Advice on baby photos

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jimmy83

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Iam going to attempt to take some half decent photos of my mates baby tomorrow. Can anyone lend any tips? I was thinking of using my 50mm 1.8 with my flashgun?

Thanks all :)
 
Even if it means lying on the floor get down to eye level with the baby, try to get a nice clean background, bounce the flash off something and stop the lens down a bit.
 
the most unflattering photos are ones from above where the baby is laying on their backs, avoid these types
 
paul_g said:
Even if it means lying on the floor get down to eye level with the baby, try to get a nice clean background, bounce the flash off something and stop the lens down a bit.
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:thumbs:
go on be a child again...and put on a funny hat for those looks
 
paul_g said:
Don't do funny hats but I've had a few cuddly toys attached to either the lens or the top of my head :D
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thats the ticket...shoot them when their guard ..or dummy tit..is down:thumbs:
 
paul_g said:
Even if it means lying on the floor get down to eye level with the baby, try to get a nice clean background, bounce the flash off something and stop the lens down a bit.
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Would it be best to bounce the flash off the celling?

I was thinking maybe photos of hands/feet etc?
 
Natalie_B said:
Patience is your key here !
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:plusone:

I did a friends 8 month baby boy old last weekend and it is alot of patience, getting down to their level, also get the parents to stand over your shoulder to atract his attension towards you.........
here's one from the set that i took, i used a 17-85mm IS with 430ex flashgun bounced of the ceiling.....
work.4489020.1.flat,550x550,075,f.jpg

:baby:
 
Theres nothing wrong with using flash, but why not try without? Use the light from a nice large bright window if you can and use a reflector. The nifty fifty is perfect by the way.

Ambient light:
Julia2Web1of1.jpg


This was with OCF shot through a diffuser:
Julia--mummy-BW-Web.jpg
 


get close... and smile
 
Does anyone have any setup images to show me what you would use when taking studio like images off babies?

I guess most use, umbrella, flash on camera, off camera flash gun, white bed sheet...anything else?
 
Took a load of baby photos on Sunday...and pretty much all of them are out of focus and blurred :( I think its because I needed to use a flash. Few examples...

IMG_3869.jpg


IMG_3877.jpg


This one, iam quite happy with.

IMG_3961.jpg
 
Sorry no studio ideas from me..... I took this of my daughter when she was 6 mths at home on the bed with white sheets using the light from the window....
4595767904_064332057b.jpg
 
And remember projectile vomit can cover larger distances than you think!!!
 
MrsG said:
Sorry no studio ideas from me..... I took this of my daughter when she was 6 mths at home on the bed with white sheets using the light from the window....
4595767904_064332057b.jpg
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What the hell, that it so nice and sharp! How did you manage that? :thinking:
 
Here's a line of premium on-camera flash units for those wide eyes and grabbing hands shots.

At least mine fits the hotshoe without modifications :naughty:
(Edit: Apparently mine is really really old and the new ones need cutting.. I need to upgrade! And sell the old one to a collector)

pez_lineup.jpg

(image shamelessly stolen from the 'net)

Oh and another flash off-camera doesn't hurt either :lol:
 
jimmy83 said:
What the hell, that it so nice and sharp! How did you manage that? :thinking:
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To be fair I had no idea at the time, only had the camera a couple of months. I wanted some nice "studio" style shots and it was practise practise practise....

EXIF info here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsgardner/4595767904/meta/

I called it Serenity.

Do you need to do studio shots for the baby? Can you do them at their house? In their garden under a shade? You just need the baby to be relaxed and happy...

How old is the baby?
 
MrsG said:
To be fair I had no idea at the time, only had the camera a couple of months. I wanted some nice "studio" style shots and it was practise practise practise....

EXIF info here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsgardner/4595767904/meta/

I called it Serenity.

Do you need to do studio shots for the baby? Can you do them at their house? In their garden under a shade? You just need the baby to be relaxed and happy...

How old is the baby?
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Thanks for the advice...baby is 2 weeks old now. Was just hoping for some really nice sharp images like yours really. Iam not bothered where they are taken.
 
jimmy83 said:
Thanks for the advice...baby is 2 weeks old now. Was just hoping for some really nice sharp images like yours really. Iam not bothered where they are taken.
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In that case go to their home - 2 weeks old... it'll just be sleeping and eating and maybe crying. Don't do the studio not for a 2wk old.
Sounds daft but get a nice crisp white sheet and drape it over Mum or Dad and the can hold the baby up a little to get a nice shot. Then you can get in close for hands and feet.

You could get the baby to grip the wedding bands (if married)... or you could try some Anne Geddes type shots. Given the age there won't be much more you can do. Bless. Weil I hope you can post a couple so we can see!
You will do a wonderful job. Don't try really hard, if you have an eye then you won't fail.

