In a matter of weeks (it seems), our entire world has been flipped upside down, with special measures and government mandated protocols for households as well as professional businesses. As a non-essential business, it has been devastating to be forced to close business & post-pone sessions. Although, the time away has had it’s positives for many such as increased family time, self-reflection and personal development as well as time to just deplete, sleep in and march to the rhythm of our own beats. As a photographer, I have truly valued the time I have with my clients and the connections I make. Shutting down the studio has been a journey for me mainly because of the things I have been forced to face, do and address that I made excuses for before and/or just tried to use everyday distractions to get away from.
Since we have no idea when this pandemic will end, or when we can get back to our regular lives, I have decided to leave you with some pointers on capturing your own images from home to ensure that you do have some decent images to remember this beautiful step and moment in your life! Your pregnancy and baby. I decided to do this for any of my maternity/newborn clients that cannot reschedule their session within the typical time frame for these sessions due to COVID-19. I wanted to be able to support them with something so easy, yet so meaningful.

Here are some tips and tricks for capturing decent images from home on your smart phone, DSLR or digital camera.

For Newborn Clients

1. Try to shoot in good day light from a window, with the light in front or to the side of you (not behind you).
2. Try to avoid direct sunlight on your faces (overcast or soft light is better- even shooting in front of a white curtain to diffuse the light a little works well)
3. Moms should still do their make-up and hair as they wish and put on something they feel great in
4. Remember to coordinate your wardrobe with your partner/older children
5. Limit the accessories on baby and wardrobe (a little headband is ok) as we dont want it to over power them and take away from their newness as a newborn
6. A simple white onesie or having them wrapped up in a blanket or fabric is great
7. Dont forget a shot of their little toes, fingers or lips
8. Try out different angles such as from the side, close up, far away, higher up on a chair or step stool (but try to avoid “shooting up their nose”-meaning you do not want to see up their nostrils)
9. Dont forget that close and intimate is better than too much background stuff in your shot
10. For a family shot, use your self timer and prop up your device
11.Try to limit the amount of items in the background (try to find a wall, or neat furniture to sit in like a chair or sofa)
12. Feel free to use the baby’s nursery for some special sentimental shots

For Maternity Clients

1. Try to shoot in good day light from a window, with the light in front or to the side of you (not behind you). Overcast outside in a nice area works well too!
2. Try to avoid direct sunlight on your faces (overcast or soft light is better- even shooting in front of a white curtain to diffuse the light a little works well)
3. Moms should still do their make-up and hair as they wish and put on something you feel great in (keep in mind what flatters your belly & shape)
4. Remember to coordinate your wardrobe with your partner/older children
5. Try out different angles such as from the side, close up, far away, higher up on a chair or step stool shooting down on the belly
6. Dont forget that close and intimate is better than too much background stuff in your shot
7. For a family shot, use your self timer and prop up your device
8. Try to limit the amount of items in the background (try to find a wall, or neat furniture to sit in like a chair or sofa)
9. Feel free to use the baby’s nursery for some special sentimental shots

NOW GET CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Although professional photos are very important, we will make due with what we can during these times. Once you have taken your photos, there are tons of helpful apps or computer softwares that aren’t as expensive as photoshop and/or don’t require a subscription to use them. If you have a photographer that is willing to edit them for you, you can also take advantage of that to have some special photos captured and edited for years to come. I hope that some of these tips and tricks are useful and that you are able to archive this beautiful milestone in your life despite the current state of this pandemic.