Lifestyle newborn photography is one of my favorites because I love creating images that capture those first moments of parents at home with their new baby. There is something so real and honest about lifestyle newborn photography and I am passionate about preserving those unforgettable moments in photographs for families to cherish forever. While most of my newborn images capture the parents with their new baby, it is also really important to get individual photos of the newborn. Being able to give new parents a variety of photographs of their sweet baby is really important and one of my favorite places to photograph newborns is in their crib. Not only does it help me capture a variety of photos of their precious little one, but it also allows me to do that without moving the baby to keep them comfortable. Keeping the baby in one position but still getting a variety of images is very easy and only takes a few minutes. Once the newborn is placed in the center of their crib, take this opportunity to capture the following 5 photographs and your clients will be so happy that you did. Plus, at the very end I will share what lenses you should bring in your camera bag to help you achieve your intended shots. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you in advance for supporting Click It Up A Notch.
Lifestyle Newborn Photography Tips: 5 Photos To Take Without Moving Baby
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No.01Head to Toe from Above
I love getting a photo of the baby from above that shows just how little they are from head to toe. It is a great way to show perspective of their tiny size when they are laying in their crib, a memory that parents will want to preserve. Make sure you wear a camera strap when photographing over a newborn to secure your camera. It is also very helpful to bring a step stool along to your session to help you get higher off the ground when capturing this photo. -
No.02A Portrait Again, without moving the baby, capture a portrait of their sweet face. You can do this by getting on eye level with the baby and photograph through the rails of the side of the crib. I find it easy to sit on the floor in front of the crib, so I can get in a comfortable position to be on eye level with the baby.
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No.03The Top of their Head Take the time to capture all of the details, even the top of their tiny head. Parents love receiving detailed photos of their baby because they want to cherish everything that is brand new about them. By simply moving to the head of the crib and photographing through the crib rails, you can achieve a really sweet lifestyle photo with a great perspective.
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No.04A Close Up Portrait from Above Just like you captured the full body photograph from above, turn your camera and get closer to achieve a close up portrait of the newborn that is cropped near the waist. Close up portraits allow you to capture numerous tiny details in one photo like their eyes, ears, hands and nose. Leaving a little negative space to the left or right of the baby is also a great idea, as it allows space for parents to include details about their newborn (name, birthday, weight, height) on their newborn announcements.
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No.05Their Teeny Tiny Toes A photograph of their sweet toes is a must have! Everyone swoons over teeny tiny toes so be sure to take the time to capture that sweet newborn detail. By moving to the end of the crib, get on eye level again with the newborn and capture their toes by photographing through the crib rails. Sometimes little ones move their feet really fast during this part of the session, so be sure to have a fast shutter speed to freeze their movement.
I love getting a photo of the baby from above that shows just how little they are from head to toe. It is a great way to show perspective of their tiny size when they are laying in their crib, a memory that parents will want to preserve. Make sure you wear 
Again, without moving the baby, capture a portrait of their sweet face. You can do this by getting on eye level with the baby and photograph through the rails of the side of the crib. I find it easy to sit on the floor in front of the crib, so I can get in a comfortable position to be on eye level with the baby.
Take the time to capture all of the details, even the top of their tiny head. Parents love receiving detailed photos of their baby because they want to cherish everything that is brand new about them. By simply moving to the head of the crib and photographing through the crib rails, you can achieve a really sweet lifestyle photo with a great perspective.
Just like you captured the full body photograph from above, turn your camera and get closer to achieve a close up portrait of the newborn that is cropped near the waist. Close up portraits allow you to capture numerous tiny details in one photo like their eyes, ears, hands and nose. Leaving a little negative space to the left or right of the baby is also a great idea, as it allows space for parents to include details about their newborn (name, birthday, weight, height) on their newborn announcements.
A photograph of their sweet toes is a must have! Everyone swoons over teeny tiny toes so be sure to take the time to capture that sweet newborn detail. By moving to the end of the crib, get on eye level again with the newborn and capture their toes by photographing through the crib rails. Sometimes little ones move their feet really fast during this part of the session, so be sure to have a fast shutter speed to freeze their movement.Not only do parents love having a variety of photos of their newborn, but placing the newborn in their crib to capture these 5 photos makes it even easier for you to achieve them. While the crib will help you to achieve a variety of angles, it will also help ensure the baby stays comfortable and happy since you don’t have to move them for each photo. All 5 photos can be achieved with the baby in one position and the only person who will be moving is you! Besides ensuring that my camera strap is on my camera and my step stool comes along to my lifestyle newborn sessions, there are also a couple of lenses that I like to pack in my camera bag. I photograph most of my newborn session with my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens, as I love how well it photographs in low light situations and the low aperture capability allows me to achieve the detailed photographs that I love. For a more wide angle photograph, I love to photograph with my Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. This lens really helps me if I am photographing in smaller spaces, as it allows me to get more of the surroundings within the frame. By keeping these 5 newborn photos in mind and packing the right gear, you are bound to have a wonderful lifestyle newborn session.
Whenever I photographed my newborn, and even now that she is almost a year old, I liked to get really close with a macro lens. Feet, hands, and eyelashes look really great from that perspective. And it’s a great lens to fill the frame with just the tiny face. I used the Nikon 105 f/2.8 G.
Yes! Macro would be a really fun way to capture those tiny details!
Thank you so much. I love this click it up a notch.
I’m really trying to better my focus,an I saw so many good tips on this.
So glad you enjoyed this, Tammy!
Nice article. Besides the lenses what are your actual settings for each shot??
Hello Jackie! My ISO is dependent on the light in each home, but I tend to religiously use f/2.8 on all my images. It is my favorite aperture and really works for me!