Photographing newborn twins

I’ve been reminiscing about my recent Twins Newborn session in the hospital, since I loved it so much!

Twins sessions are special, for obvious reasons. As photographers, we get to capture twice the cuteness. But I still remember getting nervous for my first ever twins session. One newborn is already a lot to manage – how on earth do you successfully handle two?

But just like moms of twins learn to make it work, photographers do, too. And I love photographing newborns in Los Angeles. I’m happy to share my organizational methods, and what works for me!

Trust your workflow… x 2

Relax and rely on your experience. Start with one twin and follow your traditional workflow. Then, plan to do the exact same thing with the second twin.

Get the same number of images for each twin

Anyone who has a sibling knows that sibling rivalry is real. But, as a non-twin, I know if my baby book has more pictures in it than my younger brothers, those baby books were put together at different points in our parent’s lives. Maybe mom got busy while attempting to make the next baby book, now there was a toddler (or two!) running around.

However, imagine being a twin – you’ve been at the same spot, at the same time, your entire life. So there’s no excuse for one twin to have more pictures than the other.

I deliver the same poses with each child, and the exact same number of images for each twin. This includes close up shots, pull back shots, and detail shots of each baby.

Parent poses

Get individual images of Twin A with Parent One, then Twin A with Parent Two, then Twin A with both Parent One and Two. Repeat for Twin B.

This is another important one. I always make sure to get Twin A & Twin B together with Parent One, and then Twin A & Twin B together with Parent Two. You can do this pose with a twin in each arm, or them gently “stacked” on top of the other. You will need to help each parent with this set up, and ensure each baby is safely supported.

Once I set up a pose with both twins and one of the parents, I get various angles of the pose. I make sure to get several that have a primary focus on the parent, and several just focusing on the twins while the parent holds them. Then, repeat for the next parent.

The Entire Family

It should go without saying…but just in case your’e overwhelmed with twins, put it on your list. Make sure to get pictures of the entire family! If you’re in a hospital setting, or at home, grab some classic shots, as well as some pull back images of the family as a whole.

Just the twins together

Even if one is fussy, and the other is calm – try your best to calm them both down, but make sure to delivery images with both twins, together!

Speaking of fussy….stay organized

Twins means two babies, which means it’s unlikely that both will be calm at the same time.

Be patient. Stay organized.

If you need to take a break with one twin, no worries, concentrate on the other. If both are fussy, take a break altogether. It’s ok, it happens.

But since more breaks may happen, keep a priority on organization. If you remember where you left off in your head, awesome. But if you have to keep a twins shot list handy (sample below), by all means, do it! Parents want the best for their kids. If they know your priorities, they won’t care at all if you are taking time to mark off shots as you go.