Wow, did March 2020 change our lives.

When we received the news that non essential businesses would need to shut down and we needed to practice social distancing, my heart immediately dropped for all my beloved families (and families I have yet to meet) who would be missing out on documenting the milestones they hoped and dreamed for.

Maybe photography isn’t “essential”, but to me, it’s important.

To me, photography has a much deeper value. A picture not only brings us immediate joy and happiness, it is also a way to document a moment in time in a life that is ever-changing, ever growing. These are moments that age like a fine wine; they just get better over time.

While we can forego the family pictures for most clients for a couple months, a couple months just isn’t feasible for those having babies right NOW, for those pregnant, and for those quick growing babes.

My hope is to help all these families by providing tips and advice for taking your OWN photographs of this time. The advice is completely free (I may ask for donations to my small business) and I hope you find them useful!

Here are 5 of my most important tips (each one I will go over in separate posts!) and the way I typically approach/view sessions.

#1. Start with your the most high quality “camera” you own.

This means yes, you can break out your DSLR if you own one, or if you have a very good quality camera on your phone, you can definitely utilize that!

Having a better quality camera will allow for better reading of the “light” in the room, and will yield a better finished result (especially if you’d like to print these portraits for your walls!)

#2. Find the Natural Light

When I photograph an in home session very rarely do I ever use a flash or lights. Typically before each and every in home session I have my clients walk around their home to find where (and when!) the natural sunlight comes in through their windows. When I arrive to their home I will have them give me the tour, making mental notes of all the spots and places with beautiful light.

Why natural light?

The way our eyes view light differs from how your camera views the light. The indoor, overhead lights may appear bright to our eyes, but then our pictures come out super dark. Natural light is brighter for our cameras to read, AND offers more natural coloring (meaning you won’t get as much of that “yellow” or “orange” look as you do from indoor lights).

How to utilize the light

First of all be aware of the time of day as you look at the light. Is the sun directing beaming through the window? Or is the sun over the house, creating a beautiful soft light? I always opt for the softer light, to avoid harsh lines from the sun. Open your blinds to let that beautiful sunlight in!

Next, you’ll want to position yourself/baby within that light, paying attention to how the light falls on faces (positioning your baby so their face is towards the light, etc).

Here are some examples:

#3. Turn off the indoor lights!

I say this because I know a lot of my clients believe they are doing me a service adding more light in the room for me, but I always ask they actually turn them off!

As I mentioned before, our eyes see light way differently than our cameras. The indoor fluorescent light that may look “ok” to our eyes could create a really distinct yellow or orange picture! (Try it out, taking pictures in the sunlight and then in the fluorescent light, you’ll be surprised!)

Also, overhead lights can cast a horrible, unflattering shadow.

Do yourself a huge favor, and turn all those indoor lights off.

#4. Clutter and Composition

Those who have worked with me in the past know for in home sessions I am ALWAYS preaching you don’t need a super clean/organized home to have a good session. Your home does not need to be pristine.

What I would recommend is reducing clutter/distracting elements as much as possible. The basket of laundry on the couch? Move it into the other room. Toys all over the floor? Maybe move them over for the time being.

The next step that I take as a professional is to then look through my lens, really look. Don’t just snap a picture; really look at all sides of your frame and what is in it before you take it.

Ask yourself, are there distracting elements in the background that take away from my subjects? If there are things you can physically move, do it! Sometimes for me I cannot, but I will move my own self so it is not in the frame.

My best advice? Look for simplicity. Too much “clutter” in a portrait may take away from the moment the portrait is trying to convey and capture.

I also see “clutter” within outfits and props, which is why I always suggest to clients to wear neutral colors, be simple (no eccentric patterns), and try to avoid logos on shirts. This goes for baby’s blankets too! Try to choose blankets/props that don’t have wild patterns (exceptions are made for handmade blankets of course).

#5. Angles and Posing, it’s important!

When I am photographing a family within their home, I pay a LOT of attention to poses and angles. This is something that takes a lot of practice, and could take a few shots to get it right (I sometimes have to move around or ask someone to pose differently because I can tell something isn’t working after the first click).

I’ve got a few key tips to help you on your journey navigating poses and angles.

If you are photographing your newborn baby on a blanket, bed, or in their crib, stand directly over them and shoot downwards (safely).

Position your camera directly over them, shooting down (and level!).

I always love photographing baby from head to toe (Professional Tip, leave extra space above and below baby’s head and feet, in case you need to crop your image later for print!)

While baby is happily swaddled I’ll sneak in a couple pictures of up close of baby’s face, hands, feet, etc (all without moving baby too much). Capture all the teensy details (trust me, as they grow you will want to have them!)

Parents, get in the picture!
Those who know me know I strongly value and encourage parents to be within pictures with their babes. I think it’s utterly important as our children grow to see us in pictures with them.

I would absolutely love for you to jump in pictures with your babe! Heck, even set the self timer and snap a couple that way of all of you.

My recommendation for family pictures is simple: have the camera set straight on or slightly higher than your faces, sit up straight, and cuddle in closely and BE NATURAL!

You can look straight on smiling into the camera, or you can choose to use the moment to “have a loving moment” as a family. I will sometimes encourage the parents to lean in and snuggle, kiss on the cheek, look at each other, or smile down at their new baby. Find ways to create genuine constant connection between each other. Holding, touching, snuggling, eye contact, all of it.

Cradle baby in your arms, and be as natural as possible. 

For my pregnant families, I tend to find we aren’t quite sure where to put our “hands”. Put them on that belly! (Your partners’s hands!)

My last tip for poses, (and this is important!) don’t slouch.

It can be easy to sink into the bed you’re sitting on, or in the comfy couch. If this happens, sit yourself towards the edge of the couch, and/or place pillows behind you if on your bed (trust me, you’ll thank me later).

I hope these tips and tricks help you as you embark on your photography venture to capture this amazing season of life! Don’t worry, there are more posts to come diving deeper into most of these points to help you create the best portraits you can take :) Make sure to share your experience and portraits in the facebook group, and if you need editing help don’t hesitate to reach out!