Posing the model is a task that a lot of photographers struggle with in most cases, but when it comes to newborn photography, this job becomes especially challenging. Newborns are uncoordinated, don’t have the necessary head control, and usually ignore most posing cues. The post below will teach you the most appropriate and effective newborn photography poses to ensure your photos are beautiful while the babies stay safe at all times.
You can pick from multiple wrapping styles when trying out this pose. The choice depends on how experienced you are at using a wrap. You can either keep the newborn’s arms tucked in or not.
Typically, when a child is starting to become unsettled, I wrap them entirely. Ensure the swaddle is rather tight since babies tend to wriggle out of loose wraps. You can employ artificial fur as a newborn photography backdrop to ensure the pictures look as cozy as possible.
The “frog” is one of the most popular newborn photo poses that you’ll frequently find in various newborn photo ideas, as it emulates the look of a frog’s legs hidden underneath its body. Meanwhile, the child’s hands are placed under the chin or cheeks.
It’s vital to keep in mind that this pose has to be implemented as a composite to ensure the newborn doesn’t actually support their weight with their little hands.
The Timber pose is easy to do since it simply has you placing the newborn on their side after adopting the frog pose. Afterward, you might need to move the feet a bit to ensure everything looks as visually appealing as possible.
Additionally, you can place one hand and accessorize it with a lovey or another suitable prop.
“Tushy Up” is one of my go-to newborn photography poses. You can do it by having the newborn lie on its belly while the legs are crossed. Place one of the hands under the cheek so that the fingers are showing. Optimally, the knee and elbow have to be touching. Some photographers prefer to raise the newborn’s tushy to make the photo look more visually appealing.
This pose is also frequently referred to as the "Taco Pose", as its main purpose is to imitate the curled-up fetal position that babies have when still being in their mother's womb. I typically choose this option when working with a sleeping newborn. Have the child wrapped around in a blanket to make it feel even more comfortable while you focus on taking photos.
By having the newborn lie on their belly while the chin rests on their hands, you’ll achieve one of the most commonly used newborn poses for photography. The goal of this pose is to convey a sense of relaxation and serenity.
I particularly like using this pose because it provides a good look at the baby’s face while also being well suited for various newborn photography props. Just ensure the newborn’s face isn’t wrinkled and is placed carefully on top of the arms.
Focus a couple of photos on the newborn’s eyes, mouth, nose, fingers, toes, and other features that highlight its adorableness and fragility. Close-up photos don’t demand any intricate posing and can be taken while using or not using a wrap.
This is one of the easiest and most natural newborn baby poses out there. Just place the child on their back and have their hands on their belly. This way, you’ll get a clear shot of the newborn’s face and body, ensuring you capture the newborn’s cuteness in all of its splendor.
This pose can be adopted in a variety of ways, but most of them come down to having the newborn's legs next to each other while one of the arms or both of them is placed underneath the cheek. You can also feature different props or use a wrap.
You can achieve a variety of aesthetically pleasing viewing angles with this pose, taking photos from the side and from above.
You can recognize this pose when you see the newborn lying on its back while its tiny legs are curled up. I often turn to this option in my work, particularly when dealing with various cute newborn photography outfits.
The newborn will always be awake at the beginning of a photo shoot. Rather than attempting to lull the baby into sleep, take some photos of its candid expressions: yawns, cute stretches, subtle smiles, and wide-open eyes that are full of wonder.
If all of your pictures feature the newborn sleeping, they’ll grow stale rather soon, and newborn photography poses like these help balance things out.
Such poses allow you to experiment with a wide range of newborn photography props, like baskets, crates, swings blankets, wraps, headbands, hats, or other items dedicated to specific themes.
Such props are useful for introducing artistic elements, textures, and colors to your photos while ensuring they look more unique.
The mom and dad aren’t typically included in newborn photography poses, but asking them to hold or interact with their child can allow you to take some very beautiful emotional, and candid photos.
You can ask the parents to hold the newborn against their chest, in their arms, etc. I particularly love the pose that only has the parents' hands included in the frame.
This is the perfect option for beginners, as it’s easy to do while still looking great in any family photo album. To achieve this pose, wrap the newborn in a blanket so that only their head is showing. It’s a good idea to take most photos from above. If you want to add an extra dose of cuteness to the shot, include a crochet toy.
If you’re organizing a photoshoot for parents who already have children, you can rest assured you'll have to do some baby photo posing with their older sibling(s). Even though most of the shoot will be dedicated to the newborn, the parents will want to ensure you’ve created a memory for the entire family, which means using brother and sister photoshoot ideas.
Experiment with various endearing poses: ask the sibling to cradle the baby, have them share forehead kisses, etc. Natural interactions tend to provide the best results here.
If you’d like to simplify the retouching workflow while receiving cohesive, professional results, then you should give these tools a try. The provided effects will allow you to significantly reduce the amount of time you spend editing while efficiently enhancing the newborn’s skin tone, softening facial features, improving the color balance, and performing other changes in a matter of clicks.
