Today, I am going to discuss baby photoshoot ideas at home.
It’s a beautiful time! You have a new baby at home, and you can’t take your eyes off. Many of you’re thinking of getting a professional baby shoot done, which is always great.
But that’s like one session and one time only. What about the thousands of cute moments you and your family are blessed with? Wouldn’t you want to capture as many of them as you can?
I bet you do, even though you may not know how? So, let’s not waste any more time and get started.
What Is a Baby Photoshoot?
A baby photoshoot is all about capturing cute posed and sometimes not posed photos of a baby. Needless to say, the entire photoshoot is about the baby. Though it’s not uncommon to have siblings, parents, and even the family pet come into the frame to up the cuteness quotient.
Can You Do a Baby Photoshoot at Home?
Yes, you can! The arrival of a baby is a magical time, and every parent wants to capture as many adorable moments as possible. But the photos don’t always come through as lovely as you expect them to be.
So most parents leave it for the professionals. But as I mentioned already, a professional baby photoshoot is expensive, and you can probably do it once or twice. In this discussion, I have curated 30 baby photoshoot ideas at home that anybody with a camera can use.
Hopefully, by the time you have finished reading this, you will get all the ideas and inspiration you need to take some fantastic photos.
What You Need to Do a Baby Photoshoot at Home
- A camera (any camera will do) – An interchangeable lens camera isn’t required unless you wish to experiment with different lenses.
- A large window.
- Some diffusing fabric – This will come in handy to soften the quality of natural light.
- A couple of reflectors to bounce light and fill shadows.
30 Baby Photoshoot Ideas at Home
1. The Frog Pose
The frog pose is probably the most popular newborn photography pose, yet somehow, it can also be a difficult one to attempt. It requires that you keep the legs of the baby on the sides and then place the hands under the chin.
2. The Baby Bums-up
This pose is just as cute as any other on this list when done tastefully. Some parents may object to it, so you must be careful when proposing this shot. The baby tushy should point upwards, and the posture should be, ideally, sideways.
3. The Wrap
This is probably the easiest of all poses that you can pull off. Wrap the baby gently in a soft cotton cloth while ensuring the baby is comfortable. Ideally, hands should be tucked in and with the fists placed right under the chin.
4. Baby Wrapped and Placed in a Basket
This is just a modification of the wrap pose I listed above. You start pretty much the same way as the wrap pose. Carefully wrap the baby. You can leave out the hands and tuck the legs in. Make sure that the baby is safe and comfortable at all times.
Place the baby in a basket. Make sure that the basket is cushioned with some soft blankets.
5. Angel From Heaven
Let’s push the cuteness factor up with this next pose. Babies are angels from heaven. And to prove that point, we’ll need a couple of props—a pair of wings and a flower crown. You can understand where I am going with this.
6. Angel in a Basket
Once you have the crown and the wings, you can experiment whichever way you want it. You can replicate the wrapped basket pose with the props on. In this case, you don’t even have to wrap the baby. Instead, you can use either the baby bumps-up pose or the frog pose.
7. The Little Ballerina
This tip is for photographing a baby girl. If you can manage a little tutu dress this is a great pose that everyone will want to have in their newborn baby photoshoot album.
8. Superhero Baby
Beyond props, there are many ideas that you can work with, e.g., using superhero costumes. If it’s a baby boy, it could be a superman or a spiderman costume. If it’s a baby girl, it could be a Wonderwoman costume. Or even a captain marvel costume. Put that on the baby and let them sleep off.
Use props like hand-made clouds and a cape. Use a bit of imagination with the posing, and you could have great images to shoot.
9. Black and White Photos
I usually do not recommend shooting baby photos in black and white, but when done tastefully this can also be an excellent idea to capture some memorable photos of your baby.
Did you know you could easily convert your color photos into black and white using Colorcinch?
Here’s how you can do it.
Step 1: Navigate to Colorcinch
Step 2: Upload the image to Colorcinch using the Upload button.
Step 3: Navigate to the Filters tab.
Step 4: Choose Black and White from the list of filters.
Step 5: Choose the Black and White filter you like and hit Apply.
Here’s a quick before and after comparison.
10. The Yawn
The cute yawn of your baby is a great photo opportunity. Wait until your baby is sleepy. Pre-compose and pre-focus your camera to be ready to fire the shutter release when the baby yawns. Set your camera to continuous high mode and in release priority mode (if using an interchangeable lens camera). You will only get a couple of seconds to capture the perfect shot.
11. The Cute Fingers and Toes
Tiny toes, little fingers, and cute hands. In reality, one cannot get enough of them. But alas, these cute fingers are going to grow up soon. So, why not capture some close-up shots of them while you can?
12. Have Fun
A baby photoshoot can be a challenging endeavor. But it does not have to be stressful. As a parent, your job is to have as much fun as possible while capturing a couple of beautiful moments. So don’t forget to pick up the baby in your arms and plant a few kisses while your spouse takes up the role of the photographer for a change.
13. The Laughing Baby
While you’re planting a million kisses on your baby, she might respond with a giggle. That’s the moment when someone should be ready to capture that laugh. Make sure to hand over the camera to your spouse before you start gooshy-wooshying those cute cheeks!
14. Play the Letterboard Card
Letterboards are great because you can put any words or phrases and have a blast with them. Just get a decent quality letterboard and some letters and have fun. The baby doesn’t even have to be sleepy when you do that.
