The Perfect Catch- Tips for Photographing Newborns

A couple months ago, I blogged about shooting my long time friend, Christina's Maternity session. Well her son Ryder finally arrived and I also was given the honor of shooting his Newborn Session.  These were all taken on location in Christina's living room and kitchen table. 

I absolutely love photographing Newborns.  A great tip to consider is that generally the best time to shoot newborns is within the first 7-10 days of their birth.  Newborns are usually sleeping most of the time during this period which allows us as the photographers to easily pose and "shape" them without disturbing the peace.

More Tips and Photos of Ryder after the jump:


- Mimic the Womb: Another awesome tip when photographing any newborn is to crank of the heat of room or direct area where you are working.  Newborns are used to their mothers womb and tend to tolerate the photo session better if we can mimic that environment.  This includes temperature.

-Personal Protective Equipment:  Many newborn sessions involve capturing that precious image of baby in the nude.  Babies often will not tolerate being naked and exposed for a long time without turning on the water works.  This is especially the case with boys.  Be on your toes and stay out of firing range.  I have experienced the pleasure of having my camera and myself micturated upon on numerous times.  To remedy this, keep the "naked time" to a minimum.  Get the shots and then get them diapered as soon as possible.

 - Make them Larger than Life:  This goes when photographing any age of children.  I see so many parents hold their little point and shoot camera straight out in front of them at chest level and snap away at a kid that is 3 feet tall.  Get down at their level!  Even if that means moving in to a belly crawl position.  As adults, we see children from a high perspective looking down.  We are subconsciously drawn to images that are from "different perspective" from where we see the world on a day to day basis.

Light the Eyes:  Make sure your are getting that nice catch light in the eyes of your subject. A catchlight is pure white reflection in the eye that originates from the light source that is illuminating your subject.  If your an amateur photographer or parent taking photos, fear not.  During the daytime, you can use a large window in your home to light your subject and provide that awesome must have catch light.  One of my pet peeves as a professional is when eyes are not properly lit or they lack a catch light.  Many natural light photographers are guilty of this. 

Some fun concepts are coming up.  Next Post: Marie Antoinette