In a very dark room, you’ll need to add light. A common approach for baby portraits is to use flash bounced off a white ceiling, which creates a softer, more flattering look than direct flash. One community member specifically recommends using bounced speedlights/strobes for this.

Key point: avoid direct, harsh flash at the baby. Bouncing the light makes it softer and more natural.

Also consider the baby’s comfort. Sudden bright flash in a dark room may startle a very young baby, so keep the session calm and be prepared that you may not get many frames if the baby reacts badly.

The best setup depends on the desired mood and whether the room itself is important in the photo, but in general: if the room is truly very dark, some form of added light is necessary, and bounced flash is the usual solution.