15. The Cute Headband
We used to have that cute animal headgear when our daughter was a baby. We had lots of laughs putting that on our daughter and seeing her make all kinds of faces. A cute headband or a cap is an excellent prop for some awesome baby photoshoot ideas at home.
16. Bring the Older Sibling
You are fortunate if your baby has an older sibling. Now is the time to bring the older sibling into the frame. It is even better if you can manage a couple of matching t-shirts with custom slogans.
17. Bring the Family Pet In
Do you want to double the cute quotient? Bring in the family pet into the frame. The family pet will bring more heartwarming moments into your baby photos.
18. Photograph the Twins
If you are blessed with twins, there’s double the happiness in your household. And double the opportunity to take memorable baby photos. Photographing one baby is fun enough; photographing two babies takes things to a completely different level. All you need is a little bit more space, bigger buckets, double the props, and you can shoot great photos of your twins.
19. Capture Their Beautiful Eyes
There is no way to know what goes inside those cute heads. We can only see those expressive innocent eyes and wonder what they might be thinking. A million wonders drift in front of those adorable eyes. You know what I am trying to get to here. Those eyes make for some beautiful, captivating images.
20. Capture a Shot of Them Smiling in Their Sleep
This is a cute idea and is very easy to accomplish. Babies often smile in their sleep. You have to be ready with your camera when they do it. You don’t have to do anything extra. The opportunity will come as you’re preparing for any other pose.
21. Candidography
I have always been a big fan of candid photography. I feel this technique is the best for photographing people and babies. The technique works best when the baby is completely unaware of your presence, and you can get close to capture the baby’s eyes.
22. Career Speculation
Every parent has some dreams for their children. At the same time, no one wants to pressure them into becoming something that they don’t want to be in the first place. However, as babies, we can always have some fun photoshoots with career options.
You need some baby costumes, a few props, and a lot of patience. The approach would be the same as in the Superhero tip. In this case, you have to set up the props to complete the scene.
I love the odd imaginative prop like a false beard and a mustache; some board cutouts of clouds, fences, etc.
23. Babies in Water
Babies are natural swimmers. They need a little nudge, and they’re paddling in no time. Being great with water means it’s also an excellent opportunity to shoot lovely photos.
24. Bubbles and Balloons
I like both, and I would use both, though they each have their pros and cons. I’d use balloons mainly for indoor shoots and bubbles for outdoor shoots. Just fill in some gas balloons and let the baby play with them while you click away.
And now for some essential tips.
25. Try the Continuous Shooting Mode
The burst mode works excellent to capture the best moment among many. Such as, if your baby is playing with a toy and expressing a range of emotions, the continuous mode will let you grab plenty of frames to choose the best one among them.
26. Take the Shoot Outdoors
Sometimes it makes sense to take the shoot outdoors. It is advisable when the baby is a bit older, and it’s safe to venture outdoors. A beautiful location with lots of flowers a lovely park with lots of greenery is a few good locations.
If you cannot go outdoors, you can always set up a scene and add the missing bits using a fun-to-use photo editor like Colorcinch. Here I added the falling snowflakes effect to this picture. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Navigate to Colorcinch and upload your photo using the Upload button.
Step 2: Navigate to the Overlays tab.
Step 3: Choose the Falling Snow effect from the list of Overlays.
Step 4: Choose the Falling Snow effect you like and hit Apply.
27. Use Natural Light to Shoot Baby Photos
This isn’t a posing tip but a suggestion about the best light to shoot with. The best light for me is natural light. I don’t particularly appreciate shooting with bright blinding flashes or bright LED lights and aiming them straight towards a baby’s eyes.
Natural light can work wonders, but, it can be easily modified with a diffuser and made softer. If you have a large window that gets abundant light, put white diffusing fabric over it, and you can soften the light for your indoor baby photo sessions.
28. Use a Reflector
If you’re shooting with natural light, it’s best to use a reflector to fill the shadows. This serves many purposes. First, you’re cutting down on the need to use artificial lighting. Artificial lights can be bright and often too glaring for the tender eyes of a baby. Third, reflectors are cheaper compared to artificial lighting setups. A couple of reflectors will do the job well if you have a window that gets lots of light.
29. Experiment With the Camera Angle
Most parents are guilty of never putting in too much thought about the camera angle to shoot with. They feel that they can shoot great images of their babies from the default eye-level perspective. That’s understandable because many have only limited knowledge of photography.
The eye level cannot be the only camera angle. You have to keep an open mind and experiment with other camera angles. E.g., try shooting from the top straight down. That’s an excellent camera angle for some unique baby photoshoot ideas at home.
30. Keep It Quiet
While I don’t mind a soft lullaby playing in the background as the baby sleeps and I am clicking away, I’m not too fond of the loud sound that some cameras make when a picture is taken. DSLRs, for example, are guilty of this. I prefer to keep it down by engaging the Quiet-mode. It considerably dampens out the clanking sound that the shutter mechanism makes.
Concluding Thoughts
At the start of this discussion, I mentioned that you would have all the inspiration and know-how you need to start taking baby photos at home by the time you have finished reading this. Hopefully, I have been able to achieve that. Go ahead and try out these baby photoshoot ideas at home. If you feel that you learned something do send us your love.
