Ask me what you want.

[Jonathan.kichizi]

Originally Posted by capturephotography

The ideas in my head are of the baby sleeping on a soft blanket all curled up, i want to capture the elegance and peacfulness of her sleeping but I want to lighting to be soft and natural and I want to try and avoid using flash if at all possible as to be honest, I HATE flash.

so can you help me out? any tips or tricks.

Have you read the rest of this thread? It's full of tips or tricks for what you're going to do... I think there's more than enough already written to answer your questions and to open up a whole baby studio.

You should read the thread, and then ask specific questions that haven't been asked yet... (The flash/natural lighting subject has been covered completely.)

[kendi4]

This thread is incredible - thank you! One question about the high resolution disc you offer clients - what makes the images "high resolution"? I guess by that question I mean how large in the .jpg (if that's the format you give them in) and how large can the client print up to? I have given some of these out to friends who are helping me build my portfolio by letting me "borrow" their babies and I want to make sure I am giving them the right types of files.

I use Aperture 3 to edit (I know Photoshop would be better, but it takes so long to learn, so went with the more user friendly option)...all images are RAW and PP'd and then I export to .jpg to the "original size". The .jpg images end up being between 1 and 4 MB each, depending on how much I cropped them in PP. Are these files large enough to be considered "high resolution" or should I be doing something different? Thanks in advance!

[JCJohnson]

changing my post to say thank you for this...

[futrcndctr]

It would be great to have someone like you in every facet of photography. Such a great source of info. Thanks!

Do you post images online for your clients to view and order from or do you meet with them face to face?

[mercersmoments]

Hi all,

I have been run off my feet with xmas shoots and orders, but I promise to pop back in soon and answer all these questions properly

I am pleased everyone is getting so much out of this !

Back soon. Seona

[tatkome]

Just wanted to say thank you for the wealth of information here. I have a little one on the way and I'm trying to gather all the tips and tricks I can to improve my baby photos.
Thank you!

[mercersmoments]

WOW GREAT INFO - THANKS! That picture you posted is SO CRISP AND CLEAR!

I would love to see some before and afters (before and after processing) - only if you want to!

Ok and I thought of another question! How do you get a baby to smile...like the one above? Can you get them to smile alot? I have had a few 7 month old babies that wont even look up from their new setting (i.e. the beach - a baby kept playing with the sand, or at the park - the baby kept picking at the grass...when we moved him onto a blanket he started pulling at the blanket, or a I placed a baby in an old coke crate prop...they bang their hands on the side of it and won't look up....even some who I just plop down on a roll of paper in the studio, what gives?) I feel like I have tried everything from toys, squeaky toys to singing to dancing. Even the parents get involved (which sometimes works and sometimes does not). Sometimes I get them to smile but my camera is not up bc I was making crazy faces at them.

So what is your secret?! How do you get them to smile...this is for the babies who dont talk yet and just are really enthralled in their new environment. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not all babies will smile, you just have to be lucky to catch one !

I have a soft bell that I jiggle, it gets their attention, talking to them works as well. With small babies I stroke their face (I also keep some hand sanitser near - so mum and dad know I have clean hands)

I let them hold leaves etc in the photo - and just keep at the noises, funny faces etc.

Always keep your finger on the button, compose and keep refocussing while you are pulling silly faces - when you see a good smile - then press the button !

It's the luck of the game I'm afraid !

Oh and how many colored blankets do you have...do you have a few different textures in white, a few in tan, etc?

I have 6 blankets, white, cream & light brown. Enough to do the washing rotation !

When do you stop using the bean bag chair... meaning at what age?

Also, once a baby is mobile (crawling) what set up do you use?

Another question is about lenses... I am not at the point where I can purchase any L lenses. I am wondering if I should try and sell my 85 1.8 and get the 50 1.4 as it may be more usable on my 40D. What is your opinion about that?

No age for the beanbag chair - I have used it for my daughter (5) and son (9)

The crawling age : White or black backdrop with lambswool or mat :



I'd keep the 85 and save for the 50 1.4 ! It's a great lens.

Awesome thread, you gave me a lot of inspiration for my shoot tomorrow with my 6 month old second cousin.
I did a 1.5 year old last year and it didn't go so well, once they're up and running its so much more difficult to get their attention to you.
Hopefully everything goes well tomorrow! The nice thing about family is you can retry as many times as you want.

