Newborns

[capturedbybrooke]

Any tips for newborn photography? I will be shooting my friend's baby soon and I'm really nervous. But excited! I don't have kids myself, so I'm not too keen on holding babies. So how are they usually posed? By the parents under direction? Or do you pose them yourself? Also I was reading somewhere to never use flash on a baby...just natural light. Thoughts?

[Wifey]

I'm doing my first infant shoot for a friend on Thursday - did you do yours yet?

Since I'm in the same boat as you, I'm not offering any pro advice, but for the sake of this thread that for some reason has been ignored (booo), here are some things I've read/done to prepare:

a. Ditto on the flash - if possible avoid using it. . .although I think if you are in the nursery and the natural light is lacking you would be ok with bouncing the flash behind you to fill the room with light. I see it in this case as using the flash to add light, not to create lighting effects which are definitely inappropriate in this situation. Natural light will be most flattering on a babies soft skin.

I also plan on using my reflector set to bounce window light back and fill in shadows as necessary. A really nice shot is mom holding the newborn standing in the window - there is plenty of light there if you walk around the house and find the right window.

b. Focus on tiny things too, not just the whole baby. Detail shots of feet (maybe barefoot with the parents wedding rings on the toes, or a cute pair of socks), a closeup of the eyes, a hand wrapped around an adult finger. . .all super cute and make great additions to the overall shoot. For those I would use a wider aperture to really bring focus to those details.

c. One mistake I see all the time is the 3/4 portrait of a baby laying down on it's back asleep. If you ask me. . .well. . .it looks ummmm, morbid? Like the baby is dead Sleeping babies are CUTE! But not when they look like they are in a coffin, lol! I would keep sleep shots to the baby being snuggled up with a stuffy or in somebodies arms or on his tummy. . .not on his back propped up with a photo taken from the side.

d. I love cute props! Fun blankets with neat textures, stuffed animals, blocks with letters on them, baskets/tubs. You could spell out his name with blocks, and have him in the background sleeping on his tummy. . .or stuff the blanket in a basket and put the baby in it.

e. Not sure how old this baby you are photographing is. . .for newborns this would not work, but for the older ones have the parents talk to him and make him laugh/giggle while you are shooting!

f. For a newborn, especially if you are nervous (first shoot) and not used to babies I'd leave the holding/moving of the infant to mom. She'll appreciate having some control - just direct her where you want him for the shot (curled up in his crib, on his belly on a blanket on a table in front of a window, etc.)

g. Walk away! Don't be afraid to capture him up close, but also in a whole scene (example, him asleep on the couch with his hands tucked under his face. Get close for a few frames, then walk away and do a scene shot of the whole couch).

h. Expect the shoot to take several hours. Newborns can be needy and fussy. . .that red angry face doesn't make for good photos so for those moments you have to sit it out. They need diaper changes, and feedings, and you have to work around that. Everything I have read says that the newborn shoots take 2x as long. . .so be ready for that. Mom and baby will be tired.

HTH! Good luck with your shoot, if you haven't done it already For inspiration I use google image search and see what the pros are doing, that really helps!

[RuthieMae]

Hi Brooke,

Good luck with your first newborn (If you haven't already had your session). Newborns are very hard to photograph but they are sooo worth it! I'm sure you'll do great!

The previous poster is right..newborns do take a long time. The majority of newborn sessions that I do take 3-4 hours. The biggest chunk of time is spent trying to get the baby in a deep enough sleep to be able to move them over and over again without waking them up.

The #1 thing to remember is that the baby will most likely be naked for the biggest part of the session so it has to be warm. I tell people to crank the heat up to 80 degrees and the baby will sleep sooo much better! White noise also helps keep them sleeping.

Do all the posing yourself and take your time. It will be worth it! Babies can smell the milk on their moms so they are less likely to sleep for them. It's easier if you do it.

A beanbag is a must! Almost every photographer that I know poses their newborns on beanbags. I also use a boppy pillow on the top. Blankets with textures works awesome too.

I personally use a studio light for my newborns and usually don't have trouble so if you don't have good natural lighting, I don't see a problem with using a flash. Just remember to make sure the baby is in a deep sleep first.

I have a newborn gallery on my website if you want to get some posing ideas. There's a ton of inspiration on flickr too.

Hope that helps.

[SusanH1970]

I posted this in the Chit Chat section, but thought I'd post it here as well. I know cross-posting is generally frowned upon, but I hope the mods don't mind me cross-posting this, as it's a must-read for anyone doing newborn photography.

(And Ruthie - I know you already know this, you're a true pro and I know you use every safety measure involved!)

Jodie Otte, Baltimore Maryland Child and Baby Photographer » Newborn Photography and Safety

[TraceyHill3]

So does everyone agree that a newborn should be naked? I always wondered the preference. I have a newborn shoot coming up, but not 'til this Summer (my sister is hiring me).

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by TraceyHill3

So does everyone agree that a newborn should be naked? I always wondered the preference. I have a newborn shoot coming up, but not 'til this Summer (my sister is hiring me).

I usually do some swaddled, some in a diaper w/ a cute diaper cover, and some naked.