How to take great pictures of babies

From the moment they explode into our lives babies are amazing! For something so small they have a massive impact on everything we do. Life as we know it ceases to be and the world revolves completely around them. We are totally governed by their every need and mesmerized by their very prescence. Go on, admit it, you've idled away many a moment just watching your precious new arrival sleeping and breathing. It's no surprise that we take literally hundreds of photographs, trying to capture every expression and moment. And it's not easy is it?! New babies sleep for England and when they're awake their eyes can't focus and can look a bit bozz eyed for the camera! Well, here's a few helpful hints to ensure that you make the most of this magical, albeit brief time.

Place baby on a sofa covered by a blanket to create a neutral background.

Location: Put your baby in a snuggly, safe and warm place in front of a window where the natural daylight from outside is falling onto them. Floor to ceiling windows are best. If the window is higher up then place baby safely on a sofa or bean bag. If you cover the sofa in a neutral blanket it creates an uncluttered background. Avoid areas of bright sunlight as it creates harsh shadows. Just move back away from the window a little. My children used to have a crib under the living room window and in the afternoon the light was wonderful. Hold your camera nice and steady, lean against a wall for extra support if possible.

Clothing: Personally I think new-born babies look amazing in the altogether - their skin is so precious. You have to be careful to arrange limbs and shoot from the right angles of course and sometimes I use blankets or muslin cloths to preserve baby's modesty! Knitted hats and bootees can look very cute, especially if they are special gifts.

Camera settings: Whatever type of camera you are using, make sure your flash is turned off! If you are using a point and shoot compact camera or phone just take pictures from lots of different angles and zoom in to capture close ups of feet, hands and faces. Try using the Macro / flower setting to get some real close ups.

If you are a little more adept with your camera then take into account the following too: ideally you need a shutter speed of 1/60 minimum - you should be able to see this displayed on your camera LCD or in the viewfinder. If it's less than 1/60 try increasing the ISO number. Using the Program mode will allow you to get some nice shots, especially if you zoom in on details, but try using the Av / A aperture setting and try different low apertures such as f/3.5 or lower and close up shots to focus on tiny details and blur the background. If you are using very low apertures you need to be very careful where you focus. If you have time to plan ahead a 50mm fixed lens will give some great results.

Photograph newborns when they're asleep... because it's easier and also because they look so cute! In the first two weeks a newborn baby will still tend to curl up its legs and arms when asleep and it's such a beautiful pose. The best time is when baby has been changed and fed and has gone into a deep sleep. I'm sure you've realised that nothing short of an explosion will wake them and it's surprisingly easy to move them into nice positions.

Having said that, it's lovely to get some pictures of eyes open and new babies have some extremely comical faces - even mid cry!

Photograph hands and feet... and include your own hands for a sense of scale and to create a picture full of emotional impact. And don't forget to photograph those all important little bootees and gifts, again putting them in natural daylight near a window.

For ideas and tips on how to photograph babies Pinterest is an amazing resource and I've collated quite a few boards full of gorgeous pictures and useful suggestions.

If you've enjoyed my blog please leave me a comment! If you're interested in photography lessons or know someone that would like a newborn shoot then please just get in touch with me!

jane@picture-it-big.co.uk

Tel: 07868 750505

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!