Baby Photography

Hi all,

Just asking about your thoughts on Baby photography.

A friend has asked me to possibly take some photos of their 1 yr old baby.

My normal and favourite subjects are normally Landscape/seascape & Motorsport/Transport photography, of which I get very good results. So as you can see, worlds away from portraiture.

Do you think it is worth offering and having ago, or is it a hard subject and best avoided, as I have NO experience of portait pics.

They are trying to save costs, as pro pics can cost lost of money.

If you recommend having ago, what would you recommend to start with? e.g equipment required, settings, lighting???? etc


Kind regards

Graham

Have a go, using your two Limited lenses and natural light if you don't have much experience with flash. If the results aren't up to scratch, don't show them. I presume you aren't expecting to charge?

G

tell them yes you'd like some practice.
try to use available (esp window) light, if possible.
after a nap, feed, and bath, baby will be happy and alert.
get close-ups of the hands and feet.
a nakey baby, cradled in the crook of dad's arm is always popular, as is mom's interactions with baby.
if you get something worth paying for, charge them. if not re-shoot till you do!

If the baby start crying and nothing will make him stop, ask the mother to hit you (not too hard) with a stuffed toy. It works all the time. Kids attention span is very limited, so if the kid gets cranky, don't insist, just let him (her?) wander for a while. BE PATIENT.

I have just received my copy of Digital Photo - and there is an in-depth article on taking portrait shots (babies, big-uns and location portrait shots). It includes setting up, lighting, and how to post-process for the best results - might be worth a quick scan at WH Smith.

I usually use a very shallow DOF. Make eye contact and shot all you can while you have the chance.

You need patience - you will not have the best result in 5 mins. It takes time to find the right moment.

I try to use my flash mostly - as it gives me the best result (same result). Lately I have been using my hotshoe softbox form lastloite quite a lot. Gives very good and even lightning.

One other good thing with flash is the catch light in the eyes.

Happy shooting. Remember to ask for permission to use the shots on your webpage

Another good tip is to get one of the baby's favourite toys in the picture, they will be more relaxed and it gives them something to do. Eye contact is not essential, however having one of the parents stand behand you to attract their attention is good.

I have found that maintaining some distance (i.e. using a longer lens) helps the subject to relax.

I use hotshoe flash and ensure I have bounce head pointing up and a difuser in place.

I sometimes try to use natural light and set the camera on multi frames to get a series of shots and see if a capture a good expression.

I find that I spend a lot of time missing shots by focusing on the eyes and then recomposing, it may well be worth using the select focus point option and remember, shots can be landscape, if they are, try to ensure that the baby is looking into the frame, not out of it.

One suggestion is to estimate the time you'll need and double it. Nothing is worse than parents who announce they have something else to do in fifteen minutes. Keep in mind, you're not in charge, the baby is. The baby will do what the baby will do and you'll simply record it.

Have you thought about purchasing a bottle of ether and some gauze?