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11/14/2012 07:09:40 PM · #1
Hey all

My current employer recently had a baby (like less than a week ago) and wants some pics. I quoted her a price for a 90-minute family portrait session, plus images on DVD. Now, boss-lady seems fairly sensible, and this isn't her first child, so I can't really see her asking for dangerous/unsafe setups, or the current fauxtog fave, desaturated baby against colourful clothes/bg....processing which I would refuse to do anyway.

But at the the same time I have ZILCH experience taking pics of infants. Baby will likely be asleep, she's very quiet, I've hardly ever heard her cry. We may have to wake her for the shoot or at least part of it!

So, any general hints/tips for this kind of work? I have a general idea as to what to avoid, but want to deliver some really killer shots. Not just because it's the boss's baby, but because she knows a lot of other people who have just had kids or are about to, and I could make some good $$.

Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions!
11/14/2012 07:12:06 PM · #2
Go ask Judi -- if I remember correctly, I think she had some seriously awesome stuff.
11/14/2012 07:43:19 PM · #3
Originally posted by snaffles:

Baby will likely be asleep...


Famous last words.

Message edited by author 2012-11-14 19:47:10.
11/14/2012 07:54:05 PM · #4
sjhuls and njsabs are both quite adept in this area. They both placed at the top of the Babies & Toddlers challenge last year.

I've shot toddlers, but not infants (except Riley). Plenty of resources for ideas with a few google searches though.

Good luck - I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park for her.
11/14/2012 08:03:54 PM · #5
Have a look at this woman

//www.jewel-images.com/newborn-gallery/

I have seen her stuff on photovision and she is amazing. You could also check out some of the stuff on //www.photovisionvideo.com///www.photovisionvideo.com/
11/14/2012 08:05:56 PM · #6
One thing I do remember is to use a small space heater with a fan to keep the baby warm and sleeping since most shoot them with little or no clothing. I'd get a very soft blanket and useca very shallow DOF.

Check out 500px and search babies or infants.
11/14/2012 08:21:45 PM · #7
i personally am not a huge fan of baby sleeping pics. Some parents might be. Discuss their expectations and plan accordingly. Babies are tough to shoot though.. best of luck!
11/14/2012 08:21:45 PM · #8
double posted/

Message edited by author 2012-11-14 20:22:11.
11/14/2012 08:32:22 PM · #9
OOOOOOO I am soo excited you posted this... I have the same thing comming up ... Newborn, never done a newborn (babies cry when I get near them any how) don't know all what to do pose bla bla bla... Soo funny I was going to post this exact same question!! (Mines not born yet) but soon... eeeeksssss Got $200 setting fee, prints optional, I stress let my lab print at least one good one because of the color, then give them the CD... BTY How many shots do you put on the "free" (I call it that makes the setting fee look better) cd... and How much editing do you do to all the cd pixs?? Last Family shoot I did, which was a KILLLER Brat 2 and 18 month olds that would NOT sit, stand or do a darn thing but yell and run wild (yes I told the parents the LIGHTS will fall and kill your kid) I will say the Mother had sweat all over her in the group shots. Any how... back to the question, Big artsy edits on all shots or one or two to show them what you can do if you print them etc...

Before I've gone stinking OVERBOARD on editing on CD's and also given them too many choices, and always it seems folks choose the 1 shot that is just not good. I made the mistake (never to be repeated) one of my seniors batch editing in elements and burning all to the cd.. They chose a shot that was OUT OF FOCUS... I called and said that it was and really shouldn't have been on the CD but THEY WANTED THAT SHOT.. omg.. sooo they now have a 11 x 14 out of focus shot hanging on their wall (I guess) and god help me if they tell anyone who took it....
11/14/2012 09:26:25 PM · #10
Thanks all for the many helpful replies and linkies!

@ littlemav...was thinking 8-10 images on the CD, in small and large jpgs of all images, and only the best shots will be on the CD. They can post the small ones up on Facebook etc and get prints of the larger ones. Plan to use my fastest lens, the 50mm, and SB-910 bounced off wall for light, reflector for fill. Family would be up to 4 people - baby, parents and possibly 19-yr-old son.

