New parents often find themselves in awe of their tiny newborns, cherishing every moment spent admiring and cuddling them. Capturing these special moments, like a yawn or a tiny grip, can be challenging without professional help. A skilled newborn photographer ensures you’ll have lasting memories of your baby’s first moments.
Newborn hospital photography lets you capture precious, once-in-a-lifetime moments with your baby. Many hospitals allow photographers to visit with patient permission, ensuring you can preserve these memories. Before scheduling, check with the hospital about their visitor policies.
Professional photographers understand hospital guidelines and prioritize newborn safety. They use natural light and gentle poses to create beautiful, safe photos of your newborn. Here are the top 5 tips for newborn hospital photography from professional photographers!
1. Schedule Newborn Hospital Photography Sessions Soon After Delivery
Newborn hospital photography is sometimes called the “Fresh 48” because it takes place within 24 to 48 hours after the baby’s birth.
Discuss With Your Photographer: Communicate with your photographer so they know your expected delivery date. But everyone understands that an early, late, or surprise arrival might occur!
Coordinate with Your Hospital: For normal births without any serious complications, the hospital will generally discharge the mom and baby after 48 hours. Be sure to keep your photographer in the loop when you are on the way to the hospital with a call, email, or text so they know to fit you in their schedule in the next couple of days. After the birth and when things have calmed down, touch base again and decide when is the best time for your newborn hospital photography session.
Pro Tip: Check with the hospital about their photography policies and confirm any visitor restrictions.
2. Bring Things From Home For Newborn Hospital Photography
Some parents bring a letter board for displaying their baby’s name and birth date but you will have been through a lot by the time the photographer arrives for your newborn hospital photography session, so think comfy and simple!
Consider bringing a satin, floral-print robe for Mom to replace the hospital gown. It’s an easy way to feel more put together without too much effort. As for your baby, keep them in the hospital’s provided hat and swaddle—these items make for perfect, meaningful photos.
The hospital hat and that tiny foot with the hospital tag peeking out of the blanket are iconic symbols of these early moments. These are the details that will become cherished memories. Capturing them in your newborn photos is a beautiful way to preserve these fleeting moments.
3. Be Sure to Photograph all the Special Little Newborn Details
Newborns change quickly, and it’s the tiny details that make these early moments so memorable. Don’t forget to capture the following:
- Tiny hands and feet
- Soft, delicate ears
- Sweet facial expressions and yawns
Newborn photographs should capture all the details, like little toes, little nose, little lips, and those teeny tiny fingernails. Stop the clock for a moment with a set of photos from your child’s first moments. These close-up shots will serve as beautiful reminders of how tiny your baby was in those first few days of life.
4. Wrap your Newborn for the Photography Session
When preparing for your newborn hospital photography session, think about the decor of your home or the room where you’ll hang the photographs. Choose a color or pattern for the wrap that complements your space and fits the overall style of your home.
Once you’ve selected the right wrap, it’s time to position your baby.
- Lay your baby gently on the wrap.
- Take the left side of the wrap and bring it up across your baby’s shoulders.
- Wrap it around the baby and tuck it under their bottom.
- Do the same with the right side, and tuck the tail into the wrap to secure it.
For an added touch, you can also tuck the left side’s tail into the right side for a polished look.
There are a variety of options for a newborn wrap. What’s most important is that it is soft and hypoallergenic. Your baby’s skin is soft and new, so you want to make sure to be gentle enough on their skin. We recommend choosing a wrap from a company specifically for babies— they know best!
5. Work With Natural Lighting
Keep the lighting soft and natural so you capture every bit of your newborn’s brand newness!
Natural light is the key to beautiful newborn photos. Soft, natural light from windows creates a warm, flattering effect on your baby. It also ensures that your baby’s sensitive eyes aren’t disturbed by harsh artificial lighting.
Pro Tip: Position your baby near a window or in a well-lit room to get the best possible lighting for your photos.
Frequently Asked Questions About Newborn Hospital Photography
Do Hospitals Offer Newborn Photography?
Today’s digital photography makes it so easy to capture and share each precious moment with family, friends, and acquaintances. With all of the chaos and activity on this big day, most larger hospitals will offer a newborn portrait session the day after birth. The hospital will usually have a contracted photographer to offer this service, “conveniently” taking place in the mother’s room.
The hospital’s newborn photographer will spend 15-30 minutes working with whoever is in the room at the time and what you have with you for outfits, props, and toys. They’ll work as well as they can with the surroundings and whatever natural light the room is lucky enough to get. However, when it’s finished, you may not get the cherished sleeping angel photo you were hoping for! Instead, a few months before the baby is born, plan ahead for a newborn hospital photography session with Natalie Roberson Photography to perfectly capture the new little love in your family.
Can family members be included in the newborn hospital photography session?
Absolutely! Newborn hospital photography is all about capturing those special moments with your new baby and family. Be sure to include siblings, grandparents, or anyone else important in the family’s life. These shots will be cherished forever.
Is Taking Hospital Newborn Photography a HIPAA Violation?
Hospital patients and their visitors are generally allowed to take photographs, including newborn hospital photography, under HIPAA regulations. However, professional photographers like Natalie Roberson Photography understand that the captured images cannot display other patients or protected health information, which violates state privacy laws; As professional newborn photographers, they will adjust their focus and angles accordingly. Be sure to coordinate with your care team at the hospital so that your newborn hospital photography session avoids overlap with any monitoring, tests, or examinations by a doctor.
Is Hospital Newborn Photography Worth It?
There is a lot going on during the whirlwind of labor, delivery, and welcoming a new member of your family. When you hire a professional for your hospital newborn photography session, you are eliminating the stress and challenges of capturing those precious moments that every parent wants to keep forever. Using hospital lighting for amateur photos can make your baby’s skin look discolored or cast dark shadows on those adorable newborn wrinkles. Avoid these pitfalls and the stress of finding the right light, angles, and poses by setting up a newborn hospital photography session several months in advance so you can relax while an experienced professional captures these priceless moments.
Why Choose Natalie Roberson Photography for Newborn Hospital Photography?
Expectant moms and dads already have so much on their plate when preparing for the arrival of their baby that they should not have to worry about snapping every perfect photo. Contact Natalie Roberson Photography today to schedule your newborn hospital photography session and help you perfectly capture the moments ensuring they are as special as the day they were taken.
Natalie knows how to capture each moment and make them as special when you look at them as the day they were taken. These moments are too important to forget. As a mother, Natalie has extensive experience working with babies and is an absolute natural. We know she will make you, baby, and hospitals feel at ease for the entire session.