How to Photograph Your Own Baby Milestone Sessions – Photography in Quarantine
Photography in the time of Quarantine
A crazy worldwide pandemic that has basically stopped the world in its tracks. Everyone staying home and staying safe to help contain the spread of anything further than it has already gone. One thing that can’t stop, though? Babies being born and children growing up. But what CAN’T and ISN’T happening right now for the foreseeable future are the photography sessions capturing those moments. In this series of posts I am going to share with you some tips and tricks to help you photograph your own babies during this time. This post talks a bit about how to photograph your own baby’s milestones – that first 12 months of their lives! Check out the Fresh 48 Session and Newborn Session posts as well!
Please realize as with learning anything else, your photos will not look like mine in the end. I have been doing this for 13 years and have different equipment, knowledge, editing programs, etc. HOWEVER, no one is able to get professional photos done at this point so ANY are better than none!! I talk in my class that I teach how important it is to not miss the moments no matter your skill or knowledge level. And these moments? They’re definitely big ones.
Their first year. The first smiles, the first teeth, the first laughs. When they are holding their head up, when they can sit on their own, standing and taking steps. So many things hapen the first year. The sweet tiny babies that we have brought home from the hospital change so very much in the first year and I don’t want you to miss a thing about them while we are all stuck at home. You’ll find if you read my Fresh 48 post or Newborn post that the basics of this is similar.
If you want to attempt a newborn session at home, there are a few things that will make life easier for you:
- A camera – This seems obvious and most people do this anyway. If you don’t have one, your phone can work in a pinch.
- Batteries and Memory Card for Camera – again seems obvious but you’d be surprised
- A white onesie – If you don’t want to get them naked, it makes a great simple outfit that allows their precious little details to shine through
- Outfit for babies – do not choose something crazy for your kids to wear. They’re a baby and should look like one. Keep outfits simple and timeless. I personally love nothing but a diaper for most of the first year. It shows the rolls and the gorgeous baby skin and highlights pure simple baby.
- Outfit for you and anyone else in the photos – I have whole posts written on this HERE and HERE.
- Headbands or small accessories – I am going to be really blunt with you here. Accessories for babies should be no larger than their fist. Have you ever seen a photo of a baby in a GIANT FLOWER HEADBAND? Yup. What do you remember? The headband, not the baby. The larger the accessory you use, the less the focus is on the baby. And I know some of you love really big headbands for girls or giant hats for boys. Don’t do it. Step away. Think tiny and dainty and let that gorgeous baby shine through.
There are normally two options for milestone sessions or baby’s first year sessions. Doing it by month – 3, 6, 9, and 12, or by developmental milestones – tummy, sitting, standing. I personally prefer to split first year baby sessions up by developmental milestones instead of ages. You absolutely can photograph babies month by month because they are yours!!! But I joke that any photos done in the 1-3 month age is the “black hole of baby photography.” They’re blobs. Really cute drooly blobs, but just…blobs. Before they can steadily support their heads there just isn’t much you can do with them. Stand overhead and take the photo annnnd you’re done. Wait until they can support their head and push up off of their stomachs a little bit.
For the actual sessions, anytime you get daylight can be good. Some people have good weather right now and I am so so jealous of ya’ll. We are still cold here in RI. If it’s warm for you absolutely take them outside – the later in the day the better. Avoid midday light. If you’re indoors, usually late morning to midday works well for light. DO NOT try and do photos right before nap time. Just don’t do that to yourself!!
Before you get started you have to prep your space. Now please note this does not mean you have to clean your house! I always tell clients not to worry about it – I move things as needed to get the space I want to work in. The same goes for you. Notice where the light is best in your house and get all your stuff ready there. Think about where you want to do photos. If you plan on using your bed (easiest and best) throw a clean duvet over it. Make sure the pillows are nice. If you want to use the nursery, make sure the sheet is on the crib mattress and clutter is out of the frame. Basic things. Move clutter away from windows so you can use them. It doesn’t mean you have to put it away – just relocate it. Don’t be afraid to move furniture. It can be moved back.
As for what to lay or sit the baby on, you want it to be large and flat. A bed is great if you put them in the middle. You don’t want something super squishy because the baby will sink into it. Couches are good if they’re firm. If they’re too plush it can’t support well.
If your baby is moving (ie can go from sitting to crawling) and you are going to put them on any elevated surface I highly HIGHLY recommend having someone to help you. Just an extra set of eyes or hands. No photo is worth your baby falling off the couch or bed.
You are going to want to find the best light possible in your house. This does NOT mean bright super sunny sun coming in the windows. Bright sunlight is no good. So either wait for clouds, or wait for when the sun has moved. Once your space is prepped, TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE ROOM. Open the blinds and curtains in the room all the way on every window. This is going to be your source of light. That way you don’t have odd orange or yellow casts or weird shadows from overhead lighting or lamps going on.