In terms of amount of editing I am going to do my best to make subjects look real, so no excessive amounts of Gaussian blur, desat, Portrait Pro gone whacko and making them look like glassy-eyed dolls. And keep the colour levels quiet, just enough to make colours pop but still look real, and not blind anyone in the process :-)
11/15/2012 01:12:54 AM · #11
My lessons learned .. make sure the parent(s) know to have the baby fed just prior to the shoot. This way you get sleepy pictures and as the feeding wears off you get awake (but not crying) pictures. All cloth props I used were in the clothes dryer and warmed up prior to use for sleepy shots. I wanted some certain shots done but baby isn't always cooperative so have a plan B! Get a small bean bag to put the baby on, this helps prop the baby for certain shots. Then pray a lot!!! :)

Edit to add .. I got a small beanbag at Toys R Us for $15. I cut the soccer ball cover off to make it perfect under any type of background!

Message edited by author 2012-11-15 01:30:29.
11/15/2012 02:31:57 AM · #12


This is my nephew, I just spent a few hours googling and making notes, gathered soft blankets, basket little toy soft toy rabbit etc

Nephew cried everytime he was put down, had the house heating on full and room was a sauna

I used two canon speedlites on stands with big white shoot through umbrellas and shot next to the biggest window for natural light

Allow lots of time, don't let the parent or you get impatient eventually the baby will calm down

A lot pose the babies head with a hand holding it then clone it out etc

11/15/2012 03:21:21 AM · #13
I worked with infants- pre-k for a couple years and I think I got quite adept at it. There are all kinds of tricks and poses, sleeping or awake. Perhaps some photographers on here may scoff at using a corporate chain for inspiration, but to be realistic, they have years of researching what sells, what looks best, etc. I really suggest browsing around the site of the studio I first worked for. We had to learn specific poses and techniques that worked best for each age group. I thought the training was really good. I worked for a different company after them as well.

If you need any specific help or behind the scenes info on a shot feel free to PM me, I may not remember to check this thread.

Newborn Gallery

And infant feet with the parents hands were always my favorite. They are just so adorable. Googling "infant feet" will give you a good sampling. They can be hard to get right sometimes. If not done well they look super awkward but I think well worth the effort to get it right.
11/15/2012 03:55:45 AM · #14
I scoff at Monica's corporate chain. Scoff scoff. :P
11/15/2012 06:49:06 AM · #15
Well, sure have my homework cut out for me! Now, seeing that I don't really have a studio at home large enough to accomodate up to three adults and infant, planning on taking my lights. Or what I have in way of lights.

I have: an SB-910 speedlite, a mini-wide slave and a couple of floods, though as the floods get hot I don't really want to use them. Also don't really have proper light stands, though could probably rent some if needed. Also have a 42-in' 5-in-1 reflector and like to use ambient light, and their living room is currently set up, so it's facing some large windows so lots of light coming in there.

And Art...hey, no scoffing at Monica, she's current Member of the Week so she must know something! :-)
11/15/2012 07:30:04 AM · #16
Originally posted by Devinder:

i personally am not a huge fan of baby sleeping pics. Some parents might be. Discuss their expectations and plan accordingly. Babies are tough to shoot though.. best of luck!


same here but at that age what else do they worth capturing, eating nah and surely not the third... :P
11/15/2012 08:46:07 AM · #17
Originally posted by kgeary:

Originally posted by snaffles:

Baby will likely be asleep...


Famous last words.

So true. This is a lot harder than it looks. I've only had one kid but at a week old you are still in major reaction mode. There are no dependable sleep schedules. Well, not sure when there are, but that's another matter.

I thought I'd end up with a lot of amazing infant photos of my kid but in the end they all look like snapshots, as I didn't have a home studio set to make it work. No white or black backdrop. No interesting, textured floors. No arsenal of props.

You can see in the standout photo examples posted here that isolation is a big factor. Shallow depth of field, and no distracting elements in the background. A blurry background doesn't even cut it... there are no backgrounds at all. Plus I didn't have all the props on hand that these photographers did. I didn't have any hats, furry blankets, baby-sized bowls, etc. It sounds ridiculous, but the formula is right there for all to see, but if you don't have those very simple tools, it'll be a baby sleeping in a crib, and it's difficult to do anything creatively with that.

In addition to these other shots I would also try to get in to almost macro-level to get fists, feet, lips, curls of hair, etc., as that is something your equipment can do that other cameras can't.

Best of luck.
11/15/2012 09:24:56 AM · #18
Think of it as being like sports photography - meaning fast shutter with lots of shots to get one that sells.

For clarification - my definitions are; newborns up to 12 weeks, infants up to 18 months, toddlers up to age 3 and children through grade school. Teenagers are essentially Junior High.

