Photographing newborns is one of the most difficult genres of photography considering the uncertainty associated with the subjects. There is extreme caution and proper planning and practice required to perfect the skill of shooting newborns beautifully. Today in this article we shall discuss a few techniques that will surely improve your skills as a newborn photographer.
BE SAFE:
Always be very particular about the safety of the child. Never place the child on anything possibly dangerous. Being considerate about the wellbeing of the child is the number one aspect of a good newborn photographer.
BABY’S COMFORT:
Another important aspect of a great newborn photographer is that he gives great attention towards making the newborn comfortable. Baby being uncomfortable simply means disaster for the photo shoot. No one likes to see a crying baby. Beauty of a good newborn photo is associated with the smiling child. And even if the child is not smiling, the inherent innocence of the baby does the job. If the baby gets uncomfortable, it will spoil the mood of the child and hence the whole photo session. Rise the temperature of the surrounding a couple of notches more than normal and keep the clothes comfortable.
PROPS:
Using beautiful props are an important tool to improve the appearance of the photo. Having said that props are very important, it does not necessarily mean that you go out and buy the most expensive props. Even the simplest of props can do the trick. The idea is to choose a prop that relates to the family. Discuss with the parents what their likings and hobbies are and choose a prop accordingly. Doing so will do wonders in improving the feel of the pictures for the parents.
BEST TIME ZONE:
It is recommended to do a newborn shoot within first three weeks after child’s birth. During this time zone, the child sleeps for most part of the day and can be easily photographed.
RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:
It is recommended to use a normal telephoto lens of around 100mm for newborn photographs. Wide aperture opening to create shallow depth of field is also recommended. In attempting to capture baby’s toes, finger, hands or feet we recommend to use a good macro lens.
ANGULAR LIGHT:
It is recommended that you use angular light while shooting newborns. What this does is that it adds dimension and depth in the picture and make it look more dynamic.
BACK UP EQUIPMENT:
Always bring additional pair of memory cards, batteries and cameras so that just in case something malfunctions during the shoot, the shoot does not get affected. We know that the first idea that comes to mind when we say, back up equipment is the photography gear. Even though that is correct but we extent this terminology to extra dippers and feeds for the newborn. If the baby gets dirty and needs a diaper change or if the baby gets hungry, in both scenarios the baby’s mood gets affected and adversely impacts the photo shoot. So always ask the parent to bring extra pair of diapers and milk feeds.
This is all you need to know to become a great newborn photographer rather than being an average one. Use all these techniques and make some amazing memories for your clients.