Baby Photo tips?

[sans2012]

Hey guys,

The call has come to take some snaps of my gf's friend’s baby (new born) (well a couple of weeks old anyways).

Any tips and advice for baby photography would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Michael.

[mpot]

I'll keep an eye on this thread two - our 4th child is due next month ;-)

Cheers,
Martin.

[methd]

1) go for a soft look, but always focus on the eyes and them frame the picture from there
2) natural lighting is best or very subtle flash that has been bounced
3) least shadows on the face as possible
4) take care on the pose and that depends on the baby's age
5) get the baby's attention and try and get them to look at the camera
6) try different angles/perspective and body poses
7) use max aperture for max background blurring
8) use higher iso if u cant shoot faster than 1/120 ish with max aperture - also use a tripod if the baby is in a cot
9) make the background as boring as u can, not bright, and doesnt reflect light
10) 100% face crops are pretty popular
11) if there's a rear wall, try not to cast any shadows onto it when using a flash


that's all i can think about for now

[methd]

12) use spot metering (or meter on the face)
13) use spot focus, also on the face (eyes)
14) always shoot raw to adjust lighting and WB later

[methd]

15) some good shots always comes up when parents are holding the baby in a loving pose
16) comparing baby v adult body parts is pretty popular (ie size of hands/feet)
17) use relevant props but don't overdo it (large clothes on a small kid looks cool)
18) getting a good expression is the key, apart from the technical side of the shot


yes, i'm bored and there's nothing to do at 3am

[methd]

19) use the best portrait lens u have for the best perspective and least distortion... around 50mm for DSLR crop bodies.