P#10 Q3C: Do You Have Any Baby Photography Ideas For Taking Pictures of Baby and Parents Together?

Mommy (or Daddy) and Me

Carrie Sandoval: Parents are my favorite props!

I usually start out with no direction. I just tell them to hold the baby how they feel comfortable. Usually, those are the "money shots" right there -- just parents snuggling on their babies. Once they're all cozy, I start moving little limbs around.

What I like to do is think of the baby as a puzzle piece. I try to fit them into the little nooks of their parents. Their elbows, shoulders, under the chin.

Audri Lanford: How cute!

Carrie Sandoval: It makes sense too, as the little puzzle piece completes the family.

Audri Lanford: Aww! I like the imagery!

Carrie Sandoval: I do ones that aren't so puzzle piece-ish too. The dangling baby off daddy's arms shots. If you do those, I highly recommend waiting until the baby is in a really deep sleep. One little twitch and it makes everyone nervous.

Parents Take a Break

Audri Lanford: Got it! How do you pose the baby if you don't have the parents in the picture? What do you do?

Carrie Sandoval: The beanbag is my best friend! It really is. I always start with them on the beanbag. Then, I move onto props after that.

The beanbag makes them feel like they're being held. You indent a little nest for them to sit in and they get cozy and fall into a deep sleep. They feel safe. That's number one!

Skin To Skin

For more shots with the parents in them, I love the look of skin to skin. The baby is usually naked. For the mom, bare shoulders will imply skin to skin. It can be tastefully done.

Sometimes I have the mom wear a neutral colored tube top. That can also imply skin to skin. For more modest parents, I recommend a solid color t-shirt, preferably black. No button down shirts. It can leave little button indentions in the baby's cheeks.

Again, going back to the simplicity -- the no-buttons, solid-black is a good backdrop for the parents to wear when they're holding the baby. It could be a matter of taste, but I'm all about the simple look.

To Conclude

Again, Carrie Sandoval's advice leads back to simplicity. Simple props, simple poses, simple clothing. Less truly is more when it comes to baby pictures, and Carrie's baby photography ideas relay that time and time again.