Tips For phoTographing Newborns
By Mindy Charski
phoTographing
neWBorns is a unique
kind oF LaBor.
© VirgiL anderson
Michele anderson
stressed parents
and jealous siblings
can add even more
complexity. But
family lifestyle pho-
tographer Michele
anderson, of austin,
TX, finds the rewards can be tremendous. “i
most like watching parents become parents,”
says anderson, who opened her studio, pinkle
Toes photography, in 2006. “and knowing
that what i’m capturing for them at that time
is going to be invaluable in 20 or 30 years.”
anderson periodically offers workshops on
photographing newborns, and here she shares
six tips on producing successful sessions.
sometimes you can get lucky working with an older newborn (this little girl was about four weeks old). parents tend to be a little more relaxed and baby a little more filled out.
pho To © pinkLe Toes pho Tography
Shoot during the baby’s first ten days.
Within this time frame, it’s easier to capture
newbies asleep and calm, anderson says, and
they’re likely to stay curled up. With luck, you
may also catch them in the superlative state of
being quiet and alert. Logistically, this timing
can help a photographer with scheduling and
a parent who wants to use the images for a
newborn announcement.
