When it comes to photographing newborns, my heart definitely goes to natural, unposed images.
So I am always thrilled when a client contacts me for a newborn shoot and mentions that there will be siblings involved as capturing interaction and emotion is my absolute favorite thing.
But a session photographing a brand new big brother or sister comes with its own set of challenges so you need to be well prepared. Here are some tips that really help me make these sessions enjoyable for everyone:
1. Meet your family before the shoot.
This is the ideal situation. When a maternity session is booked prior to the newborn session, I know everything will go smoothly.
The maternity session is all about big brother or sister, we have time to meet each other, to play and become best buddies. When I come back for the newborn session they are excited to see me again and they know beforehand that we are going to have fun!
If there is no maternity session involved, meeting them, even briefly, during a pre-consult can definitely help. When the session comes around, they already know you and the ice will be broken even before you enter the room.
But meeting up prior to the session might not be an option for you. Don’t panic, there are still 5 more tips to help you run successful newborn-sibling sessions!
2. Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Before any shoot I hold a phone pre-consultation. When siblings are involved in a newborn session, they definitely are the main topic of this pre-consult. Knowing beforehand how they are handling the situation, their personality, their favorite games etc. definitely comes in handy during the shoot.
However, the goal of the conversation is also to explain to the parents how I will handle their children (see points 3 and 4 below) and how I suggest they themselves behave during the shoot so that we are all on the same page.
3. Make the siblings feel special.
This is probably the most important point. When a tiny baby is invading your family life, your world is upside down. Big brothers/sisters often feel insecure and neglected during those first days of having a newborn at home so if they think that this session is all about the baby (again!!) they may be resentful and uncooperative.
So as soon as I enter their home, my goal is to make them feel that the session is about THEM, first and foremost.
I always make sure that I talk to big brother/sister first, introduce myself, chat a bit about the time we will be spending together…all before I even lay eyes on the baby. This is something I will discuss with the parents during the pre-consult, so that they don’t feel like I am not interested in their newborn!
Once the ice is broken, I will always ask big brother/sister if they would show me the baby. Some of them are pleased to do so while others refuse, but I always give them the opportunity to introduce me to “their” baby. If they chose not to, I never insist and go meet the newborn on my own.
During the session, when siblings are around I will always engage them in what I’m doing, explaining my every move, or asking advice. “Do you think your little sister would like it if we sang her a song?” “Oh, she is crying! What do you think she is trying to tell us?”
I also love to ask them if they have their own ideas about the shoot. When I said to this little guy “Let’s take a picture of you and your little brother. What should we do?” he immediately suggested that he play music to him and grabbed his guitar! I never would have thought about this but I definitely love the outcome!
4. Let them be.
The key point to having siblings to cooperate in a newborn session is to always give them the choice. If they feel forced to do anything, they will probably do the opposite of what you want them to do.
So my session workflow is entirely built around the siblings.
I usually start with the siblings shots first, because big brothers/sisters are usually more cooperative at the beginning, but also because as I said previously I want them to feel that the session is about them. If you start the session with, let’s say, pictures of Mom holding the new baby, you are pretty sure to get jealousy issues!
Be prepare to break your own rules, though. If at the moment I thought I would do the siblings shots, big brother isn’t into it, I make sure that I don’t put any pressure on him. “Okay, you don’t want to do it now? No problem. You can go and play in your room, and come back when you’re ready. In the meantime, I will take a few pictures of your sister”.
You can be sure that most of the time, the option to be left aside while you’re focusing your attention on the baby is the best motivation to finally be in the picture. But it will be HIS choice, not yours.
This topic is also a must-discuss during your pre-consult because when that moment happens you need to be sure that Mom or Dad won’t pressure the child into cooperating and that they will be comfortable with your way of handling it.
After a few pics, especially if big brother is a young kid or a toddler, he will probably be done. Again, no pressure – let him leave the room, do his thing, and come back a bit later when he wants attention again.
Having another adult available at that moment to play with him in another room is invaluable. It will be the perfect moment to do pictures of Mom or Dad (depending on who is playing with big brother at that moment) with the baby, or pictures of the baby alone.
5. Safety first!
When doing those siblings pictures, always have baby’s security in mind. Using a bed or a sofa (or any soft surface) is probably your best option, and make sure that Mom or Dad is standing right next to them at every moment.
It is far better to spend some time cloning Mom’s hand out of the pictures in post-processing than to take any risk of baby slipping off his brother’s arms or falling down. Here’s a few ways to keep them safe.
