{"id":130016,"date":"2019-08-13T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amateurphotographer.co.uk\/?p=130016"},"modified":"2019-08-13T10:16:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:16:42","slug":"get-great-shots-newborns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/get-great-shots-newborns\/","title":{"rendered":"Get great shots of newborns"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\"Newborn\t\t\t

Newborn photography is usually done when baby is asleep. Credit: Kristina Mack. Model: Evie Deane Blakey<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

Ten years ago few considered newborn babies to be a major genre for photographers. Blotchy and wrinkled, they spend most of their time curled up asleep. Better to wait till they\u2019re old enough to sit up and smile. But then, along came Instagram and celebrity photoshoots. Described by Vogue<\/em> as a \u2018distinctly millennial phenomenon\u2019, newborn photography is a fast-growing field which photographers with their fingers on the pulse of social trends have been quick to capitalise on.<\/p>\n

Kristina Mack of Essex-based Tiny Posers<\/a> is one of those photographers. As well as running her own successful photo studio, she also holds workshops around the country for other aspiring newborn and maternity photographers, at which Kristina explains to her students the various ways in which newborn photography differs.<\/p>\n

\u2018The first thing is that timing is very important with newborns,\u2019 explains Kristina, \u2018because they lose that womb-like curve after two weeks or so. Also they sleep a lot deeper in the first couple of weeks after birth, after which they become a lot more alert, which makes them more difficult to photograph. So I tend to schedule my newborn shoots for around 7-10 days after birth. That\u2019s the best time.<\/p>\n

It may seem counter-intuitive to want the baby to be asleep, but in this genre it is fundamental. You don\u2019t really pose older children and adults; you direct them. But with newborns you literally mould them into the poses. You can\u2019t just lay them down and get good pictures. A soundly sleeping baby can be moulded into a repertoire of poses while maintaining an expression of blissful contentment.<\/p>\n

\u2018If a newborn baby is awake, then it\u2019s seldom a happy baby,\u2019 continues Kristina. \u2018It will usually be because they\u2019re hungry or windy or need a poo. You may have a few minutes of happy wakefulness but it won\u2019t last long.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t

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You need a healthy supply of sheets and blankets for newborn shoots. Credit: Kristina Mack<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

In order to stack the odds in favour of a successful shoot, preparation is key. \u2018I ask the parents to try to keep their babies awake at least an hour before the session, and feed them just before they leave the house for the shoot. Most of my clients live within an hour\u2019s drive of my studio, so by the time they get to me the baby is in a deep sleep and I can start working straight away. If I have clients coming from further away they can feed them when they get here. \u2018I then work very quickly, and try to get as many pictures and as many poses as I can while they are asleep. I start very simple, with very little posing, and then I move baby little by little, transitioning gradually from one pose to another.<\/p>\n

It sounds like newborn photography arguably has more in common with stop-frame animation than it does with other genres of portraiture. That and bomb disposal, because before she even starts shooting, Kristina has to very carefully extract the babies from the car seat they arrived in, undress them and place them on her beanbag \u2013 all without disturbing them. \u2018In truth it is rare that the baby will not notice any of this at all,\u2019 Kristina admits. \u2018Usually they will wake up a little bit, so I swaddle them in the blanket and they usually go back to sleep.\u2019<\/p>\n

So what happens if they don\u2019t go back to sleep? \u2018Then we feed them and carry on going. But if you have to stop to feed baby during the shoot the session will take a lot longer because you have to allow for feeding time. So suddenly instead of the shoot being a couple of hours long you could be adding an extra hour or more. I always schedule my newborn sessions for first thing in the morning \u2013 around 9.30 or 10am, because they are a lot sleepier in the first half of the day, and I would never book another shoot earlier than 2pm. Most new parents aren\u2019t yet fully confident with the baby so I try not to stress them by imposing a time limit.\u2019<\/p>\n

After taking some photos of the baby on its back, swaddled in a blanket, Kristina slowly removes the wrap, taking more pictures as she goes, and using different camera angles to create as many different images as possible. Then comes the higher-risk manoeuvre of turning the baby from its back onto its tummy.<\/p>\n\t\t

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Kristina keeps a good selection of bunnies to use as props in her shoots. Credit: Kristina Mack<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

