While it can be quite rewarding to take photos of cute babies and toddlers, it can also be a source of frustration and irritation.
Babies tend to sleep, eat and cry a lot and won't pose in front of the camera but don't let that put you off photographing them. Do not be discouraged by this - instead, use this challenge to motivate you towards creating the best baby portrait you could.
Be armed with the tools of child psychology and patience and photographing babies would be much easier - your chances of success should improve this way. Babies over six months may be shy and won't react well to a complete stranger. This is where child psychology plays a major role, as you put yourself in the shoes of the baby, try to speak its language, play with it, or even IMAGINE yourself as a baby. You can use your car keys in this capacity. But when the baby reacts to your makeshift entertainment, you have to be aware of what you have to do, which is create a baby portrait everybody can enjoy. It can be an especially huge challenge taking a portrait of a newborn baby. At this age the baby will not be active, so it's better to focus on close-up headshots. Adding the right amount of ambiance can be achieved with natural light from the baby's bedroom window.
Babies over a few months of age will be more alert and will have a lot more movement in them. Shooting fast is a necessity, the infant will tire quickly.
This is especially true if you are working with babies seven months old and above. The baby will bore quickly and will not want to stay in the same position.
Baby photography is rewarding, as we have mentioned, so if you've decided to open your own studio specializing in this, you can't do without a lot of toys for babies and toddlers. For the background, pastel colors are perfect regardless whether you shoot in color or black and white.
Parents may be worried about the affect of studio lights on their baby. You have to confidently explain that strobe lights are safe even for babies. Try to explain this before it becomes a concern.
Ask for the parents' permission first before handling an infant. Most parents will be very protective and won't react well to a stranger lifting the infant.
A finger in a baby's mouth looks cute and all, but it should not be shot in such a way that the face gets obscured.
If you plan to resell the baby photograph to an agency make sure you get a release form signed from the parents. Agencies, magazines and other forms of media will not touch a baby photo with a ten-foot pole if it doesn't have the proper consent from the infant's guardians or parents. For baby portraits to be sellable they must be technically perfect, but the picture must illustrate the baby being active or some form of child care.
Babies tend to sleep, eat and cry a lot and won't pose in front of the camera but don't let that put you off photographing them. Do not be discouraged by this - instead, use this challenge to motivate you towards creating the best baby portrait you could.
Be armed with the tools of child psychology and patience and photographing babies would be much easier - your chances of success should improve this way. Babies over six months may be shy and won't react well to a complete stranger. This is where child psychology plays a major role, as you put yourself in the shoes of the baby, try to speak its language, play with it, or even IMAGINE yourself as a baby. You can use your car keys in this capacity. But when the baby reacts to your makeshift entertainment, you have to be aware of what you have to do, which is create a baby portrait everybody can enjoy. It can be an especially huge challenge taking a portrait of a newborn baby. At this age the baby will not be active, so it's better to focus on close-up headshots. Adding the right amount of ambiance can be achieved with natural light from the baby's bedroom window.
Babies over a few months of age will be more alert and will have a lot more movement in them. Shooting fast is a necessity, the infant will tire quickly.
This is especially true if you are working with babies seven months old and above. The baby will bore quickly and will not want to stay in the same position.
Baby photography is rewarding, as we have mentioned, so if you've decided to open your own studio specializing in this, you can't do without a lot of toys for babies and toddlers. For the background, pastel colors are perfect regardless whether you shoot in color or black and white.
Parents may be worried about the affect of studio lights on their baby. You have to confidently explain that strobe lights are safe even for babies. Try to explain this before it becomes a concern.
Ask for the parents' permission first before handling an infant. Most parents will be very protective and won't react well to a stranger lifting the infant.
A finger in a baby's mouth looks cute and all, but it should not be shot in such a way that the face gets obscured.
If you plan to resell the baby photograph to an agency make sure you get a release form signed from the parents. Agencies, magazines and other forms of media will not touch a baby photo with a ten-foot pole if it doesn't have the proper consent from the infant's guardians or parents. For baby portraits to be sellable they must be technically perfect, but the picture must illustrate the baby being active or some form of child care.
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