I have shot teenagers and infants. I have a recent couple that are very happy with their infant shots. For me (and them) interaction was key, so my main focus was to capture the relationship bewteen the parents and their daughter and hopefully show interactive expressions. We had 2 locations and several background changes. Roughly 300 files which resulted in 14 submitted for review and 6 final selections.

The lenses I used were a Nikkor single focal 85mm f/1.4, Nikkor single focal 50mm f/1.4 and a Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4 zoom.

Best of luck.

eta: from your lens profile I would consider the 50mm f/1.8 as it will be the equivalent to a 75mm on the D90. An excellant portrait choice for this assignment in my opinion.

Message edited by author 2012-11-15 09:36:40.
11/15/2012 09:42:44 AM · #19
I haven't read through everything here so I might be repeating myself but here are some tips:

1. unless the infant is over 4 weeks plan on it being awake and crying most of the shoot.
2. plan on about twice or three times as much time as you think, so the mother can nurse and settle the baby back down
3. make sure the room you shoot in is uncomfortably warm for you and the other adults (it will be just right for baby) and make sure you have something to keep your hands warm (wear gloves if possible)
4. make sure the mom or dad brings a plain black shirt and a plain white shirt. You can use them as the backdrop holding the infant on their shoulder or in front of their chest or stomach. This comes in handy when you have a fussy infant that won't settle down unless mom or dad is holding them. Bring a small black and white piece of fabric to cover the adults head unless you plan on having that show. I usually have some with and without. This one was taken that way:



Good luck!!! hopefully the infant will just sleep and the shoot will be a breeze. But I haven't had one so far go that way. They all are much tougher than I thought.

Message edited by author 2012-11-15 09:43:17.
11/15/2012 10:22:07 AM · #20
Originally posted by snaffles:

... though as the floods get hot I don't really want to use them....

See note about keeping the room "uncomfortably warm," — maybe you can turn this "bug" into a "feature" ... ;-)

A one-week old won't be able to sit up, so probably the shots of the baby in someone's lap will be most obtainable if you want to see the face.
11/15/2012 12:00:23 PM · #21
a MAJOR thing to know is that newborn's eyelids are much more translucent than ours, so even asleep if you use a flash a large percent will still get through. Excess flashes can cause problems as their eyes are still developing. Use a steady light source and shoot according to that. If you see anybody talking about how that can cause problems with taking the creative shots of them then ignore it - lifetime of health before pretty pictures.

As others said - space heater with a fan, make sure they do not chill. soft blanket.
As for shots, if you use a light source, you can get some interesting silhouette images that your boss would enjoy as well. as you may know high speed, med-high f-stop and you'll get a good clean image of the baby with a black background regardless of location - most non-photogs are amazed by how you did this.
11/15/2012 03:14:22 PM · #22
I have always used constant light as opposed to flash on the assumption that the flash would startle the baby, nut this thread got me wondering if that assumption was false. So , whatis the truth?
11/15/2012 03:23:18 PM · #23
Lots of great info coming in here...

@ bohemka...yeah, I'm no Anne Geddes so I don't do the cutesy props, want to go with just very simple portraits and not have silly props. Just Mom holding the baby and some of baby on her own on a blankie. And their house is already pretty warm.

@ Flash...yep, love the 50mm and plan to use it! Fast and gives great shallow dof, though I don't want to go too shallow...seen some kid ports where only the main facial plane is in focus and everything from the eyes back is oof, like ears and hair.

@ RyanWareham...plan to bounce the flash, if I even need it, and have it diffused too. Would prefer to not use the popper, thinking more in terms of a group shot. This baby already seems quite unflappable (yeah I know famous last words). I can bring along the floods for backup, but they're not pro quality, very obviously homemade as are the diffusers I use for them (floating floor, anyone? ;-)

Off to do some homework now and click on all the linkies peeps have supplied :-)

Message edited by author 2012-11-15 15:25:07.
11/15/2012 05:50:37 PM · #24
Originally posted by BrennanOB:

I have always used constant light as opposed to flash on the assumption that the flash would startle the baby, nut this thread got me wondering if that assumption was false. So , whatis the truth?

Not sure, but if it does startle the baby, a quick second shot would produce one of those really funny "startled baby" photos. :)
11/15/2012 07:42:55 PM · #25
Not sure if it was said:

Make sure they are not hungry or have just eaten. If they are hungry they will fuss and cry. If they have just eaten, you'll have the easiest time getting a fantastic picture of a sleeping baby. :)
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