Oh my goodness, I am so nervous (3 month old)

[Alorien]

My friend volunteered me to take photos of one of her friend's 3 month old.

I have no idea what I should use as a backdrop or what poses are good for that age. I'm doing it for free so I can practice so I shouldnt be as nervous as I am..

Any Suggestions of poses would be greatly appreciated.

[lookingforaname]

flickr has a ton of baby shots that I've found helpful to study. just do a couple searches for baby photography. another source of ideas is to browse professional family photog. shots.

[Helen Bartlett]

Hi Alorien

You will have a great time, three month olds are a lot of fun.

I find that working with natural light (that 50mm 1.8 will be perfect) and shooting in the home works well. The parents bed is usually a great place for small babies as they are really happy and comfortable there and the main bedroom in the house usually has the best light. You can put the baby on a plain duvet (try some with a white duvet and some with a darker duvet or blanket, you will get very different looks to your pictures) and you will get a very nice clean image. Photos with the parents holding the baby also work really well at this age.

Three month olds can't usually support their head much so you do get a bit of a 'Winston Churchill' look if you prop them up so I tend to find having them lying down or held by mum and dad works better. They might be able to support themselves on their front for a couple of minutes at this age - some can, some can't, but you will have to be quick. Those shots do look great though so it is always worth a try (do them early in the shoot as you will find that the baby finds it harder to support itself as it gets tiered).

Also, make sure you give yourself lots of time, I find working early in the morning is best but also reckon the baby will have a nap in the middle of the session (and you can fortify yourself with tea and biscuits).

You will have a great time, babies are lots of fun.

If you want to have a look on my site, www.helenbartlett.co.uk you will find lots of pictures, particularly in the 'babies' section on the blog which will give you some ideas.

Good luck!

Helen

[aragonwhite]

Helen, I too am about to do a shoot for a friend. I love your work. Are all your baby shots with available light? If so what is your typical settings? I will be using my 40d and most likely my 50 1.8.

Thanks
Robert

[Helen Bartlett]

Hi Robert

Thank you for your kind words. All my pictures are with available light - usually with babies something like ISO 800, 1.4 at 125 or so. I like to keep my shutter speed above 60th or I struggle to hold the camera steady so I will adjust the ISO if needs be.

If you use aperture priority and are photographing a baby in a pale room on a pale duvet then do remember to use a bit of exposure compensation as the camera will under expose in that situation.

Good luck with your shoot

Helen