\u2018I start with the legs out, then I tuck them into a more foetal position,\u2019 she explains. \u2018From here I have a few variations in the props and poses I use. I don\u2019t do every pose with every baby \u2013 but depending on which way I\u2019m going I may pick the baby up and use a basket or other prop, or I\u2019ll just stick to the beanbag. I ask the parents if they have any cuddly toys they\u2019d like to bring to the shoot, but I also have quite a big collection of bunnies.\u2019<\/p>\n

While the main focus of the shoot is the baby she also likes to involve the parents. \u2018Usually I ask them to relax for most of the shoot but I may call them over to borrow their hands to use as props.\u2019 One of her most popular shots is with baby curled up on the beanbag with the parents\u2019 hands cupped around it as though the baby is suspended in the air. \u2018It\u2019s a shot they see on my website and often request, but they don\u2019t even realise I\u2019ve done it,\u2019 she laughs. \u2018They\u2019ll ask: \u201cCan we do that shot holding baby up?\u201d and I\u2019ll say I already did it, and then they look confused till I show them the picture on the screen. Of course baby\u2019s safety is paramount \u2013 it wouldn\u2019t be safe to hold the baby up in the air like that, so I do it on the beanbag, but the picture creates the illusion of that.\u2019<\/p>\n

Kristina stresses that every baby differs, and photographers shouldn\u2019t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to poses. \u2018Some babies fall into a particular pose easily and some will not. Also two babies in the same pose can look very different. I always tell my students that if the baby is fighting it, or it doesn\u2019t look right, try something else.\u2019<\/p>\n

At some point Kristina will switch to her macro lens and shoot some close-up detail shots, such as the baby\u2019s fingers and toes. Most of the images of the parents holding the baby are done at the end, as it doesn\u2019t matter so much if the baby is awake.<\/p>\n\t\t

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The parents’ hands surround the baby as it lies sleeping on the beanbag, making a strong graphic image. Credit: Kristina Mack<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

Kit and lighting<\/h2>\n

The shopping list of required kit for newborn photography is very small. Kristina shoots everything using just a standard 50mm prime lens, and a macro lens for the close-ups, and probably 90% of her shoots are lit entirely by natural daylight. She is lucky in that her studio is blessed with large windows, which she diffuses using sheer curtains. On very dark days she may resort to using her giant 1.5-metre wide Octobox softbox on a very low setting, which produces a similar soft light, but she tries to avoid it.<\/p>\n

Kristina doesn\u2019t need a huge amount of light anyway, since she always shoots fairly wide open. \u2018I shoot mostly at f\/2.8,\u2019 she says. \u2018and never go smaller than f\/3.5.\u2019 With such a shallow depth of field focusing can be tricky because newborn babies\u2019 features are not so well-defined.<\/p>\n

She positions baby with the head closest to the window, at about 45\u00b0, so the light falls off towards the feet. \u2018The eye will always go to the brightest part of an image first \u2013 don\u2019t let that be the baby\u2019s bottom.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t

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Kristina adjusting the baby’s pose on the beanbag. Credit: Kristina Mack<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

An important investment is in the props, and despite the small industry that has sprung up around selling props and fabrics specifically for newborn photography Kristina counsels against getting carried away. \u2018You don\u2019t need to buy a lot of props,\u2019 she says. \u2018In the beginning it\u2019s tempting because you think: \u201cIf only I had that blanket, I\u2019ll take amazing pictures.\u201d But now I know it doesn\u2019t matter what blanket you have. If you know how to pose and photograph the baby, you will have an amazing picture.\u2019<\/p>\n

Kristina shoots mostly on a beanbag, as you can mould it as you want, but does keep a good supply of cloths, towels and blankets to place under or around the baby to raise its head, for instance, and these may well need to be replaced during the shoot, as accidents can happen. \u2018My washing machine and tumble dryer are on all the time,\u2019 she admits.<\/p>\n

For anyone tempted to get into this branch of photography Kristina stresses the importance of being confident around newborns. \u2018Babies are like dogs \u2013 they can smell your fear,\u2019 she laughs. \u2018They need to be handled properly and held firmly to know that they are safe, and you need to know what to do if they become unsettled. When inexperienced photographers are starting with newborn photography and they tell me that a baby was bad, and cried the whole session, I say: \u201cNo \u2013 there are no bad babies. It\u2019s because you didn\u2019t know what you were doing.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t

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Pictures of the baby with mum and dad are usually done at the end of the session. Credit: Kristina Mack<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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Kristina\u2019s top tips<\/h2>\n