Capturing Mom and Newborn Babies Naturally at Boston In-Home Sessions

Every mom has a different reaction to bringing home a new baby. By the time I arrived to photograph the newest member, some moms are settled into a groove while others are still figuring it out.  It took me six weeks with my oldest to get a handle on the day-to-day.  Most are sleep deprived but as corny as it sounds they all have a glow of love about them.

I really love finding ways to capturing mothers with their babies that are unique to them that also look natural and unposed.  I considered clients to be a part of the process when taking photos and by asking questions, I learn more about them. One of my favorite ways to get moms comfortable is to find a favorite spot or area of the house they hang out in. In addition, I prefer having parents hold the baby in a way that feels natural to them, and if needed I can make adjustments.  A few years ago I wrote my philospshy at newborn sessions for ClickinMoms.

Here are my mom tips for your next Boston newborn session.

1. Get Comfortable: The key, in my opinion, to natural looking images is to be comfortable. As a mom I want you to be relaxed and in the moment.  If your baby is crying or if you are posed in a way that is uncomfortable it will come across that way in the photograph.
2. Dress Comfortably: After I had Ezra, I was pretty naive about clothing leaving the hospital.  Nothing fit. And, even though a 8 lbs human being was no longer in my body I still weighed a lot. For the session pick something you feel good in. I’ve had some clients rock a tight dress after a brith but for most of us something loose fitting like a long shirt or dress work best.
3. Take Care of the Baby: At sessions, I always tell parents to take care of themselves and the baby.  If the baby needs to eat go ahead and don’t rush.  It is better to get in a full feed then having to go back and forth with snacks.  Take a moment to change a diaper, reswaddle or calm down a crying baby.  Often these are some of my favorite moments.
4. Follow Your Instinct: Below are a few images of moms and their newborn babies taken over the last few years.  In some photographs I’ve asked the mom to do something like bring the baby closer to her face or sit in a certain area, but really it is the mom’s natural instinct that makes the image – soothing and comforting the baby, gently caressing a cheek, or leaning in for a kiss.

Here the mom is in the baby’s nursery sitting in the rocker.  For a different perspective, I used the mobile as an element in the foreground.

One of the twins wouldn’t calm down making it difficult to get a photo of mom holding both of the babies.  She was already sitting with one baby so we added the twin in.  I took the photo looking down so the viewer could see both of the babies faces.

The parents requested photos in the kitchen.  It was where they were spending most of their time with the newborn. The bench in the kitchen was really comfortable so I could see why mom and dad hung out there.

At the end of the session as we were wrapping up mom just picked up her newborn daughter and planted a big kiss on her totally unprompted.

This newborn was colicky.  To comfort him, mom walked him back and forth in the living room.

This newborn would only calm down while laying on mom’s chest. I love how the baby’s hand is tucked into mom’s body.

This is newborn week her at BAF Photography. Other articles include:
1. Newborn Session Feature 

2. Creating a Newborn Gallery with One Window 

Beth Ann is a portrait photographer based in Belmont MA just outside of Boston. She is currently booking Boston NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY, Boston FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY, Boston  BABY PHOTOGRAPHY SESSIONS AND SENIOR PORTRAIT SESSIONS IN THE BOSTON AREA. BE SURE TO CONTACT HER TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR NEWBORN, BABY, FAMILY OR WEDDING.