Ok so last week we went over all of my beanbag poses that I normally do during a newborn photo shoot – if you’re seeing this post but not the 1st one, you can go back and read it here. Today I am going over props, family, siblings and some baby led poses that are my go-tos!

As I stated in my previous post: not every baby will do every pose. I will try a pose 3 times and if baby is not having it, I don’t force it. Baby safety and comfort is my #1 priority. I’ve been doing this a long time and have seen babies in all shapes, sizes and varying levels of flexibility. I go with the flow and let baby dictate what all we do. I think this is important for people to understand because I know it’s easy to say you want this pose or that prop, but some babies are just more particular about certain things than others and I have to be flexible and not push baby past where they are comfortable.

Siblings:

This is my Go-To for sibling photos. Wrap baby up, have their sibling lie down on my flokati fur with comfy stuff underneath for head support, and lay baby on their arm. I always have mom or dad within arms reach in case the kiddo decides to be done and roll away from the baby. This one is pretty fool proof and easy for everyone. Sometimes I will do siblings with a prop, but it all just depends on each child, how old they are, how calm they are etc.

Mom:

I have two variations for mom and babe, I usually choose the one on the left unless my client really wants the lying down one. The first is standing with the newborn curled up and snuggly. The other is on the ground on a fur with baby wrapped and nestled into mom’s neck. I chose to do some flower details in this example… because… it’s pretty. Haha.

Dad:

Looooooove dads and their babies! I mean, could it get any sweeter? I love the play on size between babe and dad and also the roughness of dad’s hands/muscley arms compared to how soft and tender newborns are.

Family:

I typically do the mocha backdrop for families but I also love the backlit/white! These are my typical family setups! I will also do several images of everyone looking at the camera as well. But honestly, I prefer the intimacy of two parents admiring their new creation. The connection is between them, not me. So why look at me?

Baby On Fur:

I sort of consider this setup in the same vein as a prop since it’s done on the floor and not on my beanbag. I love how curly you can get them and they look so comfy surrounded by softness!

Potato Sack Pose:

This one I get requested for a lot! 3 wraps allow baby’s head to be supported in an upright position on the fur and they look like little sacks of potatoes! Get the name now? Ha ha…

Baby led poses on white:

Clean, simple, timeless! I love poses like this that just allow baby to be themselves and show off all of their features with no distractions!

Womb Poses + Dad’s Hands on black:

Oh yes. This is truly a favorite of mine and I don’t get to do it super often because people rarely request it! I love a strong black and white, simple with just baby. You can imagine this is how they looked inside the womb. And of course, on dad’s hands is a classic!

Props!!!

This is such a small sampling of props that I have. It would take a 3 part blog series just on props to get through everything I have at the studio. But these are some of my favorites! I always lean toward rustic and antique props. It’s just my jam! In the example top left – this was shot as a composite. I photographed baby in the pram alone, sister “pushing” the pram, then merged the two in Photoshop. This setup would be extremely dangerous to have a toddler handling the pram with baby in it. Don’t try it at home, folks!

I think I covered everything! Again, each baby will look different in each pose, and I do a lot of variations so galleries don’t become boring. It’s so much fun and I have the best job in the whole world and I can’t wait to meet you and photograph your little one!

Amanda Ellis Photography is currently booking Fall 2017 Newborn, Maternity and Milestone Sessions. Amanda Ellis Photography specializes in newborn, maternity and family. To see my latest work please visit my FACEBOOK PAGE.