Have you recently welcomed a new addition to the family? If so, congratulations!
I’d urge you to take lots of photographs of your baby to record this magical time (but then I would say that, wouldn’t I)!
The newborn stage passes by in a flash, and I truly believe that photos are the best way to capture these fleeting, but oh so special, family moments.
If this is your second (or third or fourth!) baby, you’ll likely want to also take family portraits. Photos of your children together are a lovely way of capturing your growing brood.
This is a lovely idea in practice. Yet it’s actually surprisingly difficult to get the perfect portrait when photographing children together.
So, with this in mind, I thought I would share with you today my top tips for photographing siblings together.
As a professional newborn baby, child and family portrait photographer, I get to work with children of all ages, including babies as young as a few days old.
Believe me, I know how hard it can be to get children – whatever age – to stay still long enough for a photograph to be taken, or to all look at the camera at the same time. (I’ve even written a blog about it! See my tips for photographing reluctant children here).
The combination of baby and toddler is particularly challenging!
Yet while it can sometimes be tricky, some of my favourite family portraits are those of children that I have photographed together with their siblings.
In fact, I take a lot of photos of older kids with their newborn brothers or sisters in particular, as parents are usually keen for this type of shot if coming to me for a newborn photoshoot.
If you have a small baby and you’d like to photograph them with their older sibling(s), try these poses out for size.
A word of warning: always ensure that there is another adult close at hand and that your newborn baby is safe at all times.
While your toddler or older child may be enthusiastic about their younger sibling, there should be no risk of the baby being squashed, squeezed or dropped!
Make the photo experience fun!
Whichever of these poses work for you, you’ll achieve the best photographs when the older child or children are relaxed. Playing games with them is, therefore, a great way to ease them into the right mood.
Should they be refusing to cooperate, simply try to make the experience as fun as possible rather than getting cross if they don’t do what you want them to.
What works for you?
Be sure to let me know which of these tips worked best for you. And if all else fails, and you decide that you’d like a professional family portrait, you know where to find me!
Until next time,
Karen x