This blog is all about the poses and the beautiful little Leona that modeled them so graciously for me! As an CNY Newborn Photographer, I have a super sweet newborn flow that allows me to maximize my poses to offer a gallery with a variety of poses for mom and dad to choose from.
First, I want to say that, Leona’s mom did it right in the beginning. Several months prior to delivery, she inquired for a trained newborn photographer. She didn’t want just anyone with a fancy camera trying to pose her infant baby. She knew she needed someone who had hands on training invested in her CNY newborn photographer title.
Leona’s mama also had her maternity session with me. We had a great time at Salmon River Falls with two outfit changes and a roaring river behind us to fill the scenery. You can view her portraits from that session on her maternity blog.
Mom and Family Poses:
Back to newborn poses! When they family arrives with their baby usually between 5-14 days old, (Leona was 5 days old and born at 5lbs ish!) I make sure the baby is sleepy enough to start the session. I then start with mom, posing her carefully in her mother’s arm with my assistant near by fixing hair, fingers, and helping to soothe baby if necessary. The poses I do in studio are not natural ways you would ever hold a baby at home. Please do not try them on your own. I use an assistant, my husband, or the other parent as a spotter for safety purposes. Once mom’s pictures are complete, I quickly add in dad for a family portrait. If you are an experienced mom, I will include your other children as well for the family portrait.
Dad Pose:
Dad is up next, and if you have ever had a newborn session with me, you have probably heard me say that, “Daddy poses are my favorite!” I have 3 great daddy poses in my arsenal and we did a special family pose with Leona’s dad that mom requested with her posed on his guitar. Again, do not try this at home. I always had hands on Leona for her safety and created a composite to make the portrait whole.
The Bean Bag:
Now this is where the magic happens, I get out my bean bag, assemble it (it’s all set just needs to be unfolded) and pose the baby. Leona was so good to me. She hardly made a peep. She allowed me to do all the beanbag poses And I am going to list them all below with their names a little description with them.
Bum Up Pose:
This is my starting pose. Once I have my newborn posed with their little bum up in the air and looking all snugly I can get a front view of them, add bonnets/tiebacks and if they are in their birthday suit I can add a wrap to mix it up for some extra shots. I can also get a profile shot by coming up above my newborn. I love profile newborn portraits. Again, my assistant is right beside me, helping me soothe baby, fixing fingers, pulling off stray fuzz and hair and helping me keep track of my camera.
Side Sleeping Pose:
This pose is sweet and classic. Like bum up, it is easy to switch out bonnets/tiebacks and add a wrap for nakey shots. You can also switch up their hands to form ‘praying hands’, sleeping hands, or have them on both side of their face.
Huck Finn Pose:
This is probably my most entertaining pose to capture. From the Side Sleeping Pose I gently flip baby to it’s back and have their legs folded crisscross applesauce across their bottom. It’s amusing because it may take some time helping them hold their legs in place while positioning their hands. And just when you think you are ready to take the picture and you release their legs, their legs shoot strait up in the air for a few seconds and then the will slowly bring them back down into the exact positioning you want them and rest easy for multiple shots from the front and from above. Newborn look so relaxed in this pose.
Tucked In Pose:
Depending what colors, I am feeling, I may switch the backdrop color here. Again, just offering a little variety for my newborn’s gallery. This pose literally looks like baby is tucked into bed all snug and warm. This is a great opportunity to change out bonnets/tiebacks as well as for me to get out my macro lens for some great portraits of the eyelashes and lips and other sweet features of baby. One of my favorite shots is another profile portrait from the side shooting into my light. It makes for beautiful black and white portraits as you can see from my example. If parents choose this portrait, they will usually get a colored version, plus the black and white.
Wrapped Pose:
Wrapping a baby offers a variety of opportunities. There are so many wraps to choose from! If a baby is fussy and not calming down, I often will wrap them up to help them sleep. I didn’t need to do this for Leona; however, I include a wrapped pose into my newborn flow for…. you guessed it, variety. It also makes for another time to capture more macro shots of sweet little tootsies and fingers. This wrapping style shown is an “Eggshell” wrap.
Chin Up:
The Chin Up pose is a favorite for many parents. There something about a baby laying on its folded hands under its chin while it naps. With little girls, I will always ask mom if she doesn’t mind if her princess wears a crown for this portrait. It isn’t usually refused, but it is always mom’s choice. Depending how well the baby hold its own head up I may try bare head and or use a bonnet/tieback. Again, I always have a spotter to help support their head.
Froggy Pose:
This is my disclaimer. You read it here, don’t forget. If you do not have hands on training, do not try this pose. At all. This pose is the most coveted pose for beginning newborn photographers and parents. I always have my assistant, or a parent help me with this pose. A newborn CAN NOT hold its own head up in their hands to do this by themselves. There are always hands on the baby while it is being captured. I will create the whole portrait in Photoshop when I am done. It takes a sleepy baby and steady hands to capture this portrait. I do not guarantee this pose. I must feel out how the baby is during my session when I get to this pose in my flow before I attempt it.
Taco Pose:
But if baby successfully does the Froggy Pose, then it is a good bet that I will be able to easily move into the Taco pose (or womb pose for all you anti taco people). This pose resembles how a baby may be in the mother’s womb or folded up like a taco.
Potato Sack Pose:
I did not create these poses nor give them their names, but they are fun to use in the session. Potato sack is when you wrap up the baby and you set them up like a sack of potatoes. Again, this is a hands-on baby composite, finished in Photoshop. Wrapping a newborn for this pose is very specific to ensure the baby’s air pipe is not blocked or suppressed while standing them straight up. This pose is shot on a flokati to help support the newborn.
Those are my poses! Thank you so much if you made it this far. I also include floor prop shots that consist many of these poses on beds, buckets, and bowls as well as different style wraps. Depending on how baby is I may capture these poses right after the family session or following the beanbag.
So yes, my sessions are 2-3 hours long and I keep my studio warm, but the variety I offer in my newborn session, along with the safety and purpose I put into each pose makes the experience so awesome. Following the newborn session, I will show a gallery of 20-30 portraits for the family to choose from on my tv as early as that afternoon. Once portraits are chosen and paid for I will start the editing process and have galleries, delivered in about two weeks time.
If you have any questions about my CNY Newborn Photography experience, please feel free to reach out to me. I would be more then happy to answer them. (315) 297-1816, or email me at shelaynalynn@aol.com.
