Newborn Session

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

We typically spend a few hours on a newborn session... as they dictate the pace. From feeding...changing... screaming... lol..etc. We scheduled this as a very late session as all of our schedules didn't line up and she would have been much older than 14 days by the time we could photograph her.

The shoot started at 8... ended at midnight.

She never really went to sleep... fully alert most of the time... and constantly flailing her arms and legs. Kristy my partner would pose her... think she was out... and 2 seconds later... she was swimming or running...eyes wide open.... LOL crying..peeing.. pooping... flailing...eating... for 4 hours. Never seen anything like it before.

Had the heat up to 80+ ....Mom had a cd going of waves crashing to help with some soothing sounds...

I think we are going back to the hard fast rule... no newborns older than 10 days... all the newborns we have photographed have been 6-8 days old... and all they do is sleep... and that is a beautiful thing!

Here are few to share.... good times!
Hatch

01

Jessica Newborn Session by hatch1921, on Flickr

02

Jessica Baby Session by hatch1921, on Flickr

03

Jessica Baby Session by hatch1921, on Flickr

04

Jessica Baby Session by hatch1921, on Flickr

Rebekah5280 · May 28, 2011

Do you have any color pictures?

Derrel · May 28, 2011

These will some day become treasured family heirlooms. The expression of the baby in the last picture, looking at the camera, is superb!!! The first shot, with the mom holding the baby to her bosom is also super!

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

Rebekah5280 said:
Do you have any color pictures?

Nope

Client purchased these in black and white

Hatch

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

Derrel said:
These will some day become treasured family heirlooms. The expression of the baby in the last picture, looking at the camera, is superb!!! The first shot, with the mom holding the baby to her bosom is also super!

Thank you very much Derrel. I appreciate the kind words.
Hatch

Rebekah5280 · May 28, 2011

I agree, they are great!

I ask about colored pics because I always have issues with skin tone.. Black and white always look fine, but colored newborn photos are hard!

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

Rebekah5280 said:
I agree, they are great!

I ask about colored pics because I always have issues with skin tone.. Black and white always look fine, but colored newborn photos are hard!

They were all shot in color

Are you shooting raw?
Are you using a custom white balance?
Are you shooting a gray card to help with the white balance in post?

Babies can be red and splotchy.... you can fix a lot of this in post.

Here is a color version....

LINK TO PHOTO

The forum was really resizing the shot...

Rebekah5280 · May 28, 2011

Yes, I shoot in Raw.

I set my white balance.

I have not heard of shooting a gray card to help in post. What Why and How?

I really appreciate your help. Its hard to get my questions answered. I just finished a photography class, but it was mainly on my DSLR and Aperature/SS/ISO ect... I'm learning as I'm going and trying to absorb as much as I can from books, internet and from anyone who is willing to help me out.

Rebekah5280 · May 28, 2011

I just love the creamy tone of the babies skin and how "bright" the portrait is. This is what I'm trying to recreate in the pictures of my baby girl, and my friend's babies. Everyone thinks my pictures are great, but I want them to be so much more!!

I'll be learning for life!

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

White balance card or target

Video showing how to set your white balance

Color Checker Passport....

Here it is on B&H

Should help get you going in the right direction

Hatch

Rebekah5280 · May 28, 2011

Thank you so much Hatch. I really appreciate the information.

PhotoTish · May 28, 2011

I like these - photo 4 has captured such a great expression on the baby's face :thumbup:

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

Rebekah5280 said:
Thank you so much Hatch. I really appreciate the information.

Yo uare very welcome

PhotoTish said:
I like these - photo 4 has captured such a great expression on the baby's face :thumbup:

Thank you very much

Glad you like them

Hatch

dallasimagery · May 28, 2011

I like em, in #1 she looks uncomfrotable and hunched over; not very graceful (which most women like to be portrayed as). I like the composition and angle. Would like to see her kissing his head maybe.

2 - Decent also, I'd clone out the baby's right foot. The chunkiness of her arm is really standing out here because of the square angle and also because her arm is a bit flabby; to minimize that I would have shot with her arm angling off in the distance. As it stands, I'd use liquify to pull it in. This pose is almost cliche these days, but I still like it. It really focuses on the baby. Almost any person in this pose would have their arm look somewhat flabby, I'd suggest a tighter crop like this (also, notice the rim light helping to pull the baby out of the black background; I also carefully positioned her hand to make it appear graceful here):

3 - Another cliche' pose, but I still like it and it's done well here.

4 - I really like this one... baby almost looks like a little monkey here. Like the others, I love his expression! Nice catch

Also, the light is a bit flat (where are the shadows to give them three-dimensionality?) and I'd like to see a rim light to help pull them out of that black background.

They're also nice and sharp...

Hatch1921 · May 28, 2011

All poses are cliche... it's all been done.

#2 is the Dad.. not the Mom... arm was worked on... took it to a point I thought was acceptable.

#3 All poses are cliche... it's all been done before...

Your shot... no light in the babies eyes... dead eyes... doesn't do anything for me. would have moved the light to not cast as shadow from right to left on the baby... black and white conversion is nice.

Thanks for the comments.
Hatch