Baby’s First Photos: 15 Ideas for the First 24 Hours

Whether you want to post photos on social media, create a photo book, or are old-school and enjoy sending out birth announcements, photos from your baby’s first 24 hours can be wonderful keepsakes. I promise you’ll forget how tiny those hands and toes were after a while, especially once they’re preschoolers demanding their fifteenth snack in an hour. You’ll likely want to look back at these photos and remember how everyone felt and how your baby looked. They’ll warm your heart and probably bring back a few tears.

Some families hire a birth photographer to document labor and delivery, while others arrange newborn photos after their baby arrives. How much you choose to document, including the more intimate details of birth, depends on your comfort level and what you want to see and share. Whether you have a hospital birth, a birthing center birth, or a home birth, having a birth photographer or a newborn photographer is incredibly special on the day you give birth to your baby.

Two photographers shared their tips for taking the best newborn photos, as well as 15 photos to capture during a baby’s first 24 hours of life. Along with photos of your baby meeting the family, their suggestions include details you might not think to photograph, like the clock at the time of birth and those matching hospital bands.

15 Newborn Photos to Capture During Baby’s First 24 Hours

Pick the photos that matter most to you and share the list with whoever will be taking pictures. There’s no need to fit in every shot, especially while you’re recovering or your baby needs care. Photos with visiting family can wait until you’re ready.

1. Parents’ First Reactions to Meeting Baby

This is the look of complete joy, elation, love, and sometimes shock, along with a hint of fear. This photo is priceless. I wish my husband and I had a photo of our faces right when our son came out. The family portrait the OBGYN took of us was pretty great, though.

Related: The First 24 Hours of Baby’s Life: What To Expect

2. Mom and Baby

Ask someone to take a photo of you with your baby, too. You’ve grown this entire baby for nine months. You did the work to get them out safely. Now, you finally get to hold them. You’ll want to remember every detail of this moment. “These first moments are fleeting, and you truly can never take too many photos to capture that,” says photographer Alexandria Mooney.

3. Baby With Dad or Your Partner

I am obsessed with the photos I took of my husband holding our son for the very first time. He was so proud, scared, and excited. I have never seen him make that beautiful face about anything else ever again. I’m glad I got the photo to look back on forever.

4. Wrinkly Baby Toes

Man, I miss my son’s wrinkly, tiny baby feet and his tiny toes. He now has a preschooler-sized foot, and I am so glad I have photos of his sweet, non-stinky baby feet to look back on when I’m in my feels.

5. Baby’s First Time Being Swaddled

This photo is so sweet. You can look back at how tiny they were in that little blanket with pink and blue footprints. But really, nothing is sweeter and cuter than a baby burrito.

6. The Clock in the Room at the Time of Birth

This is a neat photo that not many people think to take, and it’s surreal to see that this was the exact moment your child took their first breath and was earthside. And if you’re into astrology, the time could be very important to read their birth chart one day.

7. The Umbilical Cord Being Cut

If your partner cuts the cord, ask someone to capture the moment. It’s a part of the birth you may not get to see clearly yourself, and the photo can help you look back on it together.

8. Baby’s Belly With the Umbilical Cord Clamp

This is a great newborn photo opportunity for those who aren’t squeamish. That cord was the lifeline between you and your baby, where you provided nutrients for them to grow and thrive.

9. Baby Being Weighed

Not only is this a super sweet picture (and it will be fun to look back on when your baby is heading off to kindergarten), but the information is good to have handy for that first pediatrician visit.

10. Matching Hospital Bands

If you’re giving birth at a hospital and you and your partner receive matching ID bands, photograph them alongside your baby’s band.

11. Baby and Mom’s Parents

It’s a special moment for grandparents to hold their grandchild for the first time. I’m sure it will bring back memories of when you were a baby. They’ll be beaming and potentially crying tears of joy in the photo. This makes for great memories to look back on.

12. Baby and Partner’s Parents

If your partner’s parents are visiting, remember to get a photo of them with the baby, too.

13. Baby and Aunts and Uncles

Aunts and uncles are always stoked when a new baby arrives. They get to love on them, spoil them, and give them back when they poop. You and your immediate family will cherish this photo, as well as the uncles, aunts, and grandparents.

14. Baby With Siblings

This has the potential to be the cutest photo ever. Whether they’re excited or unsure about meeting their new sibling, their reactions and facial expressions will be priceless. They’ll love to look back on this when they’re older (unless you’re like my husband and his brother). When his brother was born, my husband was four years old, and he asked his dad if they could take him back and return him to the store.

15. Baby’s Tiny Hand Holding Your Finger

Those little fingers wrapped around yours show just how small your baby is. Ask someone to take a close-up while you hold them so you can get both hands in the frame.

Tips for Capturing Baby’s First 24 Hours Yourself

Taking the photos yourself? The photographers shared these tips for working with the light, choosing an angle, and using your phone’s camera.

Lighting

Mooney says her best advice for someone taking their newborn photos without a photographer is to have good lighting. Natural lighting is best.

“If that’s not ideal/possible, turn on the lights! I don’t recommend using flash-on cell phone cameras as they just aren’t great and don’t give the same look as using natural (or artificial) light,” she says.

Related: Photography Secrets to Help You DIY Professional-Looking Family Photos

Don’t Focus on Perfection

She adds that the beauty of photography is that it’s digital. Thanks to our phones, we have cameras in our pockets now, so you should snap away. “Don’t wait for the perfect shot — just keep clicking the shutter, and I promise you’ll get a good shot in there,” she says.

Camera Angle

Regarding camera angles, she says to never shoot looking up the nose or from below. “This is rarely an angle that works for anyone! I always try to shoot down or from above — it really is the best angle for everyone, especially for someone who has just given birth!”

Use Your Surroundings

Newborn photographer Jane Goodrich, founder of Picsello, a company that helps photographers start their own business, created a “cheat sheet” of newborn photography tips for new moms having a baby. She did this at the height of the pandemic since the number of people they could have present for the birth was limited.

Goodrich advises using those white sheets and big windows to your advantage if you’re giving birth in a hospital, because “they make for dreamy photos.”

For a photo of your baby resting alone, use their bassinet or crib with a firm, flat mattress and fitted sheet. Keep pillows and loose bedding out of the space.¹

Direction of Light

Goodrich adds that where the light is coming from is very important. “Make sure the light is coming from above the subject’s head. If the overhead lights are causing bad shadows, be sure to turn them off if you can,” she says.

iPhone Settings

Goodrich recommends using your phone’s focus control. On an iPhone, tap your baby’s face on the screen to set the focus before taking the picture.²

“Don’t use filters, and don’t use portrait mode on your phone,” Goodrich says, “It could make everything look pretty fake.”

Get Creative

Goodrich says that baby photos in their crib make for incredible newborn photos, especially if you had a home birth. “The different angles you can use are great—you also can get a sense of their size—they won’t be that little for long!”

I still love looking back at the photos of my husband holding our son and those tiny, wrinkly feet. Before your baby arrives, let your partner or photographer know which pictures you’d love to have. You don’t need all 15. A few photos of the people and details that matter to you are enough.