Newborn photo advice

[runnergirl]

I will start by saying, I am a beginner, I never plan to go pro, I never plan to charge money, and I have a beginner DSLR camera. I am not looking to be a professional photographer; I'm a doctor and am doing some photography in my spare time. I have a Sony alpha200 with a kit lens and a Sony HVL-F42AM external flash and a cheap tripod...maybe if I get good and stick with it I will upgrade later, but for now this is very much a beginner package.

My sister is having her first baby in May and she lives very far from me. I will be visiting for 5 days and would love to get some great photos of my new nephew and was wanting some basic newborn advice. I know all the functions of my camera and I do not plan on positioning the baby in unusual poses, and of course I would not do anything unsafe to him. Beyond that: do you have any specific advice that has helped you in photographing newborns?

Again, not charging, my sister expects no professional photos (I don't even think she knows I bought a new camera), and I just want to really capture the most I can in those first few days of his life because it only happens once!

 

[cgipson1]

if you want to take some great photos for baby may be you want to see /QUOTE]

After some hits on that Blog, are you? Not much out there I would call accurate!

 

[Dao]

if you want to take some great photos for baby may be you want to see this

After some hits on that Blog, are you? Not much out there I would call accurate!

Look at all the posts that user post, I am sure he/she/it is a spammer.

 

[cgipson1]

I will start by saying, I am a beginner, I never plan to go pro, I never plan to charge money, and I have a beginner DSLR camera. I am not looking to be a professional photographer; I'm a doctor and am doing some photography in my spare time. I have a Sony alpha200 with a kit lens and a Sony HVL-F42AM external flash and a cheap tripod...maybe if I get good and stick with it I will upgrade later, but for now this is very much a beginner package.

My sister is having her first baby in May and she lives very far from me. I will be visiting for 5 days and would love to get some great photos of my new nephew and was wanting some basic newborn advice. I know all the functions of my camera and I do not plan on positioning the baby in unusual poses, and of course I would not do anything unsafe to him. Beyond that: do you have any specific advice that has helped you in photographing newborns?
AAgain, not charging, my sister expects no professional photos (I don't even think she knows I bought a new camera), and I just want to really capture the most I can in those first few days of his life because it only happens once!

You will need to use supplemental lighting. Your body is not good at High ISO (I think 3200 is max , if I remember correctly.. and shouldn't really be used over 800.. too much noise).

If you are planning on posing the baby.. try to be very careful.. make sure the child is well supported (If you are a doc, you know this already, right? Have mom assist by holding the baby as much as possible). Use your flash to bounce light.. of the wall, ceiling, a large bounce card.. whatever seems the most logical. I would suggest using Aperture priority.. since the baby probably wont be moving much, and that allow you to control the DOF better. Try to pick an area to shoot that has decent backgrounds, and try to use DOF to blur the background a bit if you can. Avoid hokey props (like a headband with a flower that is bigger than the babies head).

Many baby shots are composites... put together in Photoshop, as there is less risk to the child that way. Many poses have had the mom's arm or hands cloned out... as the mom was holding the baby during the shot. be careful.. have fun!

 

[cgipson1]

if you want to take some great photos for baby may be you want to see

After some hits on that Blog, are you? Not much out there I would call accurate!

Look at all the posts that user post, I am sure he/she/it is a spammer.

I agree! I did report it.. left it up to the mods to determine actual value!

 

[TheInformer]

Newborn photography comes with experience. I would start by reading up as much as you can. Do not try any un-natural positioning because that can seriously hurt a newborn if you do not know what you are doing. Also, I would def suggest natural light for newborn photography. If you have large windows anywhere, put a white sheet over the windows to diffuse the light and use a nice solid blanket or something on the floor for a bed for the baby. A book I would suggest on picking up is: Sleeping Beauties: Newborns in Dreamlandhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416205772

 

[runnergirl]

Thanks for the tips- I will definitely check out that book. The sheet over the window is a good idea. And yes I do realize many poses are stitched together, not at that level so don't worry I won't do anything crazy! And I'm a pediatrician so of course I will handle him delicately. .

I am having my first baby in September so between my nephew and my own baby it will be good to have subjects for photos that can help improve my photography...right now I have trouble trying to think of things to photograph other than plants and my hyperactive dogs!

 

[WhiskeyTango]

If you have the opportunity, try to shoot him at 10 days old or less. You'll see less baby acne.

Try to keep the room as warm as you can get it. Its fine if the adults are uncomfortably warm, the idea is to keep baby from being cold. Newborns think anything below 98.6 is cold...

Try to shoot immediately after he's eaten.

If you want shots of baby naked with mom/dad holding him, make sure you warn them that they'll likely get wet, and that's ok. You can always clean it up. If/when he goes, try to hold him at arm's length so that you can avoid clothing changes for mom/dad. Put a plastic backed table cloth on the floor. It'll minimize cleanup and keep folks from worrying about it.