Best Beginner Newborn Photography Workflow – Setting Up Your Props

This is the best beginner newborn photography workflow, and the first pose I create with every newborn photography session. Posing on baby’s back with feet folded in towards their tummies and hands rested on their chest enables you to get NINE amazing images for your clients without disturbing baby. If baby is awake at this stage while you work through your newborn photography posing flow, then I snap a few awake shots, settle baby a little more and then re-wrap into this sleepy cocoon newborn pose. 

Underneath, I use my Perfect Posie. You can roll up a towel and form into a donut shape if you don’t have a Posie beanbag. Just make sure there is room for baby’s bum in the middle. Use a little bean underneath baby’s head and booty to give those areas a little lift ensuring that baby’s head is the highest point for your plane of focus.

You will find that the longer mohair wraps or stretchy cheesecloth wraps are thinner and work so well for revealing babies toes and hands without providing a lot of bulk to the shot. Cocoon wrap is so comfortable for babies. I feel it’s one of the easiest poses for you to achieve and you can very gently guide baby into this pose so they can settle comfortably for the rest of their session.

For most babies curling their feet in towards their bodies is very natural. If there is resistance in the hips or legs, then just place their feet together and let their legs relax to the sides. If they have been breach in utero they may be more comfortable posing by laying their legs off to the side. 

Once you have settled baby into cocoon pose, make sure your light is at a 45-90 degree angel creating soft shadows.

Best Beginner Newborn Photography Workflow: How to get nine images from one pose

1. Take a photo of baby in the full set up. Make sure there is lots of flokati around them. This really gives parents the sense of how tiny they are.