An album of the photos of a newborn helps parents and even the children (once they grow up) take a walk down memory lane. Taking photographs of newborns can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. Photographers, for getting good pictures, consider shooting in the first two weeks itself. It is in these first two weeks that most tender moments can be captured. During this period, babies tend to sleep a lot and their expressions can lead to amazing photographs to be cherished and preserved for a lifetime. Of course, moving and smiling babies make for excellent 'models' when it comes to photography poses. However, taking photographs of newborns too is an art which needs some special skill sets. Patience is the key to master the art of photography and this type of photography is no exception to it. There are basically two methods used to capture photos of newborns. The traditional method is one in which the frame doesn't have subjects other than the baby itself. The newer way of capturing photographs is by taking pictures with parents and other family members. Props are used in both, traditional and modern forms. The different props being used are blankets, baskets, pillows, beanbags, etc. Best Poses There is no hard and fast rule of categorizing the different poses. However, the following instructions should give some idea of different poses for superb clicks. Sleeping poses are most commonly used. The information presented below should help in developing some skill sets and provide readers with a few easy-to-use techniques:

• Turning the baby to make it lie on its stomach and then taking pictures from the side view and birds-eye-view is one of the commonly used technique.
• Babies can be positioned in a way that it appears to be sitting but is actually sleeping.
• Using baskets as props also help in getting nice photographs. Blankets can also be used in different ways. Wrapping a blanket around the body or just using it as a cushion works well.
• Swaddling babies in blankets enables photographers to shoot without much difficulty. Wrapping the body in a blanket and covering the head with a hand-knit hat is one of the simplest and easiest way to go for newborn photography.
• Posing babies in makeshift cradles made with long cloth pieces gives a lot of opportunities to take pictures from different angles. Placing them in a comfortable position in such cradles is also important.
• To position the baby with its chin resting on palms while the elbows provide necessary support presents a nice pose.
• Variations in the poses can be brought about by changing hand positions. The head can be rested sideways on one of the hands and many such techniques can be used.
• Inclusion of parents as subjects along with babies can make the photos even more interesting.

Some Tips The following tips would help in making the best of the short time available for shooting baby photographs:

• There is no point forcing the baby to attain a particular pose. Safe and soft hands are needed to handle babies.
• Beanbags used for photograph poses should not be so soft that it becomes difficult to keep them stable.
• It is not necessary that the photography should be confined to the indoor environment. Outdoor photos in gardens with babies placed in baskets and covered in blankets should serve the purpose.
• The daily schedule of a baby should not be disturbed for the sake of taking pictures. Good photos can be taken only when the newborn is comfortable enough to pose.

The aforementioned ideas and poses might prove beneficial in making this process of taking photographs an interesting one. Moreover, the first few weeks are considered to be the best and most memorable ones in this type of photography.