How to Take AMAZING BABY PORTRAITS

 

 

 

 

 

Having a baby, for those with an interest in photography, means having a little bundle of joy who can (hopefully) act as your somewhat-willing subject for the next few months to several years. So what’s the trick to ensuring you get consistently great images? Here’s a few pointers:

Step One: Let Go

You can’t control your subject when they are this young, so take a deep breath and just let it go. Now you can focus on looking for those few perfect moments where stunning portrait images of your baby are born.

Step Two: Preparation

Ensuring you are prepared and can make the baby as comfortable as possible is the second key. This includes feeding up, having a nap, and finding a warm, comfortable location for the baby to rest/pose. Creating a white-noise environment helps to drone out the sound of noises inside and outside the house, as well as the noise of your camera equipment.

Step Three: Supplies

There are a few key supplies that ensures a good photo shoot – blankets, towels, and a comfy perch for baby. Couches are good, but ideally, you want to place baby on something where light can come from each side, such as a bean bag or a large pillow.

Step Four: Lighting

Good lighting is the cornerstone to any great photo shoot. Find a room with a large window and then augment that light with a reflector on the opposite side. In a pinch, a few lamps can be added, but you want to ensure that you keep an eye on your white balance in this instance.

Step Five: Camera Setup

Since babies move around quite a bit, keeping your camera in hand is a better idea than chaining it to a tripod. For those amazing images where the eyes just “pop” and the face stands out from the background you want to choose a large aperture, likely the largest (or closest to) that your lens offers.

Next, get down low – to baby’s level. You want the eyes gazing into the camera so they can connect with the viewer. Your focus needs to be sharp and on the eyes, or the forward eye if you cannot get both eyes in focus.

Step Six: Keep it Short

You want your baby to have a positive experience so you can have many more amazing photo sessions – so know when to end it and move onto something your baby enjoys, like a bath or story time. This way they’ll be more receptive to your next session.

Finally, bone up on some of the basic rules of composition such as focal point, rule of thirds, etc. so you can make the most of every image you take.

Get in touch with me today and let’s book a session for you and your baby today!

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