Newborn photography is a luxury experience that records all those tiny details of a baby for new parents that will go away within just a few weeks. Depending on the baby’s features and the parent’s interests, you might require access to various newborn props or backdrops for photos of the baby to look warm and charming for a lifetime. One handy example would be how the baby's birth weight will matter during the shoot and the choice of newborn props. You can get to know about such details beforehand from the parents in an informal, friendly and chatty way. In the back of your mind, you collect information to prepare for the photography session and any extra considerations you may or may not need to take into account. The birth weight factor will help you decide whether the baby will fit in a small or large bowl, what kind of size newborn props you will need, what paddings and the blankets are might or might not need etc.
Newborn photo with a rusty floral vinyl backdrop, basket and fabric props.
Let’s look at some amazing props that can stock up your studio and ready your newborn photography setup.
Boxes & Baskets: There are no newborn prop set or photography session in the world that is complete without a cute little basket to fit the newborn baby into. The aesthetic appeal achieved and the variety of pictures that you can click are timeless. Newborn baskets can come in various shapes and sizes. A few worthy mentions would be bamboo baskets, star-shaped boxes with studded stars/props around, fortune bowls, heart-shaped boxes, wooden moon bowls etc.
Blankets & Other Fabrics: Placing a baby in a basket or a box will also require you to make sure it is comfortable and cozy in there. You will need to use a blanket or wrap cloth and other fabric materials that can be great add-ons for the whole set. Not only these newborn props will let the baby stay settled and comfortable, but they add great value and appeal to the photos you will get with them.
Cake Smash: Babies being playful and messy around their favorite birthday cakes is one of the most popular newborn photography trends in the online space. To do this, you will need the cake and supporting props along with a backdrop for photos that will not get damaged with cake or cream and can be cleaned easily.
Beds: One of the most asked for and the best prop setting out there because babies love to sleep, and when they do, they do it for long. Getting creative with amazingly designed mini beds that can perfectly fit a baby will guarantee you tons of cozy and beautiful shots that everyone will be super excited about. One of our favorites among such newborn props will be the fox pink flower baby bed.
Custom Newborn Props: Nothing adds variety to a creative endeavor than using customized items that contribute unconventionally to the result. Custom props can help photographers in unexpected ways. They sometimes get you outputs that perform way better than you ever thought. Some custom newborn props that we can find include wooden carts, tricycles, wooden planes, sleigh cars, milk cup-shaped baskets, campers, tapestries etc.
Furthermore, newborn photography and its success depends on more than just props. It’s also about how you or the photographer can take control and lead the way when the parents and the baby get there for the newborn photo session. So however confident or not you are with babies, you almost need to fake it, so you make it and let the parents know that you’re good with babies, that they can trust you with them because the more the baby’s mother relaxes when in contact with the baby, the baby is more likely to settle when mommy’s relaxed. Often mothers arrive a bit stressed, maybe because they got another child at home they’ve had to rush around and find childcare for. Also, they have put a lot of emotional and financial investment into capturing special moments of their newborn where they want it to work so much. They have great hopes for these baby pictures, and they don’t want their baby to be the one baby that doesn’t sleep. So it is the photographer’s or the studio’s job to relax and reassure them by letting them know that everything is in control, no matter if they forgot something and that you have spares etc. Good props come in handy for this. Letting them be early at the studio and relaxed will ensure that you have a more relaxed baby and the nicer the experience is overall, which means the session will be a success.