Newborn Photography - Where to Start?

Hi all! I am new to this forum, didn't see where to introduce myself so I guess I'll just do it here while I'm at it . I promise I used the search feature before posting but didn't find anything relevant.

So I'm really wanting to get into newborn photography. I've been doing hobby photography for years so I have a decent base of technical knowledge although I still have so much to learn! My main questions is how does one start doing newborns? For other realms of photography like portraits you can always do model calls or build your portfolios with friends as models when you are starting out, but it's unlikely some stranger will hand you their newborn child just for you to practice on and I don't have any friends with babies, or close to having babies. I have considered investing in posing dolls but the only one I could find that looked decent is like $600 (!) and I just don't know if I can fork that out just yet...

My other question (presuming I either don't eat for a month to save enough to get a decent posing doll or someone is kind enough to let me photograph their baby), is what equipment and props should I be investing in as I'm starting out? I know there is an infinite amount of props to obtain but what are the essential things I need? What is the best affordable lighting setup and must-have props and items? I'm not into extreme posed stuff so fruit baskets and that aren't really what I'm after

Which lenses are best? For portraits I currently have a 85mm and a pretty old but functional 50mm.

Any tips would be great and so appreciated!

(And, nice to meet everyone and I look forward to some good discussions here! )

Hello and welcome.

I'm no expert but hate to see your question sitting here without a response.

You might want to begin with portraits of infants and children. I think many hospitals offer newborn shots as a semi-franchise. That limits your access no matter how great your portfolio.

If you are a braver person than I you might volunteer to take holiday pictures at a local church, synagogue or mosque. That could easily turn into a crowd scene but excellent practice.

As for props, the only really good newborn or young infant shots I've done have used a father or mother's arms and hands as the prop. Lighting, from my perspective, is about the same as for a head shot.

For my idea of a great prop check out the last pic on this page from Lisa Holloway's site. http://ljhollowayphoto​graphy.com/meet-my-team/ She also uses some simple non-human props like these. http://ljhollowayphoto​graphy.com/newborns/

Also you can check out https://iso.500px.com …ble-start-in-photography/ -- Lisa's humble start story

Best wishes.

Hi there! I would love to help you and lend you any support and advice that might be useful!

First and foremost- look everywhere for average priced on line workshops from a newborn photographer who's work you admire/are drawn to. Photographers like Kelly Brown, Amy McDaniel, Erin Tole, etc. all have well priced tutorials that will lend you SO MUCH great advice. If you've already done that and are really only looking for practice now, then you might want to consider investing in a one on one mentorship. Typically this means you will have the chance to first watch a professional and then practice hands on while they watch. Most one on one mentorships will cover two if not three newborns to work with. If one on one is too expensive, then often there is a price break for a two on one, if you can find a friend to go in on it with you. Last, another option is a group workshop but this usually means 10-14 photographers in there with you and rarely offers hands on practice.

We started out first photographing our own baby, then friend's babies and then started taking paying clients.

For the basics, here are the things I can not live without during our newborn sessions:

1. space heater to keep baby warm and cozy
2. a few long swaddle wraps- about 16x60 inches
3. Baby Shusher
4. White noise/womb sounds machine
5. 2 yards of solid black fabric- ours is like a velveteen
6. for less posed shots, I love our Boopy Lounger. I lay fabric on top of it and set baby down on it.
7. our flokati rugs- makes for beautiful textured backgrounds. Check out Rugs USA or Ikea for best prices.
8. a couple tiny floral headbands for girls and a couple handknit alpaca sleepy hats for boys