If you look up newborn photography, the most common pose you’ll probably come across is the Tummy Tuck position.
When I started writing this I wondered if I’d made that name up – it turns out the more common name for it is Bum Up, which I think is a terrible name, so I’m sticking with Tummy Tuck.
It’s one of the classic newborn poses for good reason. Just look at it. It’s also well tolerated by most newborns – not all, because they can be capricious little things, but I’d say around 80% will settle into it with a bit of patience and experience.
One thing worth knowing: once babies get past the standard newborn window, they start to unfurl naturally as they discover they have more space to stretch into than they’re used to. This pose gets harder to achieve the older they get, which is one of the reasons timing a newborn session early matters.
It works well with baby naked, dressed, or just with something covering their nappy – I have plenty of options for that – which makes it flexible in terms of styling. It also works on the beanbag and on a good range of props.
It’s a classic I’ll always try to work into a session in some form, to give you a full and varied gallery.