- Have Mom or Dad with them on the bed the whole time but just out of the frame of the camera, carefully watching the baby’s position and safety.
- With younger kids and toddlers, it’s even better to actually include Mom or Dad in the picture (holding big brother and the baby at the same time, or sitting right next to them).
- When several siblings are involved, ask the oldest one to hold the baby while the other one is snuggling around.
- Swaddling the baby can be really helpful too, he/she will be much easier to hold.
- Using pillows can help ensuring a firm and safe position.
- Holding the baby is not the only option. You can pose the baby alone, safely lying on the bed, and let the siblings find their place around him/her.
- You can also have them all laying on their backs. Make sure you interact with the older kids in order to catch sweet expressions. Again, have Mom or Dad stay very close the whole time, in order to prevent any careless move that could hurt the baby.
6. Photoshoot with benefits?
Finally, the touchy topic: bribing.
I don’t usually need to do it but it is also something you want to discuss beforehand with the parents. If the kid is done but you really need that extra family pic to close the shoot, then having a little incentive to buy you a few minutes of patience can be useful.
I owe this picture to the promise of a nice piece of chocolate. And when you think about it, is that really so wrong? Having a little brother is not easy every day so why not enjoy an unexpected benefit?
That’s it! Enjoy your next newborn/siblings session, and remember that preparation before the shoot and flexibility during the shoot are the keys to success!
very helpful article!
Thanks Lisa for the great tips! One of my husband's good friends just had a baby and I've been wanting to ask them to "play" with their kids. This answered some of my questions of how to go about the shoot with a 4-year-old, 2-year-old and newborn.
Great post! I especially like the idea of starting with siblings first. I'll have to remember that! 🙂
I loved these tips and the pics are sooooo cute!!
Beautiful images. Looking at them brings tears to my eyes. What fantastic tips for capturing these special moments. 🙂
thank you, lisa!! what wonderful tips.
Great tips! 🙂
These tips are FANTASTIC!!!!
Great tips. Thanks for sharing.
So so helpful! I wouldn't have thought of approaching it this way but it makes so much sense! Gorgeous pics!
Thank you, Lisa! I love your attitude about letting the siblings choose when they want to be a part of the photos and when they don't. I love that you understand that they may be feeling a little neglected and jealous those first few weeks. I think everyone, young or old, appreciates when someone tries to understand how they are feeling. Great blog post!!! 🙂
Merci, Lisa! :-). You definitely get how kids think! And that photo of the family holding their shirts up gave me a huge belly laugh… Love it!
Great! I haven't encountered siblings at a newborn shoot yet, but I do have a booking for one in the summer! This is very helpful 🙂
Great article, Lisa! I can just imagine how full of joy a session would be with you!!
Lisa, your work is always so honest, real, and fun! it's not hard to see how much you love what you do. thank you for sharing all of these amazing tips with us!!
Brilliant! Lisa's work is so inspiring. Wonderful, practical tips.
Great tips! Thanks, Lisa!
Another wonderful post. Pinning away here!
Awesome article! Great suggestions and the photos are beautiful!!!!
Some great ideas here! I most worry about the issues addressed by #3 when my next baby comes along. My (two-year-old) son has taken to loudly announcing "MINE mommy!" whenever another kid gets too close to me.
Again … awesome tips. So well written!! Thanks!
And the example pictures are breathtaking!!
I LOVE that belly shot!
Safety first – always a good tip nowdays! Thanks for the tips!
I love how you can feel the love in these!!!
Lisa, your work and advice is always inspiring, great read! I looooove the shot of mom, baby and brother playing the guitar. <3
Thanks for the great tips!! Those shots are beautiful 🙂
beautiful work! thanks for the tips!
These tips are so practical and easy to try . . . thank you so much Lisa!
very helpful!
Great tips Lisa! Thanks for this post, and for sharing your beautiful pictures
Wonderful tips and beautiful captures! I always love your work!
Great advice 🙂
I really enjoyed this post, Lisa! Thanks for sharing all your tips and tricks and I always love seeing your beautiful images!
Great post! Thanks for the tips!
What a great post! Such great ideas and the images are really fantastic. Looks like such an ease with all of them. I love the photo of the entire family with the shirts up looking at their bellies. Thanks so much!
Great shots!
I LOVE this!! Great blog post and some pretty great pics too!!
Fabulous tips! Thank you!!!!
Thank you for this. I have been wanting to try more natural shots and I appreciate all of the great information!
Beautiful images, Lisa… and great tips!
Thanks Lisa. This was a great "how-to" article. The sibling shots are always the hardest to get, IMO!
