Steps To Creating Newborn Photography Harrisburg PA Professionals Will Approve Of

By Gregory Smith


Amateurs often have the mistaken idea photographing newborns is a snap. The experts say the reality is something different. Taking great pictures of infants is as difficult and challenging as it is fun and rewarding. They share some steps for creating newborn photography Harrisburg PA parents will be standing in line to sign up for.

Safety and comfort should always be your number one priority. Little babies are fragile, especially their skulls and bones. Any props you use that put the baby off the ground at all, like bassinets and elevated baskets, have to be tested and weighted before the shoot to make sure they won't slip or fall over. Playing soft music and using a space heater to keep the area warm will help keep the infant sleeping.

You have to be careful about the lighting. Babies have sensitive eyes. This is not the kind of shoot where you want to use pop up flashes. You can use an external flash as long as you aim it at the ceiling and keep it low enough that you don't startle the baby awake. Most pros prefer ambient lighting when photographing infants. Natural light is a great option if there is a window in the studio, and you are shooting at the right time of day.

Most photographers of infants like to set up shoots within the first ten days after birth. Five to ten day seems to be optimum. During this time period, infants are almost always asleep, which makes posing and photographing them a lot easier. After ten days, infants start to move and stretch more making it more challenging to get great shots.

You have to prepare your poses prior to the shoot. A good assistant can help you with keeping the infant in position. Making sure that whatever positions you put the child in are safe and natural is extremely important.

Some of the most popular poses including having their heads propped on their arms or hands while laying on their stomachs. A lot of photographers lay babies on their backs and let them strike the pose that's most natural for them. Some infants curl up in balls. These can be great photos.

Positioning babies naturally is great, but so is dressing them in unusual costumes and posing them in unusual environments. You can coordinate with the parents first. They might have ideas about toys and outfits that have special significance to them. The more unusual the costume and setting the better for these shoots, as long as the baby is safe and content.

Zoom in and focus on the details. Some of the best infant photography is nothing more than a close up of the baby's hands or feet. Parents love these pictures because they have a forever reminder of just how tiny their little one actually was. One good tip is to incorporate some kind of prop juxtaposed against the infant's hands or feet to emphasize their tininess.




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