Newborn photography retouching – behind the scenes | Washington D.C. newborn photographer

Newborn photography retouching – behind the scenes

I am a professional newborn photographer in the Washington, D.C. area (Potomac, MD) specializing in custom fine art newborn and children’s portraits.  As most of you would likely surmise, that means that I get to spend a good deal of my time snuggling and photographing brand new babies.  (Best job ever!)  What might be less obvious, however, is the fact that I actually spend far more time each week engaging in behind-the-scenes work than I do pressing the shutter button on my camera.  Wholly separate from the plethora of responsibilities associated with running a small business — which is a topic for another blogpost —  there is quite a bit of “invisible” work that goes into creating the newborn portraits that I ultimately deliver to my clients, ranging from the styling and set up for each session to the final editing and retouching of images.

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with a non-photographer friend about my work schedule, and she expressed surprise regarding the amount of time that I devote to each of my portrait sessions and, more particularly, to the post-processing of images from each session. It occurred to me then that there is no reason why anyone other than a newborn photographer would be familiar with the work associated with editing and retouching newborn images.  After all, many moons ago, before I was a photographer, I just assumed that photographers could upload images to Photoshop, push a button, and voila – perfect portraits! I was pretty disappointed to learn that Photoshop doesn’t actually work that way. 😉  In any event, I thought that some of you might be interested in a little behind-the-scenes peek into the world of newborn photography retouching.

Depending on the extent of retouching required, I might spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 40 minutes editing one single image! Why?

All newborns are perfect, but NO newborn has perfect skin. The vast majority of newborns have uneven skin tones and areas of redness or splotches; many have acne or eczema; many have flaky skin.  And newborns quite commonly have tiny fingers and toes that, while impossibly adorable, are also shades of purple, red, and gray.

newborn photography retouching - after photo showing removal of baby acne and redness

And, on occasion, I might go just a little bit crazy with my camera angle, and need to correct the image accordingly (including extension of the background).


In addition, little fixes — such as the removal of visible portions of a baby’s diaper — are often required.  Although I try to ensure that everything is as close to perfect as possible before I push the shutter button to capture the photo, sometimes a correction during the session isn’t worth the risk of waking the baby.

After viewing the above image, you might ask why I don’t just remove the baby’s actual diaper and forego the potential of having to edit out portions of the diaper in the final image….
Diaper lines imprinted on baby’s skin! 🙂

newborn photography retouchingAnd, finally, there are particular poses and particular situations in which I have an assistant monitor or support the baby for safety reasons. As should be the case with any newborn photographer, my absolute highest priority during any newborn session is the safety of the baby. 

If you enjoyed this glimpse into newborn photography retouching, leave me a comment below! If there is any interest, I may share some additional behind-the-scenes posts!

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  • LindaI just saw this on the NAPCP website and wanted to see more of your work. Your work is really beautiful. Thanks for showing the before and after versions of your work.ReplyCancel

    • adminThank you so much, Linda — I really appreciate your kind words! And I’m so glad that you enjoyed the retouching examples!ReplyCancel

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Hope you all are surviving the day after Daylight Savings, and are fully caffeinated!!
I’m on my second latte as I am busily working away on editing a gallery. Speaking of, I know I have been quiet on here lately, but I have been so busy with client sessions, editing, and planning for some exciting events and changes coming soon! Can’t wait to share with you all!

#newbornphotography #newbornphotographer #marylandnewbornphotographer #dmvbabyphotographer #washingtondcnewbornphotographer #dcnewbornphotographer #potomacnewbornphotographer #cabinjohnvillage #bethesdaphotographer

Every morning you have two choices:
1.  Continue to sleep with your dreams or;
2.  Wake up and chase them….

“Ok Monday - let’s DO THIS!!”

We are a group of photographers who refuse to let #monday dull our sparkle! Join us in our rebellion #togsmondayrebellion
“A new baby marks the beginnings of all things - wonder, hope, and a beautiful dream of possibilities.” ❤️
-Unknown.
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#newbornphotography #newbornphotographer #dcnewbornphotographer #marylandnewbornphotographer #parents #napcp #ourppa #potomacmd #cabinjohnvillage #potomacphotographer #bethesdaphotographer #dmvnewbornphotographer #washingtonparents #northernvirginiaphotographer 

Every morning you have two choices:
1.  Continue to sleep with your dreams or;
2.  Wake up and chase them….

“Ok Monday - let’s DO THIS!!”

We are a group of photographers who refuse to let #monday dull our sparkle! Join us in our rebellion #togsmondayrebellion
First birthdays are one of my favorite milestones to document!  Babies are so expressive at this age, and love to show off their new standing/walking and super-fast crawling skills. Simply adorable!

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.
Every morning you have two choices:
1.  Continue to sleep with your dreams or;
2.  Wake up and chase them….

“Ok Monday - let’s DO THIS!!”

We are a group of photographers who refuse to let #monday dull our sparkle! Join us in our rebellion #togsmondayrebellion
Happy Valentine’s Day!! ❤️🩷❤️
I’m excited to share with you all one of the new heirloom products that I am now offering! I have been scouring the interwebs and ordering samples from many different professional labs in an effort to source for my clients the most beautiful, luxurious products with unparalleled craftsmanship.  Among the products that have captured my heart are these albums, which are handcrafted with archival materials designed for longevity (including more than 100 choices of European leathers, linens, and other fabrics for the cover). They are the perfect way to print your images (get those digital files off of your computer!) and preserve them as lasting heirlooms for your family and future generations. 🩷
follow me @tinakraftsphotography

email | tina@tinakraftsphotography.com

telephone (301)960-8340

located in bethesda, Maryland