The smile and/or laughing pose is one of the most difficult poses especially with babies, but definitely worth the effort. Just keep shooting as much as possible and see if dad can get baby to laugh. Tickling may be required.
The kissing pose is always mom’s favorite. Dad must always close his eyes and never pucker the lips. Have dad press his lips gently to baby’s temple. Tilt baby slightly toward camera for the best angle, but don’t overdo it. Subtle is more natural looking.
Over dad’s shoulder is an easy pose for every age. Ask dad to look at baby so you get his profile instead of the back of his head. Then, try to get baby to look at camera if possible. I prefer to have natural side light from a window to get some catch lights in baby’s eyes.
In dad’s hands is another favorite of mine for newborns. You can do this with baby on his or her tummy and dad using his other hand to hold the bum, like the image above. Or like the image below, you can have dad hold the newborn’s head in both hands and tilt baby toward camera. Make sure baby’s eyes are facing a window to get those catch lights.
For a dramatic black and white photo, move dad and baby to a window or single light source to get more dramatic lighting. We want bright highlights and deep shadows, so don’t worry about filling in the shadows with other lights. I prefer candid poses to get a more artistic, documentary looking style for my black and white photos. Adding vintage filters in Lightroom is also really fun to play around with.
