Images by Dana Photography tips from a professional: Photographer Dana Rampolla offers her advice for perfect picture-taking.
Have your baby photographed early. We suggest that clients bring their babies to us within 1-2 weeks - preferably within the first 10 days of life. We are prepared to work with newborns and have items such as blankets, wipes, accessible sink, comfortable sitting area, nearby microwave and other necessities.
We will help keep babies warm during the session, especially if your little one is naked.
Our motto is crank up the heat!
For your portrait session, we know babies love to be cozy – sometimes we even use warm blankets or fabrics and materials -- laying them in a basket, bowl, or beanbag with warm fabrics keeps baby happy and sleepy.
Have something unique you’d like to lay baby in or on? Bring it along!!
Inside or outdoors, we will capture this unique moment in time. In 2 weeks, your baby will look and act TOTALLY different. Preserve these memories.!
We will get the baby parts! Hands, toes, lips will never be this small again! Get really close!
If you want, we will get close-ups with Dad and Mom - it's a very precious time. Consider including mom, dad and siblings in a few poses!
Have patience. When unclothed, babies will poop and pee and make all sorts of messes! A little patience and a paper towel go a long way!
Newborn Session Tips The Day Of The following tips may help ensure a successful session. I ask that you do the following: -
Bring a pacifier, they come in handy! Even if baby isn’t used to it, it can sometimes be helpful!!
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Interact with baby as much as possible prior to the session to ensure they are good and sleepy.
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Make sure baby has a full belly – and plan on “topping off” after your arrival here as needed.
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We will budget time for a full feeding as needed.
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Dress baby in loose fitting clothes if it is convenient to avoid lines on the skin – back when I used to travel to people’s homes I would request that they remove their diaper and wrap them up in a towel before my arrival. This way we don’t have to worry about editing out those diaper lines later.
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I also request that parents leave their child in their car seat when you come in to the studio area. The car ride to the studio usually puts baby to sleep and I like to take advantage of that sleep.
FAQs: Where will we photograph the new baby? I prefer to work from my home as opposed to coming to your home because I can control the environment. From heat and space, to lighting equipment, to using my large room windows, I am at ease in my environment so I can focus my time on your baby and family. I usually turn the heat up in my studio, especially in the winter months it gets really toasty! I also have a small space heater that I often times put near baby and a heating pad that I pre-warm areas with so baby isn’t laying on cold fabric. In addition to the heat, I have a small noise machine and I usually have music playing in the background as well. In a very nice way I ask that parents sit back and try to relax during the baby-alone poses. We will photograph in the comforts of my family room—plan to put your feet up and close your eyes, watch TV, or bring a book to read…or even just watch. If I need your assistance I will let you know. I encourage you to rest while I work. I have had several parents even take naps!
How do you decide which props and poses to use? I stick to similar poses for each session. I find that parents like certain poses more than others. Most of my clients prefer the simple poses, like baby snuggled up sleeping and classic black and whites where baby looks like s/he is still “floating” in the womb. I try to always do these simple poses. As for the “ah-hah” images,, I try to cycle through cute props and posing “containers that I have - little hats, headbands, blocks, bows, blankets, bowls, baskets, chairs, stools, etc. Please bring anything you would love me to use! Sometimes I will use the same prop in consecutive sessions, but I do like to change things up. If I have a new hat that I want to use that will determine the blanket color for the session. I always try to use my slings, but don’t always have the perfect candidate. With the slings, it is important that the baby is SUPER asleep or I will not try because I never want to risk not putting the baby’s safety first. I love it when you have looked at my website and have favorite poses that you want to try. Sometimes parents will bring suggestions or requests, and I am happy to try to be accommodating, but I don’t require that you provide ideas--I feel that you are hiring me for my style of work and it is clear on my website what you can expect from me.
What is your favorite newborn pose and how do you achieve it? My favorite pose, which also seems to be a parent favorite, is when baby is snuggled up on their tummy with their bum in the air. Usually the babies will be naked or wrapped in a scarf or gauzy fabric that conforms to their sweet little shapes This is really a basic pose - I simply lay the baby, tummy down, on a variety of blankets and I will use extra blankets underneath to form baby to my liking.
What should Images by Dana know? Please let me know if there are any special circumstances I should be aware of when photographing you and your family.
What do I do if your newborn absolutely will not sleep/cooperate? Are there special techniques I use or poses I resort to?
If I have what I call a touchy baby, I try to get the most out of each pose by way of different hats and/or headbands. I shoot at different angles to change things up. I have had my share of not so sleepy babies. In these cases, I resort to wrapped shots. Being all wrapped up sometimes even encourages them to fall asleep. In my experience, you can usually get the baby back to sleep if you work at it.
What type of lighting can I expect? Based on the outdoor lighting that day and the time of day we meet, it will determine what kind and how much natural light I have in the area where I prefer to photograph newborns. Based upon those variables, I either us natural light or studio lighting. My main light source is two banks of west facing windows – in my kitchen and family room. Ideally, I like to schedule my sessions in the morning when the light is best (most diffused) and baby is typically most rested and calm. It’s not a big deal though, if it’s too sunny later in the day, I just diffuse the light with a sheer curtain or use studio lights.
What types of images are created in the session? I basically have 4 types of images I attempt to create:
A classic black and white series—baby alone, maybe a few with Mom and Dad A set of the baby on soft, usually neutral blankets—very simple and natural A set that is more “creative” --- in baskets, pottery, lacrosse stick, etc Weather permitting—a few outside in tall grasses in baskets
But truth be told, depending upon the feeding needs, diapering needs, and sleep schedules of the baby (x2!), we sometimes get two sets done and then the babies have had enough. So I usually, but not always, start with the blanket setups or basket/ bowl setups and go on from there.
How long will the session take? It is totally dependent upon how cooperative baby is in terms of getting those beautiful sleeping poses and also how much patience/ longevity mom has especially since she is postpartum, after all. On average, a newborn session lasts 3 hours. I have had sessions go as quickly as 1.5 hours and as long as 5 hours. Usually it is about getting baby settled and comfortable, once baby is sleeping soundly we can capture a great number of images rather quickly.
BONUS:
How to Photograph Baby at Home When you photograph baby at home‌
Look for different angles. Make sure to photograph all those little things you may not remember when they are bigger!
Noise machines work great for fussy babies. This even works at home--if you do not have one, download noise machine sounds to your phone or put a CD in your computer.
At home, also, try shooting in black and white - it is classic and timeless.
Make the art in your home reflect the beauty in your heart. ™ ARTFUL IMAGES | EXEMPLARY PRODUCTS