“How do you get them to do that?”
I hear this so often! As a posed newborn photographer, you will have beautiful heirloom photos of your sweet newborn baby in the most precious little poses! Their photos will highlight so many of their sweet features as they are strategically posed in flattering, precious ways. These poses also highlight their flexibility and make it easier to imagine how they looked as they were all snuggled up inside of momma before they came earthside.
But some of the cutest poses are also the trickiest! Here are the top 5 poses that are extra tricky. These poses come with a need for extra attention to your baby’s safety and well being. This is the reason you need a trained professional photographer that specializes in posed newborn photography.
1. Taco
The taco pose folds all the sweet details of your precious baby all together where all of those treasures are on display in one photo. His little toes are stacked together underneath his wrist as his sweet little face rests on his tiny fingers.
This pose requires an extreme amount of expertise of placing his little legs and hips in just the right way that he is comfortable. There is strategy in positioning his hidden arm so that it is propping him up at just the right angle so his little face isn’t buried but also not turned up too far. There are little posing pillows placed under the backdrop to position different parts of his body into this shape.
2. Forward facing in a bucket/ bowl
Believe it or not, this pose was one of the hardest poses for me to learn as a newborn photographer! If the little pillows under baby’s wrists are too squishy, baby’s face will sink down into the bucket and the features of her face will disappear. If the pillows are too firm, baby’s arms cannot be adjusted to allow for her chin to rest comfortably.
The way that her chin rests on her hands is important because is must be done properly for her to be secure and safe.
3. Bum up/tummy time
Much like the taco pose, there is an art to positioning baby’s arms and legs in a way that she is comfortable. Great care is taken to place her in a way that brings her elbow close to her knee and allows her little toes to peek through where they are tucked under her bottom. We want to see her little fingers under her cheek and be able to see all the details of her face with her head and bottom at just the right angles. This pose also positions her body in a way that her baby back rolls are on display. This is often one of the favorite elements mommas comment about with this pose.
4. In Daddy’s hands
The trickiest part of this pose is baby’s tendency to want to arch his back and curl his legs up toward his face. We put in the time and patience to position his body so that we can see those little legs and feet and tiny little hands, fingers and face resting sweetly in Daddy’s hands. It is so special to remember how tiny your baby was in comparison to the size of Daddy’s hands.
5. Froggy
Last but not least is one of the all time favorite poses of many parents. Froggy pose is an especially tricky pose because of baby’s position. Baby’s little hands are posed to cup his cheeks. His wrists need to be touching to provide stability. His little heels are tucked behind his elbows so just his toes are peeking out behind them.
For safety, this pose must consist of two shots that are composited together in post session editing.
The first shot involves a secure hold of his little wrists under his chin. The other shot requires mommy or daddy or a helper gently holding the top of his head.
This ensures baby will not slip forward or to the side.
Baby’s safety is ALWAYS top priority.
All of these poses require a large amount of training and experience. Lighting and angles must be precise and adjusted perfectly to ensure your heirloom photos are as flattering and beautiful as possible. Necessary precautions must be taken to ensure your baby is comfortable and safe. Years of experience and training allow me to provide all of these things for you so that every bit of your experience at your newborn photo session at my Indianapolis studio is of the highest, most expert quality.
Contact me HERE to discuss scheduling your newborn session for your little one on the way!