Baby Photography..

[yulchick]

Hi there, I recently got my first DSLR camera, its a Nikon d90 and Im loving it, the auto mode that is :P I've been doin some reaserch on the other modes and when to use tham and stuff... I'm going to be having a baby in about 2 months, and so I was hoping to take some nice portraits of the little one, and by that time get out of auto mode, and hopefully get some nice shots.

I really love this kind of baby photography, where its in black and white, with everything black other than the baby and whoever is holding it.
**THIS LINK DELETED AS IT WAS LINKING TO AN IMAGE NOT OWNED BY THE POSTER**
I would really like to know some techniques on how to do something similar.

But any other tips on baby photography would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks!

[SusanH1970]

I've done a bit of that type of newborn photography, it's actually quite easy. I use a black velour blanket as a backdrop, then burn the black backdrop in post-processing and convert to BW. I've done this both with my studio light as well as natural window light. In the ones with a lot of negative space, I stretched the canvas also in post-processing.

A few examples of mine (click to view larger if you'd like) - these were all done with my AB400 light.

In the first and last examples, baby was laying on a beanbag on the floor. I had the blanket covering the beanbag with a waterproof pad underneath in case of "accidents", and the blanket was held up with clamps on my backdrop stand up and behind her. I simply changed the angles from which I shot - I used a step stool in the first and was laying belly-down on the floor for the last. In the second one, mom was sitting on the floor. I put the blanket over her lap and up and over her shoulders, she poked her arms through the sides and cradled the baby. I sat opposite her to shoot.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need more details.

ETA: Just an FYI, when you're posting images as examples from another photographer, it's always a nice idea to link to where you got them from. You also need to post the image smaller (or just a link), as it's too large and the banner ad is covering up quite a bit of your post making it impossible to read.

[yulchick]

I was going to just post the link, but when i copied and pasted it, it was so long, it was like half a page, so decided to upload the pic to photobucket...but i guess I made it worse

Anyways, those are some great tips, thanks so much! I wish I could try this type of a photoshoot at home right away, but gotta wait till I pop the new baby in a few months hehe for now just gotta go out and get the blanket, and practice setting up the camera for this kind of thing... right now auto mode is my best friend, and Id like to get out of that mode, but its gonna take some practice

thanks again for the tips, and I love your pictures, aspecially the second one for some reason

[yulchick]

i just looked at some of your other pixies, and they are all awesome! Just wanted to ask, of what lense could I use on my Nikon d90 to get better results than with a kit lense for that kind of photography...i see you take lots of pictures of babies and toddlers and stuff, and thats exactly what I got my camera for, just to take nice quality pictures of my kids...so I thought you might give me a tip on the lense, since your pixies are all so awesome with what you use thanks in advance

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by yulchick

Anyways, those are some great tips, thanks so much! I wish I could try this type of a photoshoot at home right away, but gotta wait till I pop the new baby in a few months hehe for now just gotta go out and get the blanket, and practice setting up the camera for this kind of thing... right now auto mode is my best friend, and Id like to get out of that mode, but its gonna take some practice

thanks again for the tips, and I love your pictures, aspecially the second one for some reason

You're welcome. Congrats on the upcoming birth of your baby! Now is definitely the time to practice getting that camera off auto and learn manual, as well as lighting. You don't need studio lighting, all you need is a decent sized window that gets good light (NOT direct sunlight; a north-facing window is preferable). Here are a couple of diagrams I made for when I use window light:





When you place the baby, have the baby's head closer to the window so he/she is downlit instead of uplit. You'll get lovely shadowing that way (I always look for a small butterfly-shaped shadow just under the nose, then I know I've got the position right).

You certainly can try this before the baby is born. Seriously, buy a baby doll and practice on it! Get your camera off auto and learn about the exposure triangle and how it works: Learning about Exposure – The Exposure Triangle. A wonderful book is Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (9780817439392): Bryan Peterson: Books. It's in a workbook-style and he gives you exercises to practice. I recommend this book highly to every new photographer. Auto has its place for quick snapshots, but you're a lot smarter than your camera is. If you don't feel comfortable going to full manual right away, start with Program mode and mess around with different ISO's and see what the difference it makes. Then go to Aperture Priority and do the same, etc. Also play with different metering modes. I use spot metering 99% of the time for portraits and meter off the subject's cheek.

Basically, the goal is to get lighting, exposure and focus all correct in-camera, then use post processing to enhance the photo. Don't rely on post-processing to "fix" mistakes.

