Newborn photography is a treasure that every parent wants to have. These special portraits serve as a lifelong reminder of this magical and once-in-a-lifetime experience of welcoming your baby and of how tiny they were in these days. With the advances in phone cameras, though, some families ask themselves, “Why not try to take my own newborn photos instead of hiring a photographer?”

It’s perfectly understandable to want to save money while still getting newborn portraits, but the truth is that this generally isn’t how it works out. There are many reasons DIY newborn photos aren’t a good idea.

The Downsides to DIY Newborn Photos

Why is it unwise to attempt to take newborn photos on your own? Even if you take the approach of trying it to see how it goes without assuming it will work out, there are negatives you may not realize.

Risking Your Baby’s Safety

It’s common to see others’ newborn photos and think, “I could do that,” but many of the photos you see aren’t taken the way you would expect. Many poses are the result of photo magic. Take the “froggy” pose for example in which it looks like the baby is resting their head on their hands. This pose in “real life” would leave the baby’s head unsupported and be highly dangerous. It is created with a photo composite that allows us to support your baby and essentially remove the hands supporting them in the editing process.

This is only one example to illustrate that newborn photos need to be taken in specific ways to keep your baby safe, and only a professional newborn photographer has that expertise. No photo is worth risking your baby’s health and safety.

Missing Out on a One-Time Opportunity

It may seem like a good idea to try taking your baby’s newborn photos on your own first, and then hiring a photographer if you aren’t happy with how those DIY photos turned out. Unfortunately, this doesn’t usually work out.

Your baby is only this tiny for a short period of time. Newborn photos should be taken within the first 2-3 weeks of life, but because photographers book up in advance, you typically need to schedule the photo session a few months ahead. If you take your own newborn photos and aren’t happy with the results, you’ll likely be heartbroken to find that there aren’t photographers available at the last minute and that you’ll miss out on photos of this beautiful stage of your baby’s life.

Creating Work and Stress for Yourself

To be frank, taking newborn photos is a lot of work! It’s a work-intensive process even for an experienced photographer who already has all the equipment, props, wraps, and accessories at hand. When you’re a new parent who’s recovering from giving birth, adapting to having a newborn and having little sleep, you don’t need to pile on the work and stress of trying to put together a newborn photo session. Leave it to the professionals instead.

Getting the Stunning Newborn Photos You Deserve

The first weeks of your baby’s life are an amazing chapter of your family’s story. Professional newborn photography can do justice to this one-of-a-kind experience without risking your baby’s safety or adding stress to your plate. Contact my Lafayette, IN photo studio to book your newborn session today.

Heather’d Violet Photography is based out of Lafayette, Indiana, and is owned and operated by Heather Toro, who specializes in maternity and newborn photography, as well as families under McCaffry Photography, LLC. heather’d violet Photography serves Lafayette, Indiana and all surrounding areas.