The appearance of newborn babies improves significantly after the first few days. You will get the best shots after the first week, when the temporary imperfections from the birth have disappeared.
Warm and dry
While your baby is sleeping, set up your photo area. After your baby is awake, warm, fed, and dry, position her and start photographing. Be sure to reduce stimulations like noise from the radio and television. Repeat this process over several days to get different expressions.
Position, Position, Position
If you've seen a pose you like, copy it. Try to keep the arms close to the body and hands near the face if possible. Use mom or dad's hand under a blanket to hold him up from the back. Get down on the floor and shoot at eye level.
Photographing twins or triplets? The closer together the babies are, the better. Avoid spaces between the babies. Nestle them with their heads touching. For triplets, consider placing the babies head to head with their bodies extending out from the center like spokes of a wheel.
If you want to photograph an older sibling with your baby, avoid the "big sister holding baby brother" shot. The older child dominates the photo and steals attention away from the newborn. Instead, place the child and baby's heads close together to create a balanced focus. Take a few photos with the sibling looking at the baby instead of the camera.
Less is better
The focus of the photo should be your baby, not the clothes. Dress your baby in simple clothing and then let his face and expression be the focal points. Avoid swaddling the baby so that all you see is his head. Bare feet and toes are lovely. You can always capture him in his "birthday suit." Avoid car seats, straps, brightly patterned materials, toys, and pacifiers.
Say Cheese
Okay, babies don't smile much, but you can still get priceless expressions. A serenely, relaxed or peacefully, sleeping baby makes a beautiful photo. Can't get your baby's attention? Send in the clowns -- dad, grandma or a friend who can elicit a response. Take shots of a variety of emotions -- yawning, stretching, wide-eyed, sleepy. If the tears start, put the camera down and try later.
Film or digital?
Either is fine, but if you are using film, you need to take lots and lots of photos to make sure you end up with at least one good shot. Contrary to popular belief, 400-speed film is not necessarily better; it often makes a gritty photo. Instead, use 100 or 200-speed film and plenty of natural light for clean, clear photos. If you use a digital camera, be sure to set it for high-resolution and use the close-up setting for those face shots.