I'd love to see some results !

Hi Seona,

Thanks for your contribution and I hope this haven't been asked yet.

I will be shooting a 1 month old tomorrow for my friend. I am very new to this and I have no light meter. I have 2 studio strobe with umbrella(short thr or reflective) and 1 reflector. Can you suggest me what simple setup I should aim for since this is my first time shooting other's babies. I want to leave ambient light out of the equation as this is something I can't control.

Also, if you are only allow to pick 5 photos for each session, what would your pick be? My pick would be:

1. Baby alone looking at camera
2. Baby sleeping while smiling
3. father holding baby
4. mother holding baby
5. Parents and baby together

Am I missing something else that you think it's a must?

Thanks in advance and have a nice day.

Those 5 are the money shots - anything else is a bonus !

Ok so friends on mine just have a little baby girl a few months past and they asked me a few days ago to take photos of the little one this coming sunday.

The ideas in my head are of the baby sleeping on a soft blanket all curled up, i want to capture the elegance and peacfulness of her sleeping but I want to lighting to be soft and natural and I want to try and avoid using flash if at all possible as to be honest, I HATE flash.

so can you help me out? any tips or tricks.

Set up near a good light source - a window or doorway.

The light must be behind you or to the side of you - coming onto the baby

Meter for the light, shoot on about 2.8 or 3.5

This is natural light - window behind me, baby on a beanbag with lambswool underlay:
baby was just fed and I settled her on the beanbag, she fel asleep.

This thread is incredible - thank you! One question about the high resolution disc you offer clients - what makes the images "high resolution"? I guess by that question I mean how large in the .jpg (if that's the format you give them in) and how large can the client print up to? I have given some of these out to friends who are helping me build my portfolio by letting me "borrow" their babies and I want to make sure I am giving them the right types of files.

I use Aperture 3 to edit (I know Photoshop would be better, but it takes so long to learn, so went with the more user friendly option)...all images are RAW and PP'd and then I export to .jpg to the "original size". The .jpg images end up being between 1 and 4 MB each, depending on how much I cropped them in PP. Are these files large enough to be considered "high resolution" or should I be doing something different? Thanks in advance!

High res, IMO is quality files good enough for a 40x60 inch canvas.
My files are around 2-4MB each.

Sounds like you are doing the right thing

It would be great to have someone like you in every facet of photography. Such a great source of info. Thanks!

Do you post images online for your clients to view and order from or do you meet with them face to face?

Thank you !

My clients get an online gallery - though I am looking into inhouse ordering next year.

[shareen]

Thank you so much,wonderful clear info thank you
Merry Xmas
cheers
Shareen

[sherry0311]

This thread has been amazing, I'm brand new and have been just lurking about for the most part. I read this whole thread yesterday and took notes. very interesting. Thanks for the good read and wealth of information. I may have questions later on, I'll know where to turn to.

[petedam]

High res, IMO is quality files good enough for a 40x60 inch canvas.
My files are around 2-4MB each.

Just curious how much it cost to print something that size over where you are at?

Do you alter any resolution or anything at all in "image size" when you save for High Res?

Thanks.

[AntonLargiader]

How do you trigger the strobes? Just a hotshoe cord? Kind of looks that way from one of the setup shots.

[kimbac]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this! It's especially helpful being in Sydney to find out where to find various things in Australia. Your images are gorgeous.

Another question for you - how did you go about finding a place to get your prints done? Did you try various ones until you found one you liked? Were they recommended to you or did you just find them yourself? This is my next challenge...

I'm sure I'll have other questions for you, but there's already so much information in this thread that you have been so generous to share already. Thanks!

[Budhaf]

I am having issues with over exposure when shooting with a flash. I have a Canon 40d with the Canon Speedlite 580EXII. It doesnt matter what lens that I use or what setting, i.e., P, Auto, Manual, etc. It doesnt over expose all of the time. I removed the battery in the camera and put it back in and the camera started working fine. However this didnt work the last time. Is there something that I am doing wrong or is there a problem with the camera?

[Rivest]

^^Budhaf, show us a picture, it'll be easier to identify the problem. Make sure the exif is intact.

[AntonLargiader]

Budhaf, you'll get more responses if you post in the "Flash and Studio lighting" forum rather than hijacking this thread.