5 Darling Dad And Baby Poses For Your Upcoming Newborn Photoshoot
When it comes to newborn photography, dads often don’t realize just how important their images with their new baby is. While mamas usually anticipate being photographed, dads sometimes need a little encouragement, but trust me, these images end up being some of the most treasured of all and so often I hear from a new father “I am so glad we did this” when the session is done. There’s just something incredibly moving about the way a father holds his baby: protective, tender, strong, and gentle all at once. And not to mention moms choose these images typically more than others. After all, it is her two loves of her life together!
So here are five darling dad and baby poses you’ll absolutely want included in your upcoming newborn photoshoot:
1. THE PROTECTIVE HOLD
This pose is often referred to as the “football hold” and is usually a win with dads. One of the most classic father-and-baby poses is when dad holds his little one safely in his hands. The contrast of dad’s strength and baby’s fragility creates a striking and emotional image. This pose shows just how small and precious your newborn truly is. And dad will love this one too! You can get so many different images from this one pose. You can have dad kiss baby, you can include another parent, or a sibling, and then have dad look at the camera. If you are not sure how to include your toddler in your session, I have lots of great ideas on how to prepare your toddler for their photos with their new baby!
This baby girl just fit so perfectly in her dad’s hands, and her little puckered lips just added extra magic to this image. I know this was a huge favorite of mind and my clients.
This is basically the exact same pose but a different dad. In this image he held baby a little lower so that his face wasnt in the photo. But if you want to include a little bit of dad’s smiling face, just have him hold baby up closer to his chin. Always have papa angle his hands so that baby’s head closest to the camera,
Darling newborn Walker is photographed here with his father, and this is exactly the same pose, but just tilted baby slightly more straight up! I love how different these images are, and yet, it is almost exactly the same pose. I just position dad’s hands right by their chin, and always try to get their little fingers over his hand. And I LOVE when newborns are awake for this pose!
Again! Same pose, just taken from a bit further back so that dads chest, arms and face are included. I am always trying to get as many variations as possible from one pose. It enables me to build large galleries and also inspires me to get creative… which I love!
See! How adorable is this pose when baby is awake? And if you’re lucky enough for baby to make a sweet, funny face like this, it’s an instant win every time. This pose works wonderfully for those alert, curious little ones and captures their personality perfectly.
2. FACE TO FACE CONNECTION WITH BABY
There’s nothing sweeter than capturing a new papa leaning in to gently touch his nose with his newborns tiny little nose. This intimate pose highlights the deep bond forming between father and child and is always a client favorite. It’s simple, timeless, and powerful. It usually gets some tears from mama, and is always chosen. I wish I had gotten a picture like this with my twin boys! This is a great pose to also get if you are also doing both parents with newborn. Mama can kiss baby’s head while dad is facing the baby. You can find more ideas for beautiful photos of mom and newborn here.
This was this dad’s first baby, and he was completely smitten with his little girl! She had a head full of blonde hair (which is rare for newborns) and was as darling as they come! I was so excited when they came to my studio.
Nose to nose. Breath to breath. The kind of closeness that only exists in these first days. He studies every detail, memorizing the curve of that tiny face. This is the beginning of a lifetime of showing up.
And then, you might get luck enough for a hilarious image like this! When her parents saw this image for the first time, they busted up laughing! It was actually such a fun moment in their session when she just socked him in the eye lol! Images like this with dads and their new baby’s are so fun, and bring so much joy and laughter and love.
3. RESTING PEACEFULLY AGAINST DAD SHOULDER
I call this the “burping pose” because babies have a way of instantly relaxing when they’re snuggled up against dad’s chest or shoulder like when they are being burped. In this pose, your newborn is wrapped or in a cute little outfit, and tucked closely against dad’s shoulder, which his arm across their side or back. These portraits radiate warmth and safety, creating heirloom-worthy images. I love how the focus is still on baby, but dad is really doing the supporting and providing the backdrop.
This pose of baby on dads shoulder I do almost every session, or a variation of it! This is dad’s second little girl, and she looked so much like his first! It was so sweet to see this family grow.
This is a variation of the same pose at a different newborn photo shoot, but this little guy had on a little outfit instead of baby being wrapped. This was dad’s first baby, and you could just feel the excitement and love between them. I love that you can see dad’s big hands and the tiny little baby scrunchy face here.
This pose with baby Zain on his papa’s shoulders was so perfect to also add mom or partner in! It’s one of my favorite images from this session. You can just feel the love and connection. And what is photography if it isn’t about love and connection?