Good luck. Don't bother trying to get a smile either. Wait for the wind!
 
For newborns this sort of thing appears to be popular with my mums and dads, although tbh I pref more 'natural' shots, but what the customer wants pays the bills :thumbs:

dbc48bdd.jpg


b6c3d91d.jpg


Setup:
White vinyl BG, 2x Bowens 500R on BG screaned from subject. 1x Bowens 500R with 1m sqr softbox key with 1x silver brolly fill. (first image with BG lights off)
It's often a good idea to convert to B&W as newborns are often blotchy red little mites.
 
How about this - if you have a bean bag, put the baby on there on top of a white / neutral blanket.
You therefore do not have to get to baby level and you can get some interesting shots.
Alternatively, ask the mother to hold the baby and you work around her. If there is natural light, then utilise that.
That's what I did with Ruby....
img9588.jpg


and on Fathers Day (yes I know that it is not properly framed, but he's 4 months old and not keeping still!!)

img9658i.jpg


Have a look here and see some ideas ...

Maria & Suzanne

Enjoy !!!
 
Wow! Those are amazing photos. Can you suggest what I need to do to get nice sharp images? What P&P did you guys use?
 
I was looking back at pictures of my kids and noted thAt the majority of the pics have a lot of bogey action going on :) best to avoid this if possible.
 
Shutter speed is the key - for kids I never go below 1/60 and if possible try to go to 1/100 or as fast as I can. Plus having a good prime lens like a 50mm 1.4 helps!
 
Some good points to note on this thread, as i'm just starting with the baby photography too....

Took some pictures on sunday too, but of our 5 month old......first time trying to attempt studio style shots......can be found on this thread....

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=237713

I didnt think they came out too bad....we just got some black material and used it as the back drop and floor piece.....and on camera flash......could have benefited from an off camera too, but dont have the stand yet :(

Oh yes, and patience is the key....we only did these as a test, and its quite hard work....!
 
How about looking at some pro childrens photography to see if you can get inspiration from there? If you look at my blog which i just started, on the left hand side I have linked to a bunch of children's photographers which people suggested to me when I started a thread on the subject.


http://akphotographic.blogspot.com

hope it helps,
Dub

ps. some of them are not obviously children's photographers (or exclusively) - you might need to poke around in sections like 'lifestyle' or whatever..
 
Thanks for the comments people...keep them coming. I assume it would be better for me to use my 50 1.8 rather than my 24-105 L lens?
 
jimmy83 said:
Wow! Those are amazing photos. Can you suggest what I need to do to get nice sharp images? What P&P did you guys use?
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I had....

good natural light
50mm 1.4
patience
lots of time

I'm sure that you can replicate the above as long as you have a fast lens - like others have said - they don't tend to stay still for long, unless they are sleeping!

Good luck :lol:
 
got a sneak peak at the pro my wife insisted we visit - here

I like the first one, not blown away though!
Sure that there are some more when we visit the studio to select the images we like.
 
MrsG said:
Have you taken any yet??
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Ive only taken those at the beginning of this thread. Ive not seen my neice this week to take any more. What lens would you suggest I use?
 
potty luck...getting a parent to hold them helps...but remember to shave and comb your hair
 
Shave and comb your hair?!! Iam always clean shaven...but havent used a comb for 10years!:lol:
 
jimmy83 said:
Ive only taken those at the beginning of this thread. Ive not seen my neice this week to take any more. What lens would you suggest I use?
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Your 50mm 1.8 should be fine - looking at the exif on the your earlier shots, the two blurry ones are shot using iso 200 and a very slow shutter speed, which is why they are blurry. The one that you are happy with is shot using iso 400 and a faster shutter speed, so put the iso up to 400 and get a shutter speed of 1/60 or more and you'll be fine :)
Try converting some of the shots to black and white as well, some baby shots look great in black and white.
 
blacksheep said:
Your 50mm 1.8 should be fine - looking at the exif on the your earlier shots, the two blurry ones are shot using iso 200 and a very slow shutter speed, which is why they are blurry. The one that you are happy with is shot using iso 400 and a faster shutter speed, so put the iso up to 400 and get a shutter speed of 1/60 or more and you'll be fine :)
Try converting some of the shots to black and white as well, some baby shots look great in black and white.
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Thanks alot for the advice...well yeah one with ISO 400-was on auto! I was trying out AV mode, and didnt seem to get anywhere. Thanks for the B&W tip.

mrcrow said:


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well i do comb it if i have to...its been a hard days getting up
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I thought I was grumpy! :p
 
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