Hey Friends! I hope everyone had an amazing Mother’s Day! If you’re a new mom or currently expecting, chances are you’ve been searching for the best way to capture your newborn’s first moments and milestones. Did you see how pricey those soft and beautiful portraits costs? Yeah, I did too. Those photographers are seriously talented and their work certainly shows. But, if you’re a SAHM like me, you like to cut costs without compromising your vision. That’s why you’re here! You can DIY an affordable newborn photoshoot right at home!
HERE’S THE BEST PART:
You (most likely) have everything that you need to achieve a simple yet beautiful memory of your baby already! All it costs is a little time and patience.
When I first started taking photos of my baby (as soon as she was born) I really didn’t have anything that I thought was required to take those pretty Pinterest worthy newborn pictures. It was a little disappointing until I became determined to make it work. I spent most my pregnancy searching and researching ways to “get the look” without paying the price. (Again, I would like to reiterate that I seriously appreciate the amazing professionals and their hard work…I just can’t afford it at the moment.) When baby and I got home from the hospital, I’d almost forgotten that I nested twice. I cleaned and organized the house from top to bottom halfway through the pregnancy and again right before I went into labor. That means I probably threw away some things I could have used to take some pictures, yet I stayed determined to make a way.
Here’s what I found and used for this affordable newborn photoshoot:
I found a cotton white throw to use as the background, some large throw pillows from our sofa, two dining room chairs, a nursing pillow, and a swaddling blanket. (Quick Tip: The blanket material works very well because it doesn’t wrinkle as much as a sheet does). Also, I use my Nikon DSLR and the standard 18-55mm lens that it comes with, but I’ve recently seen some amazing phone portraits that look amazing, too!
Really, that’s it! That’s all it takes! I used some tape and taped the blanket to the back of the two chairs, spread wide enough to stretch the white blanket across its full width. I stuck the throw pillows in between the chairs to keep the fabric from drooping or sagging in the middle. It worked like a charm! It sounds really frugal, but it works and no one would ever know unless they’re told that the “backdrop” was rigged (lol).
Here’s where the patience comes in:
Once your area is set up, it’s Baby’s turn to work. I find it best that Baby is well fed and very sleepy for a cute pose like this. Some babies get fussy when they’re awake and tend to fidgety after a while.
(Another quick tip: Go into this photoshoot with a sound plan in mind- your visions and poses should be practical and comfortable for Baby. Natural light is the best and most affordable lighting as well. You don’t need fancy lighting equipment for this simple shoot).
I covered the nursing pillow with the patterned swaddle blanket and laid it on top of the backdrop. Then, I carefully nested her in the nursing pillow and allowed her to adjust until she was comfortable enough to fall back asleep. Once she was fully asleep, I gently moved her arms first, then her head until I the pose looked soft and natural. If the pose doesn’t work, try another one before Baby gets grumpy. For my shoot, the total time was about an hour, with a quick 15 minute nursing session in between outfit changes. Approximately three shots yielded good results before Baby made it clear that she was done for the day. View them below!
VIEW SOME OF MY OTHER DIY PHOTOS HERE
WANT MORE? FOLLOW MY INSTA FOR MORE PHOTO UPDATES
