Why I Don’t Use Props In My Newborn Photography

January 27, 2021

Newborn Photography Without Props

As a newborn photographer in Los Angeles, I am known for creating timeless, natural newborn portraits with a minimalist aesthetic. I like to say that my work is full of emotion and free from distractions! So, why do I offer natural newborn photography without props?

Babies are perfect on their own

Babies don’t need any extras, like props or costumes, because they are already perfect. When your baby is born, you will be bowled over by that perfection. You’ll want to trace each detail and remember it forever. As a newborn photographer, my job is to help you do just that.
When I photograph a newborn, my focus is on capturing the details that you’ll want to remember as a parent: new skin, impossibly tiny toes, that way your little one sleeps with one arm up, or that half-smile they give you when they’re drifting off. To my mind, props and costumes only distract from the quiet perfection of your newborn.

 

Your baby’s safety and comfort are my top priorities

Like any of us, babies have preferences. They prefer some positions over others and like to move around to get comfy. Props, costumes, and complicated poses can get in the way of listening to baby’s cues when it comes to posing. This is not to say that props can’t be used safely, just that it isn’t my preferred method of working with babies. I want to leave room for baby to have some “say” in how they are posed because the resulting images are, to me, more authentic. You’d be surprised how often a parent will notice that baby’s hand placement or head tilt in their portraits resembles the positions they favor at home.

I want your portraits to be timeless

When I photograph your newborn I’m not just thinking about how you’ll enjoy the portraits tomorrow, but what they will mean to your family decades from now. My goal with every session is to create images that you will still want hanging in your home 30 years from now. Or, even better, that your child might want to hang in their home one day. An image that relies on props is likely to become dated. That heart-shaped wooden bowl that everyone loves in 2021? Well, in 20 years it might just be as dated as whatever you were wearing in your 8th-grade yearbook picture.

 

Newborn photography without props can be hard to find

When my son was born in 2013, I had been a family photographer for several years. But, as a tired mother of a newborn, I wanted to hire a newborn photographer to take his portraits. The problem? I couldn’t find anyone who created the type of newborn portraits – simple, natural & timeless – that I was envisioning!

I took my son’s newborn portraits myself and, in the process, fell in love with natural newborn photography. Over the intervening years, I’ve photographed countless newborns and developed a signature aesthetic that incorporates natural posing & minimal styling to create the timeless images my clients are yearning for.

big sister and newborn

i'd love to hear from you!

get in touch!

Interested in a session? Have a question?

I photograph maternity, newborn, baby, and family sessions in and around Los Angeles. If you're interested in a session, please get in touch.

Ariel Cannon Photography | Los Angeles

Newborn Baby with arms overhead
Baby girl portrait on bed

Baby & Family Sessions

Studio & Outdoor Maternity Sessions

Natural Newborn Photography

Follow Me

Follow me on Instagram to see my latest work!

View More

View More

View More