My favorite sweet and simple father and newborn photography poses during a studio newborn session.
Three Dad & Newborn Baby Poses | My Go To's
Good morning, friends! Thanks for stopping by my blog to see three really simple, safe, and easy ways to pose Dad's during a newborn session. Welcome!
I cannot stress enough how important newborn safety is during a session. These poses are my "go to's" because they're simple, easy for parents to understand, and also do not take much time. I encourage you to always begin with what's simple because it allows you to build from here; by posing your parents in more basic manners, you're able to focus on the foundation of safety, lighting, and making sure everyone has a great experience.
I should also note these poses focus on wrapped images because this is a cornerstone to all of my newborn portraiture. These can certainly be done is baby is naked, though! If you try any of these, feel free to let me know if they worked for you or perhaps some tips you'd like to share back!
Pose Number One
My absolute favorite pose of father and newborn baby is Dad holding baby against his chest, with baby sweetly wrapped. This is my favorite dad and baby pose because it shows how small baby truly is, and this is the only time in life where your sweet cherub will truly fit in the palm of your hand. Baby is just a few days old when you visit the studio; they're fresh and new and you're completely in love with this darling little bundle of joy! This portion of your newborn session takes place right at the beginning.
To achieve this pose, it's very simple. Wrap baby in whichever style you like. You could also do this as a naked posed, however, I prefer the look of newborn wrapping so I do not offer naked newborn posing at this time during the family portion. This also allows us to leave baby's diaper on, ha, and have much fewer messes during the session.
I utilize the wood wall in my studio and will have the light angled 45 degrees from Dad. I will have Dad place his hand on his belly button and I will gently place baby in his hands. I always tell Dad, "I am not going to take my hands off baby, but I will tell you where to place your second hand." Then, to make sure baby is safe, I tell Dad he will place his other hand across baby's chest and use his thumb to support baby's head. As you know, a newborn session takes place during the first 14 days of life, and so baby cannot yet hold up their head. No worries! Top safety methods are implemented to make sure your baby is never in danger.
This pose is simple, safe, easy, and feels timeless. It also is easily communicated to parents and is something they understand. I like to do a few shots of Dad looking and smiling at the camera, then him looking down at his sweet baby, and of course an image of his chest with baby as the focus.
Another tip for why this pose is my favorite: baby can be awake or asleep for this pose. Baby is wrapped and their adorable little hands are out of their face. So if baby has still not fallen asleep it's not a big deal. :-) It keeps baby content, too!
Pose Number Two
The second pose I will typically implement into my dad and baby portion is a back lit image. I love the ethereal white light to be behind my subject. Like baby against dad's chest, as shown in the first pose above, this is a fantastic way to showcase the baby's portfolio and also do a family photo, too. For example, when beginning this pose, I tell Dad that baby's feet will be against his chest and he'll smile downward at baby. I place him where he is completely parallel to the light. If he is wearing a wedding ring, it's nice to see that, too. :-)
For variety, my second tip during this pose would be to just rotate Dad about 40 degrees and do an up close cropped image of Dad's chin and chest with baby as focus. I love the way Dad's arms look broad as they hold their brand new little one closely.
As you may have noticed, this wrap is my favorite during newborn family photos, ha! I love the way their little feet poke out so sweetly and curl up towards their chest.
Pose Number Three
The third pose is by far the easiest and a great way to begin if you're unsure of where to put baby. Baby likes this pose because it is close to Dad's heart and they can feel the heartbeat. When working with a newborn baby, we want the environment to be warm and cozy for them so they're reminded of the womb they spent 9 months in.
To achieve this pose, simple place Dad where he is perpendicular to the light. Have him place his elbow against his side and then carefully place baby in his hand. Keep your hands on baby. Then tell Dad he will support baby's head with his chest and also will bring his second hand behind baby's back and keep his thumb near their cheek so if baby does startle, baby is safe.
Thanks for stopping my blog to see three simple, safe, and easy Dad and Newborn Baby Poses to try in your own time! I hope you found this post informative. If you liked reading about dad and baby posing, you may find the following posts really informative, too!