Hi friends! I am back. Finally. After more than a month away from home, I am finally back from all of my trips. I am working on getting everything up to date as soon as possible. I have been neglectful in answering comments, it is amazing how my real life and virtual life seem to get in the way of each other.
We are going to start talking about posing for pictures. Today, we are talking about infants. Young infants, that cannot sit up on their own yet. I usually do these type of pictures indoors with my drapes. Rolled towels are your best friend when it comes to these type of pictures. Roll towels up until they are thickly rolled and a couple of feet in length.
The classic side shot, is a great one to get with young babies. Lay them on their side and slip your rolled towel underneath your drape and under their back to keep the on their side.
The sitting up shot involves curling your towels into semi circles and placing your baby in the center with their head on the towel. I have also used a boppy for this pose and it seems to work really well.
This side laying pose is also done with the Boppy or towels. The baby and Boppy are just moved to the side.
One of your best allies in baby pictures is to get the parents involved. Some hate the idea of it but love it when it is done, so it is kind of a battle. Holding the hands of a baby that can’t normally stand so they can stand up is one option. Holding the baby in their arms with their hands cupping the little one’s head is a precious shot for the very young baby especially.
Don’t forget pictures of their little hands and feet. This is also a wonderful one to include mom or dad on.
Newborn shots can be frustrating because newborns can’t be bribed or asked to do something. Stay patient and I am sure you will get the shots you want.
Just something I've noticed from other photographers, when you are doing pictures of infants (especially the cute naked pictures) keep a warm blow dryer on hand, and blow it on them so they don't get cold. But make sure it's set on warm, and keep it a ways away.
-Katie
Good tips! I think it's also so important that parents properly prepare for a newborn shoot — scheduling the shoot around the little one's eating and sleeping schedule instead of trying to fit it in makes the difference between a happy and/or sleeping baby and a cranky/hungry/tired baby (which makes for a cranky mom and a frustrated photographer). We did a marathon shoot last year of Pudge for holiday calendars and it worked out well because he was awake for a few and then asleep for the rest. 🙂
Wonderful! I need to pass this along to our daughter so she can take good pics of Little Henry!
LOVE these tips! I can't wait to photograph babies again! And your pics are totally awesome so since you don't live next to me, I must memorize this whole post!!!