Question for you newborn photographers..

[Tamster]

Morning! In alot of the newborn pictures i have admired there is a close range of the baby. I was wondering when you do your newborn shoots, do you actually shoot that close or do you resize when you are doing your editing? I was lucky enough to photography a family members 13 day old precious little girl yesterday and I took some both ways. But made me wonder which would be the best in the end?
Oh and after 3hrs of playing with this little one my legs and back are a bit sore today
lol But we did get some good shots! Not every pose i wanted to but not bad for a first timer!
Oh , and are there any essentials you would recommend on having for newborn photography?

[SusanH1970]

I usually shoot that close, but sometimes I'll shoot from further away and crop in if I feel it could use the crop compositionally.

Essentials:

Beanbag
Boppy
Variety of blankets
Space heater
Waterproof pad (I use a crib mattress pad - avoid puppy pads because they have chemical attractants in them)
Change of clothes for yourself in case you get peed, pooped or puked on, lol

[Tamster]

Thanks Susan, I have added a few items to my list! I'm hopeful for another baby soon to practice the things i didn't get with this one.

[autofocus]

Tammy, if you shoot too close you may have a hard time if the customer wants an enlargement that doesn't match the 2x3 aspect ratio of your camera. For example, if your customer wants an 8x10 you will lose 2 inches of the long dimension with that crop..a real tight SOOC shot may not afford you that extra latitude.
+1 on Susan's list above, plus keep a roll of paper towels handy.

[Tamster]

Originally Posted by autofocus

Tammy, if you shoot too close you may have a hard time if the customer wants an enlargement that doesn't match the 2x3 aspect ratio of your camera. For example, if your customer wants an 8x10 you will lose 2 inches of the long dimension with that crop..a real tight SOOC shot may not afford you that extra latitude.
+1 on Susan's list above, plus keep a roll of paper towels handy.

Oh... Yea, i guess i didn't think about that. Thanks!

lol.. Paper towels! I actually have a few thing in my daughters old baby bags that will work for that! I already have the list going of things to get from the attic! I knew there was a reason i held on to this stuff for 6 ... well actually almost 7 years!