Newborns

[mandyac]

Hi everyone,

I have been asked to photograph my friends newborn once they get bub home.

Another mate who is into photography suggested I use my flash off camera with a reflector umbrella, get some other reflectors and maybe some extra lights.

I have a fair while to experiment so I can get extra equipment if I need to but I was just planning on using my Canon 450D with my 430exII flash, natural light and some white sheets.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Mandy

I actually posted this in the wrong spot earlier, sorry for the double up!

[GadgetRick]

You have to be careful with flash on newborns but your friend gave you some good advice. Another thing you can do is take your shots near a window with a white sheet over the window to diffuse the light. Works quite well.

[BigVinnie]

I agree with the big bedsheet window light. Less stress on the baby.

Only advice I could add is make sure the babies eyes are open. Pictures of babies with eyes closed is bad juju to a lot of people.

[ReenaG]

as to the eyes closed, I think that will depend on how you have them posed.

with my 2nd child, we had his picture taken and he was on his back, just laying there...with a blanket....ok, so it was similar to a 'death' picture. I didn't see it that way cause he wasn't 'dead' but a friend who worked the maternity floor at the hospital couldn't even look at the picture.

curled up, on their tummies, a facial shot (all with eyes closed) works also.

[SusanH1970]

I'd avoid photographing the baby on the white sheet if I were you. Without proper lighting, white will look grey in the photos (unless you spend loads of time post processing each image).

Using a white sheet to diffuse bright sunlight does work well, however. The last few newborn shoots I did had indirect daylight coming in so there was no need to diffuse, though.

Make sure the room baby is in is very warm - if you're sweating and uncomfortable, then it's the perfect temp for baby, lol! Also make sure to allow at least 3 - 4 hours for the session (feedings, changes, crankiness, etc. take up a LOT of time!).

[mandyac]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

You have to be careful with flash on newborns but your friend gave you some good advice. Another thing you can do is take your shots near a window with a white sheet over the window to diffuse the light. Works quite well.

Sorry I didn't decribe my method very well, that's how I was going to to use the sheets as they get a lot of light through their windows. If I needed to use the flash I was going to bounce it off the (white) walls/ceiling so I wouldn't scare the bub.

My main concern with getting all the equipment was having to cart it around, but maybe getting a portable stobe kit might not hurt.

I was hoping to get some open eye shots, but I guess it depends on what bub feels like doing on the day. Thanks for the advise on room temp as well, I never thought of that!

Cheers everyone, the feedback is most appreciated.

Mandy

[RussHeath]

Lighting newborns is actually a bit easier than some subjects, as they are small and it's easy to have a light source that is big/soft in comparison to your subject. Get the light in close, diffuse it as much as power allows, and practice on some inanimate object before the kiddo shows up in the frame.

I second Susan's recommendation to avoid putting the baby directly on the white sheet. Something with some texture can be nice.

And as to the whole eyes closed thing, I think it's a matter of the particular photo. This is the shot we used of my little girl for the birth announcements (square crop and and a soft pink banner at the bottom with name etc ordered through Tiny Prints):