Pregnancy shooting

[Chr1stof]

I posted a question over in the portraits section but didnt get much response, hope its OK to ask the same thing here
We are expecting our first baby, its only early days and the bump is not really showing yet (15 weeks). I would like to try and document the pregnancy and maybe make a little montage type thing. Sounds cheesey and probably been done a million times but I just think it would be nice.
Problem is I havent a clue how to go about it, I am a novice and still at the bottom of a steep learning curve. Obviously I dont have a studio and it will be hard to control conditions etc to get a consistent look. I would very much appreciate any tips and advice on how to get some shots I will treasure!

Kit is- canon 550d, EF28-135mm, Nifty 1.8

Thanks for any advice

 

[Garry Edwards]

Yes, it's been done a million times - but with other people's babies, not yours, so you really do need to get some shots that both of you will treasure.

If you look on t'internet you'll find plenty of examples from frankly terrible to brilliant. The basic trick with any shot that you like is to deconstruct it, working out from the shadows and highlights exactly how it was lit.

The best ones are generally low key nudes, using shadow to emphasise the bump and hide the bits that you won't want other people to see - good lighting is about creating shadows.

It's pretty simple, but the easiest way to do it is to use a technique known as rim lighting, where the light comes from the side and a bit behind. And the best tool for the job is a strip softbox (this is a folding one but cheaper, non-folding ones work just as well) fitted with a honeycomb. The honeycomb stops the light from spreading where it isn't wanted and is also a massive help in preventing lens flare. The softbox should really be fitted to a studio flash head, but at a pinch can also be used with a hotshoe flash and an adapter