When it comes to baby photography, every session is a new experience. Every infant is different and taking photos of him or her holds its own unique set of challenges which you will have to work around if you want to get the results you want.
Despite the difficulties and challenges baby photography poses, babies are still a popular subject and when the photo session is done right, the result are truly beautiful photos worth keeping and showing. Here are some tips on how to take baby photos.
The first concern is location. When considering where to you will be holding your baby photography session, the foremost thing to consider will be your subject’s comfort. When your subject is comfortable, he or she is happy. Happy babies make for more cooperative subjects which results in great photos.
When one is a baby photographer, it helps to like children. One needs to have a lot of patience when dealing with an unpredictable subject who cannot be coached. If you lose your patience with your subject, the parents will not appreciate it and you will have less repeat clients.
When scheduling a shoot session involving infants, allocate a little more time than you usually do. This is to allow more time to attend to the needs of your subject. When in the middle of your shoot and the baby is cranky, take a break to allow the parents to see if the little one needs feeding, a change of diapers, or just needs to be held.
Before going into a photo shoot, discuss the infant’s wardrobe with the parents. Some parents do not feel comfortable about taking photos of their infant without any clothes. Make use of props such as a big floppy hat or sunglasses for some photos which are sure to elicit smiles.
The unpredictability of infants can also be an advantage. Give your subject a toy to play with (making sure it is safe for infants and okay with the parents first) and see what he or she will do with it. You will need a fast eye and reflexes, but truly memorable moments can be captured of babies exploring the toy they have just been given.
Shailesh Savaj is an author of halberg photographers, one of the photography companies. He is writing articles on baby portraits since long time.
