When starting out in newborn photography there is a lot to think about and things that you need to get started. You might want to buy a lot of things but you can start will the essentials so that you don’t have go overboard and spend too much money. Although its so tempting as there are so many cute props out there, I’m always looking and spending too much money 🙈 It’s good to know the Newborn photography essentials to make sure you are prepared when starting your newborn photography journey.
10 essential items for newborn photography
1. Newborn posing bean bag beanbag and stand
One of the first things that you will definitely need for newborn photography is a newborn posing bean bag. I use this for every newborn session you can get some really cute newborn poses. As long as you have this you can easily pose the newborn on the beanbag and get used to some simple newborn poses on here
2. Hardware clips
You will need these to stretch your blankets over your beanbag frame. This makes life so much easier when it comes to editing so you are not having to edit out all of the creases in the blanket.
3. newborn posers and posing pillows
You will need posing pillows under the blankets when using the beanbag and also in various props. It’s great to buy various different sizes as you will need a variation for different poses. But you can always use cloth nappies for padding as you build up your supply of posing pillows.
4. Quality professional camera and lenses
Obviously this is a must 😊 I use a canon 5d Mark 3 and my favourite lens to use for newborn photography is the canon 24-70 F2.8. This gives you a good range for the focal length and also the f stop going down to f2.8 I find its a must! I stay at f2.8 for most of my newborn photos and then use a large f stop for the parent photos.
5. A heater
I use this in every newborn session! Your room must be warm and cosy when photographing a newborn as newborns can’t regulate their body temperature like us adults can. A nice warm room will help settle the newborn and hopefully make for an easier newborn session.
6. Baby care essentials
I always make sure I have spare nappies, baby wipes, nappy bags and disposable changing mats. You won’t always need these as most parent bring their own but sometimes they come in handy. Quite often parents might forget the nappy bag and to have some will be very helpful!
7. Baby shusher/white noise
This is my favourite thing ever! It’s not expensive and you can get one from amazon for about £30 and I totally recommend it. A white noise machine for newborn sessions is fine too but I just found this worked better!
8. Little stool or step
I am quite short so this comes in handy for me a lot of the time 😂 especially for the parent photos as you want to get a nice angle for the photos. I use this for every session so could not live without it!
9. Newborn photography props
When you are starting out in newborn photography you don’t need to go crazy and buy lots and lots of props. Start with some neutral props and blankets that you can use for both boys and girls and then build it up slowly. When you see other newborn photographers out there it can get over whelming about all the props out there. but build it up slowly and it will be fine.
10. yoga ball
When I am wrapping a newborn I will use my yoga ball to sit on as I can bounce a little bit to sooth them if they are not quite asleep yet. I find this so useful and it’s great to have even if you don’t use it for every session!
I hope this blog was useful and if you are starting out in newborn photography will give you an idea of some Newborn photography essentials.
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE WHEN YOU HAVE HAD A MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT WITH ME?
Feel free you give me a call or email if investing in newborn photography is something you would like to do. If you would like to pop into my studio before for a chat thats not a problem. My newborn studio is based in North London. Thank you to all my previous and future clients for choosing me as your London newborn photographer. It’s such a privilege to create these memories for you!
contact me at jocovephotography@gmail.com if you are looking for Professional Newborn photography in London
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