Create Your Own DIY Pro-Quality Newborn Photo Shoot

The newborn phase is a magical time in your child's development, and it passes almost as quickly as it begins. It's no wonder then, that so many parents commission photo sessions as soon as possible. Some moms and dads work with professional photographers in the hospital, others take their tiny humans to studios or invite photographers into their homes. Still others decide to forgo professional photos altogether. The biggest reason parents go without professional photography sessions is undoubtedly cost. Many parents simply can't justify the expense of a professional newborn photo shoot, or don't have the time to cart their babies to picture-taking sessions. Still, the allure of that perfect professional-quality photo remains - and that's where InPixio Photo Editor comes in. With the help of a camera, a little ingenuity and a dash of intuitive computer wizardry, you can create stellar newborn photos at home. What's in a Professional Photo? Why are pro photos so magical? Is an expensive DSLR body, a set of gigantic lenses and a lot of fancy accessories necessary? Actually, no. You can capture beautiful shots of your newborn at home with a clever set of low-tech tricks and a reasonably decent camera. You will need: - A large piece of fabric for your background - A cute outfit for baby - Receiving blankets to prop baby up - Nursing pillow (optional) - Three lamps - A sofa or large chair - Several cushions Your Photo Session First, set up your photography area by draping your blanket over the sofa or chair you intend to use as a makeshift studio. If you have a nursing pillow, you can place it under the fabric to create a place for your baby to lie. Plug in your lamps and place them to the left, right and directly in front of your mini studio. For best results, coddle your newborn thoroughly before you begin. Once your tiny person has settled down, put them gently down in your previously prepared studio setting. If the lamps seem too bright, move them further back. You can also switch one or more lamps off to play with shadow. Take as much time as you need, and remember that newborns don't always cooperate with professional photographers, so don't be hard on yourself. Roll the receiving blankets and use them to prop up various parts of your child's body to help baby strike a pose. Satisfied with the pictures you've taken? Great: time for some technological magic. Using InPixio Photo Editor One of the best things about InPixio Photo Editor is its intuitiveness. It's an ideal tool for both beginners and advanced photographers who want to achieve a certain look in seconds. You can rotate and crop slightly skewed photos, apply various filters and frames, and adjust levels manually. If you're into instant gratification, check out the gorgeous range of presets. Rainbow, Warm, Shiny and Exhausted seem both visually and nominally appropriate for a newborn photo. Generally, photographers use soft presets to bring out the beauty of the newborn photographs they take. Avoid harsher presets if you want to preserve your baby's delicate features. Babies like low light; unfortunately, cameras don't. Without the help of a very large lens and an enormous aperture setting, photos taken in low light tend to contain noise. To get rid of noise, go to the Correction menu and move the slide to the right to increase the noise-reduction intensity. Adjustments panel gives you full control over your photo. Here, you can eliminate or enhance shadows and highlights, take the exposure and brightness up or down, decrease/increase clarity, saturation and temperature of your image and more. To get an attractive background blur and emulate what professional photographers call "bokeh," visit the Effects menu. You can choose from Linear Blur, Radial Blur and Custom Blur. InPixio Photo Editor's Textures panel can help you put a truly gorgeous final touch on your photo. For a vintage effect, try one of the Film textures and fiddle with the opacity and the blend mode until you're satisfied. Bokeh texture adds a beautiful cascade of shimmering light around our tiny model. To apply a vignette, simply go back to the Effects menu. Move the slider to the left for a darker vignette, and to the right for a paler vignette. You can compare before and after by switching on the before/after view at the top of the interface. Use the back button if you need to undo mistakes. And if you really like what you've done with a particular photo, create a preset you can apply to other baby photos by clicking on the lab flask icon at the top of the interface. You've just welcomed the newest member of your family: capturing those first few days in your child's life is an absolute must. With a handy camera, a few easy-to-find props and InPixio Photo Editor, you can create a gorgeous newborn photo shoot all by yourself, no pro needed. Start with a free version which is available at https://www.inpixio.com/free-photo-editor