Love the tips Lisa 🙂 Your pictures are stunning!
Great tips and lovely photos!
Great tips. Wonderful photos!
Your images are lovely. Thanks for sharing.
great tips, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for all the great tips!
You're shots are always so fun and natural, really lovely. ♥
Very helpful tips, thanks for sharing. I recently did a shoot for a friend with a new baby and these tips could have helped with the two older sisters. And the images are beautiful in the article as well!!!!
Fantastic tips! All the pictures are beautiful, thanks for sharing!
Awesome tips. I've definitely struggled with newborn/sibling shots. Can't wait to one day put this knowledge to use. 😉 Thank you!
Perfect timing! I have a newborn / family shoot tomorrow. Thanks Lisa / CM!
Love these shots!!!
Great tips! These shots are amazing!
Great tips. I have a newborn / sibling shoot on the weekend. Beautiful shots Lisa!
Great tips! and as always, lovely images!!!
Thank you so much ladies for the amazing feedback!! It means a lot to me!!
The whole fmaily looking at their bellies is adorable. Great tips!
Great article. Tip #3 especially.
I love this article as well as the pictures! They are very natural and fun – and I think, more interesting to look at than just posed newborn shots (although those are beautiful, too) because they tell the story of the entire family and the love they share.
My tip is to take pictures even during transition times – like diaper changes, Mom and Dad calming the baby before the next series of pictures, etc. I recently had my first newborn "session" (taking pictures for a friend) and the baby ended up being fairly fussy for the second half of the session. I am so glad I took pictures during times when they were just trying to get the baby ready/ settle him down or I may not have had so many good ones!
It seems like every photog I blog stalk is posting this week! Love your work and thank you for the amazing tips!
these are some great ideas!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Lisa!
Great tips and amazing images!
I love this – wish I could remember my HS french so I could read your blog!
Merci beaucoup Lisa!
Great article! So many wonderful ideas for getting those difficult sibling shots!
Great tips Lisa!
Great article! Love your work.
These are great tips! Thank you, Lisa 🙂
Lisa's work is sooo pretty! I need to get more snaps of my newb with his bros!!! TFS!
So helpful! Especially #3!
Great points! and gorgeous photos! Thanks
Love these tips! I find that toddlers definitely have a short patience level with newborns, so timing is everything.
And I love the little boy playing guitar, too cute!
this is my second time through this article. thanks again for sharing.
wow — wonderful tips and beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing Lisa. I always love your work 🙂
Lisa's work is so beautiful! And she definitely seems to understand how a child's mind works 🙂 Thanks for all the tips!
Perfect timing! I have a newborn/sibling shoot next Saturday that has me a little nervous. Your tips are great. Thanks!!
these are great tips, lisa! i just adore your fun and candid family work!
Thank you for this article! As a parent either photographing my own children (ages 2 years and 2 months), or being the Mama of the photographed children, I can identify with the tips AND the difficulties! My children have taught me MUCH about photographing them, and what works/what doesn't. For instance, this morning's cell phone pic of the kiddos on our bed just "happened," b/c R was up there doing his usual thing, tucking himself in, playing with blankets. I quickly slipped a pillow behind him, set his sister down, gave him a blanket and asked if he'd like to lie next to her. (I'm working on teaching him, "NEXT TO, not ON TOP OF.") 😛 I have a few new ideas today, due to what I learned from him this morning. Center the shoot around something he already has done, or enjoys doing. He loves to "teach" his sister, using books or toys. I'm foreseeing a shoot along those lines…and of course it's hard with the infant, b/c they can't even sit up. It all has to be lying down, or someone holding them. And a hearty "AMEN!" to your safety tips!
Love the pictures! Love the article! Lisa has a new fan! Thank you for sharing.
This is great Lisa, thank you so much for the tips!
Thanks so much for these great tips. I think they're really useful even for regular family sessions that don't include a newborn. I will definitely keep these in mind!
hi i iove your photo and great info too! can you tell me what lens your using in these images? thanx 🙂
Thank you so so much everybody!!
Paula, I mostly use my 50mm 1.4 with newborns, but when shooting inside in tight spaces my 24-70mm 2.8L is very often a lifesaver 🙂
Lisa, Thank you so much for sharing! I have my first newborn session with siblings tomorrow morning (third newborn shoot ever). These tips help me feel so much better prepared!
Great tips! I agree that you have to make the siblings feel special too so that they won’t get jealous of the attention that the newborn is getting. These tips will be really useful in my next newborn photography session. Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you Vera, so glad it was helpful!