Photograph the baby with your back to the light – but don’t block it! That is no good. You have to be aware of where you are and where shadows are. You can absolutely photograph *into* the light (so you, baby, window) but be aware it’s quite a different look. When you are photographing just the baby, try a 45 degree angle to the light – don’t have it lighting up from their feet but rather down over their face from the top.
First, when you’re taking the photos make sure your focus point on your phone or camera is over their eyes. Unless you are intentionally photographing something else, you always want the eyes to be in focus. That being said, don’t be afraid to move all around! Take images from different angles (watching your light at all times) – you’ll be amazed at how different it can look. Be in front, overhead, close, etc. Also, make sure the light is not going up their nose – no Blair Witch Project flashlight look going on. Get all of the little details during these different times. Some things that photograph well no matter the phase.
- Hands – their hands change so much over the first year. Often from tiny to cute and chubby
- Toes / feet – same as hands. No one wants to see adult toes, but who doesn’t love baby piggies?!?!
- Hair – an ever changing part of them throughout the first year. Document how much they have. Or where it’s rubbed off. The cowlicks, the curls, all of it.
- You or the other parent holding them – They will grow so much and this is a great visual comparison.
- Mouths – specifically teeth. From the first one poking through to all of them coming in.
Once they can lay on their tummies and push up and hold it consistently that is perfect. This is the age where you are getting those first smiles and first interactions. Watching their eyes light up when they see you. BUT it’s also for a short period of time so these sessions can sometimes be short. They get tired easily – holding that big old head up is tiring. I think for this reason these sessions work best right after naps. This is also when they have found their feet (usually closer to 4-5 months) so take advantage of that. Be aware if they have started rolling, they will do it so make sure they’re not propped up on anything. Also this is a time when you are sometimes starting teething so drooling and fingers in the mouth are absolutely a thing.
- Drooly gummy smiles
- Serious wide eyed looks / focusing strongly on you – they don’t always have to be smiling, I personally love the old soul gazes!
- Close up on fingers grabbing toes
- Close up on fingers
- Close up head shots of just their faces
- Pushing up with their arms
- Their hands holding a toy
- Propped up on a pillow or boppy
- Overhead with them laying on the floor
- Grabbing their toes to try and eat them
- Being held looking over mom or dad’s shoulder
- Laying on mom or dad’s shoulder
Absolutely HANDS DOWN my favorite stage of baby to photograph outside of newborns. It is, quite simply, the best. This age they are so easy and happy. I have to make the slightest face and I get gummy drooly smiles. I soak it all in and photograph it all!!! This is also before everything changes and they can move away from me hahaha. But when they can sit, that also means they can fall over especially if you are doing this at a younger age. This means you must have somewhere soft for them. Unless they are a very strong, secure sitter have them on a blanket or a bed. Again nothing too close to the edge. This is an age of object permanence for babies developing so sometimes if you disappear behind a camera they will get worried. Peek a boo is good at this age for that!
- Sitting on the bed
- Drooly smiles
- Get them undressed and photograph all the cute rolls and baby chub (watch your angles so you don’t photograph between their legs / legs open)
- Playing with / eating their toes
- Mom or dad holding, looking over the shoulder
- Crawling along a hallway
- Giggles and laughs
- Get up close for teeth
- Looking at / playing with / eating board books
- Standing holding onto something
- Looking out a window / pointing
- Profile
I personally prefer to do these sessions when baby can stand on their own but IS NOT walking yet. Otherwise all they want to do is walk – and walk away fast haha. They don’t want to be held, they don’t want to be up, they want to be moving. Remember in Forrest Gump “And I was RUNNING!”?? That is what new walkers are like. So if you can, grab these images before they are walking freely. When they can stand up on their own, pull to standing, stand holding a finger, etc. It’s a fantastic and fun time – usually they have some cute fully grown in teeth, they’re super expressive, they interact well. It’s a fun age.
- Standing on their own
- Standing in front of mom / dad’s feet holding their hands
- Squatting down
- Various expressions
- Clapping
- Doing “so big!” with arms up
- Giving kisses / hugs to family
- Crawling along a hallway
- Standing / bouncing / dancing in crib
- Playing peekaboo with you – either lifting up and putting down a blanket or with their hands over their eyes
- Walking either on their own, or holding a parent’s or sibling’s hand
Take the photos no matter what. It sounds silly and overly simplified, but I mean it. Moments like these don’t come again. You don’t have the option of having me or your own professional photographer come in. Don’t miss it. If you can’t do any of this, if you don’t have a single shot that I listed up there, but you have images you took that make your heart sing and will bring you right back to that moment? In the end, that is what counts.
