Newborn posing: safety before the pose
How I hold a newborn while I photograph them
days 10 to 15 of lifeWhile I'm photographing, there's always a hand on the baby: mine or yours. I never leave them resting without someone holding them, and suspended poses are built on the computer, not on the table.
How to pose a newborn safely
In newborn posing, I build the position with my hands, holding the baby the whole time. A newborn can't support their own head, so I settle them, uncover them just for the shot, and cover them straight back up.
The positions I use are the ones their body already takes while sleeping: curled on one side, knees towards the chest, hands near the face. In the first few days, they come naturally.
If a position doesn't happen within a few seconds, I move on to the next one. An arm that resists doesn't get bent.
Can the poses you see online actually be done?
Almost all of them, yes, but they take two shots instead of one. A baby resting on their fists, or suspended in a sling, is a composite photograph: in one shot a hand holds their head, in the other a hand holds their body, and the two images are combined afterwards.
In a single frame that pose doesn't exist. To achieve it for real, someone would have to take their hands off a newborn who is ten days old, and I don't do that.
What I never do in a newborn session
Four things, and they apply even when the result would be more beautiful.
Leaving them balanced
The baby never rests against anything without a hand holding them. That applies to the basket, the wooden cube, and any raised surface.
Forcing an arm or a leg
If a limb returns to where it was, I let that position go. A newborn can't tell me something bothers them before they cry: I read the answer from their body.
Improvising a composite pose
I prepare suspended poses beforehand, with the support in place and someone ready to hold the baby. If one interests you, let me know when we set the date, so it's ready on the day.
Carrying on when something isn't right
If the baby isn't well, or if I have a cold, I'd rather reschedule the session. The conditions for rescheduling are written in the quote.
Why the session takes place in the first 10 to 15 days
Because in that window sleep is deep and curled up positions come naturally. Even better in the first ten days, and better in the morning.
A newborn who is ten days old still holds the shape they had before birth, with legs bent and hands near the face. After the first two weeks, sleep becomes lighter and the body stretches out, and the photos become those of an awake baby. Anyone who promises you the same poses at one month old is promising you an extra manoeuvre.
What temperature is the studio kept at during the session?
I keep the room warmer than a normal home, and I turn the heating up before you arrive: the baby is undressed for almost the whole time, and a newborn who is cold doesn't sleep.
I wash wraps, hats and blankets after every baby. I wash my hands before starting and every time I change position: they're the same hands that lift the baby twenty times in a morning.
I speak quietly and move slowly, and I ask you to do the same. The studio is at Via Umberto 230, in Trani, half an hour's drive from Bari.
What happens if the baby cries
I stop. Most of the time they're hungry or need changing, and at that point the session waits: we feed, we change, and we pick back up where we left off.
The decision to stop is mine, without waiting for you to ask. There's no fixed schedule: I photograph when the baby is asleep, and feeding breaks are part of the session.
If they don't sleep much that day, we do fewer positions and more photos in your arms.
What's included, and what isn't
Nothing you've read here is an extra: the warm room, hands always on the baby, and timing decided by them apply to every session. What the session includes, and what's chosen afterwards, is on the newborn photography session page.
The pages to read before booking
Here's how I keep a baby safe while I photograph them. The rest is over there.
Frequently asked questions about safety
Who holds the baby while you're shooting?
There's always a hand on the baby: mine, yours, or the hand of whoever's assisting me. When I'm shooting with both hands on the camera, you're the one holding them, and in the photo that hold stays out of frame. The same applies to suspended poses, in two shots instead of one.
Can the baby get cold during the session?
No, because I keep the room warmer than a home and they're only uncovered for the time it takes to shoot. Between one position and the next, I cover them back up. If they seem cold to you, tell me: we stop, we dress them again, and the photos wait.
Can I stay in the room the whole time?
Yes, and there's no other way around it: you stay in the room for the whole session. You're the ones who change and feed the baby, and in many photos you're the place they rest. If you'd rather watch from a seat, that's fine too, and I won't ask you to pose.
My baby is already twenty days old, can we still do it?
Yes, and the type of photo changes. At twenty days old, a newborn stays awake longer and is less willing to be settled into position: we work with open eyes, with the parents' hands, and with details of the face. I don't push to make it look like the pose of a newborn who is ten days old.
Ask me whatever worries you, before you book
If a pose worries you, or if you've seen one you like and want to know how it's done, message me before you book. We'll talk it through, and I'll tell you which mornings I have free.