I got the chance to take photos for newborn baby, Dorothy, today, and though it was a very short photo shoot, I had a lot of fun with her. She’s only 7 days old and she knows how to smile gorgeously. Here are some of the photos I took:
While taking photos for a baby who is sleeping most of the time seems easy because there are no tantrums, there are some important points I picked up:
1. Keep the room warm. (I think that) Newborns look best naked, or at least only with diapers on, so it’s important to make sure the room where the photo shoot will take place is kept nice and warm.
2. Make sure the material or fabric the baby will be lying on is soft and not prickly. Newborns have very sensitive skin.
3. Use natural lighting as much as you can help it. In the event that the newborn happens to open her eyes, flash may hurt her eyes. And, well, the baby looks great in natural lighting. So be sure to use a room that gets ample natural lighting.
4. Be prepared for poop, pee or spit up. If the baby is going to be totally naked, either line the material the baby is lying on with something that can catch poop or pee, or just be prepared to soil the material in the event that baby decides to answer nature’s call.
5. Observe the baby’s physical condition and plan the shoot accordingly. In the case of Dorothy, the skin on the front of her body was peeling (this happens to newborn babies sometimes) but her back was okay, so I covered her tummy area whenever I took front view shots of her.
6. Ask the parents if they know what makes the baby smile. Newborns may not know how to smile, but some of them already know how to respond to sounds. In Dorothy’s case, her Mummy, Betty, was able to tell me what she has been calling Dorothy since she was born 7 days ago. When I used the words her Mummy used, Dorothy actually smiled. Priceless.
7. Keep the room where the shoot is private. In other words, if there are other people at home that may cause distractions or disruptions to the photo shoot, request that they stay outside the room until the photo shoot is over.
8. Be alert. Newborns, or rather, all babies for that matter, will make an expression when you least expect it. so always be ready to capture the moments.
9. As long as the parents are okay with it, and the positions or poses are reasonable and not physically threatening to the baby, don’t be afraid to try different poses. Newborns are excellent because the photographer can gently change the poses for them.
10. Keep the photo shoot short, sharp and precise. I took about one hour with Dorothy. I think I may have stretched it by 30 more minutes at the most.
Newborns change their looks pretty much by the days, so it’s really nice to capture how they look like when they are still so small. I’m glad I got to do it for Dorothy. =)
Mummy Priscilla 