Tips to Taking Your Own Birth Announcement Photos

Ya’ll, I have a new found respect for any and all photographers who take newborn photos. It is no easy feat, let me tell you. Booking a photographer for newborn photos is not something I got done before Mckenna was born, so I really had no choice but to tackle the photos myself. I know what you professional photographers are thinking: Just because I have a nice camera doesn’t mean I have the skills to take these photos. Trust me, I’m aware! I’m sure we would’ve gotten some cute poses, had adorable props, and more than 7 photos if I would’ve had a photographer helping me out, but that just wasn’t the case!

I’m pretty excited about the photos I did capture, though, I must say!

They perfectly capture Mckenna in all her newborn glory in an adorable outfit gifted to her by my mom and the best part is, they’re done and I’m all ready to send out her birth announcements. Heck, can you believe I got these done when she was only 4 days old? I’ll just put that on my list of huge accomplishments for my maternity leave!

Now, I’m no professional, we’ve already made that clear, but if you choose to also take your newborn’s photos for their birth announcement I’ll just share a couple of my tips with you!

1. Timing is Everything: My number one tip is to make sure that baby is happy. It’s best to get the photos done right after they’ve napped, ate, and had a diaper change. Trust me. I mean, unless you want shots of your baby screaming and crying, but I can’t imagine that would be your goal.

2. Lighting is Important: You need a brightly lit, warm room for taking baby’s photos. You don’t want baby to get chilled because that will just make them upset, of course. Having a brightly lit room is extremely important for a good photo. If needed, you can use photography lights, but I always feel like natural lighting is better.

3. Keep Posing Natural: I love all of those fancy newborn photos with those fancy props and poses, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something so beautiful about an infant just perfectly in their element and in their own poses. Once the newborn fog clears, it’ll help you remember the cute little ways they held their hands near their face or the wrinkled expressions they made.

4. Have an Extra Set of Hands: The first mistake I made was not having an extra set of hands while I snapped away. It would’ve been nice to have Cory home when I took the photos so he could help soothe Mckenna in between shots. Being the soother and the photographer is hard, let me tell ya!

Now, when it comes time to send out your birth announcements, I highly recommend Tiny Prints. Oh my heavens, have you seen their cards? They’re just about perfect. They have foil cards, laser-cut cards, ornament cards, and even glitter cards! There’s so many varieties to choose from, you’re sure to find something uniquely perfect for you and for your family. Of course, as you know, they don’t just have birth announcement cards. They have cards for literally ever occasion you could dream of. And now that the holiday season is fast approaching, it’s time to start ordering holiday cards as well! Just take a look at all they have to offer this year!

To celebrate this season of giving, Tiny Prints is also partnering with Baby2Baby. I received an e-mail from Tiny Prints shortly after placing my birth announcements order announcing that they were putting a donation in my honor towards Baby2Baby. Baby2Baby is an organization that provides low-income families with the necessities and resources they need and deserve. What a great cause — I’m so honored to order Kenna’s birth announcements from a company that gives back! Read more about this partnership HERE.

And speaking of giving… Tiny Prints wants to give you a little something, too!

Giveaway:

Prizes: $100 TinyPrints.com site credits provided by Tiny Prints
Dates: Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 12:00am PT – Friday, December 2, 2016 at 12:00am PT
How to Enter: Use the giveaway widget below to enter + Leave a blog post comment after visiting: Tiny Prints. Pick the design you would choose for your holiday card and then comment with your answer in the blog comments section. And/Or follow Tiny Prints on Instagram.
Notification: Winners will be randomly selected and notified by CLEVER by Friday, December 16, 2016
Terms & Conditions: The official Terms & Conditions are included in the widget; here is the high-level eligibility criteria: Age 18+ US resident only Only one winner per household

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are your tips for taking photos of babies?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.