Another tip that our very own Inkista likes to post is this - something a lot of new photographers overlook: How to Hold a Digital Camera.

Originally Posted by yulchick

i just looked at some of your other pixies, and they are all awesome! Just wanted to ask, of what lense could I use on my Nikon d90 to get better results than with a kit lense for that kind of photography...i see you take lots of pictures of babies and toddlers and stuff, and thats exactly what I got my camera for, just to take nice quality pictures of my kids...so I thought you might give me a tip on the lense, since your pixies are all so awesome with what you use thanks in advance

Thank you so much! I actually use my 50mm f/1.8 lens for about 90% of my portraits, but quite honestly, I use the kit lens, too. All three photos I posted above were done with the kit lens, because the client's home was so tiny that the 50mm was just too long on my crop sensor and I had no room. My equipment is all quite inexpensive, I just learned how to use it to its full potential. I do highly recommend getting the 50mm f.1.8 though, you will love it for low-light situations and for outdoor portraits. It's very sharp, gives decent bokeh, and it's a bargain at only about $100.

Hope this long-winded post helps! Oh, by the way, the blanket I use is a J.C. Penney king size black vellux blanket.

[KimberlyH]

Susan, how do you "burn the black backdrop in post-processing"? I have Photoshop Elements 9, if that helps.

[yulchick]

o wow your posts are amazing so much information, and well explained. Definetly going to go out and buy a practice doll, gonna tell my boyfriend its for our daughter, he'll find it weird if I tell its for me. Definetly need this time to practice, so when the time comes I can get some desent pictures of the baby, they only stay little for so long, no time to practice than.

again thanks so much for your post, it was very helpfull, lots of great tips! and the fact that you dont use the most expensive lences and stuff, and get the amazing pictures, gives me a piece of mind, cause I promised my boyfriend I wont go crazy and want the expensive lenses and stuff. I asked others what kind of lense I could get, but their sujestions were way out of my budget, so the fact that it doesnt have to be a lense of the price of the camera itself , just makes me happy

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by KimberlyH

Susan, how do you "burn the black backdrop in post-processing"? I have Photoshop Elements 9, if that helps.

You can do it in Elements. Just select the burn tool, set it as a big, soft brush and go over the background at about 10-15%.

Originally Posted by yulchick

o wow your posts are amazing so much information, and well explained. Definetly going to go out and buy a practice doll, gonna tell my boyfriend its for our daughter, he'll find it weird if I tell its for me. Definetly need this time to practice, so when the time comes I can get some desent pictures of the baby, they only stay little for so long, no time to practice than.

again thanks so much for your post, it was very helpfull, lots of great tips! and the fact that you dont use the most expensive lences and stuff, and get the amazing pictures, gives me a piece of mind, cause I promised my boyfriend I wont go crazy and want the expensive lenses and stuff. I asked others what kind of lense I could get, but their sujestions were way out of my budget, so the fact that it doesnt have to be a lense of the price of the camera itself , just makes me happy

Glad to help. LOL @ telling your boyfriend the doll is for your daughter! You'd be surprised at how many photographers practice on dolls. When I'm photographing my own kids with studio light, I often put a big teddy bear in the spot they'll be in to get my camera and light settings right so they don't get impatient, lol!

You definitely don't need super-expensive lenses, especially when you're just learning. Better equipment doesn't equal perfect pictures. Once you're rocking your kit lens, then it's time to upgrade. Believe me, I desperately want to upgrade my camera to full-frame and pick up a few L lenses, but it's just not in the budget at the moment. Hopefully later this year.

You should look into the 50mm f/1.8, though! It's not expensive and it's a great little lens.

[KimberlyH]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

You can do it in Elements. Just select the burn tool, set it as a big, soft brush and go over the background at about 10-15%.
.

Thanks, Susan!

[Happy_Mummy]

first off, just another idea of what to use, I bet a black snuggie (is that what the blankets with sleeve are called?) could work well too, that way people and arms can be hidden with the blanket and it might not slip as easily as a regular blanket?

My second question is for Susan, I was just looking at your pix of young families. How on earth do you get the kids to all look at you AND smile? If you have kids of your own do they do this for you? I'm reluctant to spring the money for a photographer, but in the same breath I really want a nice photo of all three of my kids together! My kids ages are 15 months, almost 3 and 4.5. It always seems that I might get one or on the odd occasion two of mine looking good, but the other child is either not looking, or pulling a face... I try to stay calm and relaxed, but I just plain get irritated with them! I try not to put them through it very often, however I do try at times that are not special occasions as well as times that are.