Family memories are priceless treasures that people love to look at and enjoy. And, one of these priceless treasures include infant photography. After all, it allows parents to look back at how their child grew up and became the person they are today. No matter how someone’s life ends up, it all began as a tiny, helpless person.
Infant portraits can preserve those precious memories, regardless of how far they’ve managed to go from it. Many parents believe there is nothing else out there that’s sweeter. Of course, taking pictures of an infant is a challenge all its own. After all, you need to be very sensitive to the mother (and father) and be super careful with the baby. You need to be both technically sound and artistic. Most importantly, you need to be accurate and quick.
How can you make your infant portrait session go smoother… for all involved?
1 – Involve The Mother
The mother (and even father) will know how to handle the baby better than you. You don’t want to be the one responsible if the child is injured during the photo shoot. The parents have the gentle touch that ensures the baby stays safe. Always ask the parents if you can do this or that… to have them on board.
2 – Use The Light Available
You want to make sure that the lighting you have doesn’t take away from the photos. Consider setting up strobes, testing them before you start the session. Or, use the natural light by setting up close to a window.
3 – Know The Surroundings
Many parents would like their baby to be captured in natural surroundings – their bed, on a blanket in front of the TV, couch, etc. There are some parents who’d rather have scenes set up with props. You could also do a simple studio backdrop with perfect lighting. The best thing you can do is learn about this information upfront…before you go to the shoot. With a little organization, you can better plan the shoot.
4 – Involve Older Children
Many of the best and most precious photos you can have is a sibling photo – where the newborn child is captured together with their big brother/sister. While older children may want to hold their younger sibling, you can also naturally lay them down together. This is more ideal for children who are closer in age to the newborn. The older sibling will feel they’re a part of the process and feel special. This is especially important as the newborn is getting most of the attention anyway.
5 – Get Little Details
When shooting, take pictures of the infant’s fingers, toes, face etc. Little details like these can provide variety to the shots, giving them a more artistic view.
6 – Shoot For The Eyes
Have you ever looked at an infant’s eyes? Have you ever seen such innocence and purity anywhere else? If the baby is awake, try to get their attention and have them engage with you. Smile, be quiet and talk to them. If you can connect with the baby, you can bring out more emotions in their eyes than you thought were possible.
7 – Have The Baby Bring Your Inspiration
Everywhere you look leads to inspiration. Therefore, have some poses in mind before you show up to the shoot. Look on Pinterest or do research via search engines. Still, the best poses are the unexpected ones. The ones where the baby shows what he/she can do when no one is looking. It could be those big, gorgeous eyes, the sweet, full lips, a head of hair or even the cute dumps when smiling. All the baby to provide you with the inspiration you may need to come up with the best photos.
