not complete without them! Kids and pets are often wiggly, so try interacting with each other instead of getting everyone to sit still. Maybe sing a song or read a book together while you’re all sitting together!

Also, try and lean your camera on something so that you can be in the photo. Set a timer, and then go for it!

P.S. If you have an Apple Watch and iPhone, you can control the camera and timer from your Apple Watch!

8) Shoot near a window. Turn your subject’s face towards the light.

Shooting near a window creates soft, diffused light, which is beautiful and flattering for portraits. The closer you get to the window, the softer the light will be.

Also, remember to face towards the light source so your face can be illuminated and not hidden in the shadows.

9) Share your plan with your family.

Making sure everyone in the family is prepared is so important. Set the expectations and make it fun. You can say you’ll be having a ‘family picture day’ to celebrate. Take your time getting everybody ready for the pictures, especially children. If you are calm, they will be calm. If you make it fun, you will get happy genuine smiles! Let them know why you are doing this, and how they can help! 🙂

10) Complement your clothing. Go for neutral colors.

Don’t forget to coordinate your outfits! Complement your clothing and go for a comfy and cosy look. Neutral colors are also an excellent choice for newborn sessions. A popular color palette is wearing white’s and greys. Stay away from large logos (or any writing, if possible), and avoid black and neon colors as they tend to look heavy and distracting in photos. You can definitely tell if someone is uncomfortable in a photo, so go for comfort!

GOOD LUCK!! Tag me on instagram in all of your beautiful photo’s, i’d love to see them!!! Most importantly, enjoy this time with your beautiful family.

Beth x x

QUESTIONNAIRE

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My Top Baby Buys 2019

Being pregnant is SO overwhelming. What do we need, what don’t we need? What will my baby like? It can be a minefield!
I’ve been chatting to recent clients, and have put together a list of items that come highly recommended!

1. Cybex Z Cloud Car Seat

A lot of my new parents have been bringing their brand new bundles in this car seat. Its the Cybex Z Cloud i-size.

The child seat not only has Side-impact Protection (L.S.P.) System, which increases your child’s safety in a side-impact collision. The Cloud Z i-Size can be changed to a lie-flat position outside of the car which is just a life saver, literally. Leaving your child in an upright car seat is not safe for long periods of time (2 hour maximum), which means having to wake them when they fall asleep on the way home (Which my little girl did, basically every car journey!).
To make it easier to get your child in and out of the car, the seat can be swivelled to the door side of the car! GENIUS.

Here’s a photo:

2. Baby Monitor Holder.

I cannot count the times I would grab books, boxes, ANYTHING to make the baby monitor stand in the PERFECT position, so i could see my babies face and relax knowing she is OK and i can see her! This baby monitor holder is universal, so works with any baby monitor, and bends and stays to the absolute perfect angle to watch your perfect angel 😉 It simply clips to the side of the cot/moses basket/crib or anything. VOILA. A must have, in my opinion!

It’s £16.95 and you can get it here

newborn photographer photography poole bournemouth dorset blandford baby photoshoot Bethany Rees

3. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine (if bottle feeding!)

This machine saved my life. It makes bottle feeding SO much easier and quicker. In the middle of the night when your baby is crying for milk the last thing you want to be doing is spending 20 minutes trying to calm her down while the bottle cools. The perfect prep machine makes the bottle to the perfect, recommended temperature in 2 minutes. That’s it, ready to go. Feed your baby, and back to bed! Amazing. It now comes in a day/night version too, which is alot quieter than the previous and has a useful nightlight so you don’t have to wake baby up turning all the lights on! You can buy it here

newborn photographer photography poole bournemouth dorset blandford baby photoshoot Bethany Rees

4. Baby Bjorn Bouncer

If you’ve ever met my mum, she will 100% tell you about the time i spent £300 on a baby bouncer (that she had advised against), and my baby HATED it. Smug mum, 5 years on – she’s still smug.

I’ve had lots of people recommend this baby bouncer to me. It may be quite pricey for basically a little bit of fabric, but babies seem to love it! When they kick their legs it bobs and bounces, amusing a little one perfectly. It’s lightweight, with no plugs or batteries, which means carrying it around the house is so easy, whether your doing washing up, cleaning, showering, or just want some entertainment whilst you drink some much deserved coffee. You can simply carry it from room to room. You can buy them in lots of different colours, click here.

5. Ergo Pouch Swaddle Sleeping Bag

I had to put these on the list! Most babies love to be swaddled and warm. These sleeping bags come with poppers on the sleeve holes, so you can swaddle them easily! And obviously if your baby doesn’t like to be swaddled you just unpop the poppers and let their arms free. The zip on the sleeping bag is also multi way, meaning you can zip up from the bottom and you don’t have to get them out when you change them during the night. They come in different tog levels, from 0.2 tog to 2.5 tog. You can take a look here.

Those are my top 5 finds, but some other, generic things you may need on your list are:

Pushchair
Changing Bag
Baby Monitor
Crib/Cot/Moses Basket
Muslin Cloths
Steriliser
Water wipes
Bibs

If anybody has any other recommendations, please leave them in the comments! I’d love to hear them, and i’m sure it would help other new parents out a lot too!

x x x x x x

 

Dorset UK.