The best camera settings for newborn photography.

Learn how to use camera settings like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to capture adorable newborn photos.

Newborn photography isn’t always a simple task. Babies don’t take direction very well and hardly ever sit still. You’ll need to use the right camera settings to capture every tiny movement and detail as quickly as they happen.

Newborn photography camera settings to use in your next shoot.

When photographing newborns, don’t expect them to stay still — unless, of course, they’re sleeping. That means you need to take fast shots to get a clear picture of the baby despite their movements. These are the best camera settings for newborn photography:

A fast shutter speed will limit blur. Even if the newborn is moving or your camera is hand-held, you can still capture clean, crisp images. In low-light conditions, it helps to raise your ISO to maintain a fast shutter speed.

A low aperture of f/4 or less will keep the newborn in focus and blur the background for professional-quality images. If you’re photographing multiple subjects, like a family photo shoot, raise the aperture to around f/8 to increase the depth of field and get everyone in focus.

The best lighting for newborn photography.

Photo editors such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom let you adjust elements like color, exposure, shadows, and more. You can snap away without the worry of whether your settings are exactly right because you can always make minor adjustments later on.

If you plan on editing, remember to change your camera settings to shoot in RAW format instead of JPEG. RAW photos contain more information, giving you more control during the actual editing process. Also, even when you have the right newborn photography camera settings in place, it’s still a good idea to edit your shots for high-quality, professional results.

Learn what more you can do to enhance your newborn photography with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.