I mean, SERIOUSLY. Can you even!? If you can get dad to turn his face towards baby and tilt chin down, this ends up being even more of a darling photo. I love how his hands look so big with his beautiful baby girl!
This pose on dad’s shoulder is also a great time to get this beautiful vertical image! Tiny little River just looked so darling here with his dad’s big hands holding him. And a perfect grumpy scrunchy newborn face as well! I absolutely love this outfit from Hello Little Props. (This is their camel colored newborn session tank.)
4. A GENTLE KISS FROM DAD
Dads kissing their babies, whether on the forehead, cheeks, or tiny hands, always make for some of the most heart-melting photos. This is guaranteed to be one of those images you’ll look back on with a full heart, and a chosen image as well. Mom’s beware, this pose tends to get some tears :) Look how scrunchy and sweet he is with that little yawn too! I don’t know about you, but parent photos with their new baby are some of my absolute favorites.
His little yawn though! I was so excited when I took this photo because I knew it would be a favorite. This baby boy was so tiny that the outfit almost looked big on him! I love how he looks so peaceful and relaxed.
If you have a setup to do a backlit image of dad kissing his new baby, please do! It is always a favorite of moms too. I love having them kiss baby’s head, or their little noses. There’s something about a cute little nose kiss that melts mama’s heart.
Baby Paisley was just the tiniest little thing! So we knew that we wanted to get an image just like this with her dad Devin. I have photographed this family recently and she is now a busy little 2 year old! How special to have a moment like this with her brand new.
Ok but how cute is this with dad holding her posed in his arms and kissing her?! Mom requested this pose of her baby girl with her dad, and I am so glad she did. It turned out to be one of my favorite images from their session.
5. TINY DETAILS IN DAD’S HANDS
Newborns grow quickly, and their tiny toes and fingers don’t stay little for long. One of the sweetest ways that I love to highlight dad’s role is by photographing those tiny details resting in his hands. The tiny toes, and then their tiny hands wrapped around his finger. Both of these poses beautifully symbolizes how dad will always be there to protect, guide, and hold on tight. This pose is one of the easiest ones I do, and is always a guaranteed pick. A client has never passed up this image in their final gallery. I do these poses in both color and B&W, but the black and white ones just hold so much more emotion. I use canon’s amazing macro lens for this. Their EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
If you love these images, check out my Blog Post here for more details about HOW TO CAPTURE TINY DETAILS WITH MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY.
Did you know that newborn toes only curl up like this for a few weeks? This is one of the reasons I love capturing this image. Not to mention how sweet their tiny toes look in dad’s big hands.
And this is basically the same macro detail image as above, I just took it from the side! Also, this is a great time to add mom’s hands for this angle.
After you’ve done a an image with baby’s toes and dad’s fingers, be sure to get one like this with their little hands grabbing his thumb! It’s just the sweetest! I always try to remind parents (dads) to come with manicured nails for these macro images. Saves me so much time editing :)
Those little hands won’t stay tiny for long so make sure to capture them grasping tightly to dad (or mom’s) finger is just such a stunning portrait. I would love to see this printed and up in a home. And you will be so glad you have this image, especially when your newborn is heading off to kindergarten. Tears.
Dad’s thumb is probably about the size of baby’s entire foot, so and image showcasing this is always a win! I have an image like this I took in my first couple years of my business, and it is still one of my favorites. I will have to go see if I can find it!
I mean, their little details with dad’s big hands is always going to be a precious moment. Theres a hundred different ways you could go about this pose, but these are all my favorites.
EXTRA BONUS POSE: Peeking over Dads Shoulder
This pose works best for an older newborn when they can hold their heads up a little and having some eye contact is just a bonus! This is such a great pose too if dad is feeling shy about being in front of the camera because their face isn’t in it. There is so many options for images and poses when parents are feeling extra nervous about being in front of the camera, and this is one of them! You can also then have the partner come over and kiss baby for another pose, which is what I did here.
Isn’t she just the sweetest? She was a little over a month old, and gave me the best eye contact. This was from a model call when I set up a new area in my studio, and I love how their images came out. That little brown bow on her head too! I get all my tiebacks and headbands for little girls from Created by Carli, and she is the best!
I hope these new born baby with their new dads gives you some inspirations to take with you when you arrive at your next baby photo shoot! I have plenty more photos of parents and newborns on my portfolio page you can check out as well.
If you are due soon, and live near Salem or Portland, Oregon, I would love to hear from you!
Visit my CONTACT page, and send me a message. You can also check out my all my newborn photography images HERE.
~ Lindsay | Salem & Portland Oregon Newborn Photographer
