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Question from Zoe: “what is the best way to photograph newborns and toddlers?”
Renae: How long is a piece of string? That’s a very general question you asked
Renae: Newborns and toddlers are completely seperate genres
Allie: With patience.
Renae: What are you wanting to know specifically Zoe? Lenses to use? Shooting environment?
A Vineyard: I love photographing Toddlers! HAvent done too many newborns, but have 2 on the way : ) For me, I make sure they are in a comfortable enviroment, maybe their house, a park they go to, etc, and have mom. dad, or both with us. I let the kid explore and I keep shooting. You don’t know what the kid will do and you don’t want to miss it because lets face it, some toddlers are FAST!! so make sure that shutter speed is fast enough. if the kid actually sits down for a pose have the parents behind you if you want the kid to look at you. one thing I have found with my kid clients, is that they LOVE keys (ages 6months- 1.5 years) so have mom have her keys, shake them behind you and get ready for giggles! Keep snapping and don’t get discouraged!! : )
Beth: Just from my own experience of having my son (2yrs.) photographed, it seems like toddlers are either super outing going or shy around strangers and a total stranger telling them “Smile!” “Look over here!”, etc. only makes the shyer ones super uncomfortable which leads to bad pictures. Most newborns aren’t going to respond positively to a stranger either. So I would suggest letting the parents be the ones to talk to the kids, just to keep them more relaxed and comfortable so you can just be “a fly one the wall” and get those awesome candid *genuine* smiles. 🙂
Jamie- Davis Photographer: 20% photography/80% child entertainer with toddlers. get used to being with & playing with kids for a while before even getting the camera out. a little knowledge of child psychology helps too. knowing about how to communicate with a three year old. once u can do all that without scaring the hell out of them, taking a portrait is the same as with an adult.
Renae: In my experience I’ve found that the kids play up more when the parents are around. When I take the kids off to do our own thing without mum n dad they’re more cooperative
Katie: Newborns: keep them warm. Have parents turn off the a/c, invest in a good space heater, preferably one that makes noise. Be patient. Most of my newborn sessions take about 4 hours. They do the best before they hit the 14 day mark (I rarely take a newborn over 10 days). Invest in waterproof pads and learn to layer your posing blankets/backdrops. Keep an extra set of clothes in your car, because you WILL get peed on. Know that babies need to eat/nurse every 1.5-2 hours, learn to recognize early signs of hunger so you don’t end up with a super angry baby and a worried Mom.
Toddlers: Keep a smile on your face and encourage a laid-back atmosphere. If Mom and Dad are tense, their kids will be tense (and most of them are – they don’t call them ‘terrorist toddlers’ for nothin’). Bribery works wonders. Find out what the kid is really into before the day of your session – knowing that Little Johnny loves Elmo and hates Dora can be a big help. I ask my toddler clients a lot of questions to keep them interested and looking my direction: we talk about their house, their pets, their grandparents, their siblings, the trees, whatever it is that will keep them interested.
And as it’s been said – the 6-18 month crowd LOVES a set of jingly keys. I don’t understand it, but they’re awfully handy.
Cheryl: All of the above plus bubbles…..bubbles are great and you get some really fun pics….also the kids I have shot do better away from parents…nearby but not really close….within eyesight at the park or site
Kayleigh: Newborn photography is something I still want to work on for my own portfolio. I am working towards saving up to go to a newborn workshop so that I can learn the best ways to do it. All the advice and tutorial videos in the world won’t compare to being there and being hands on with the fresh bunch. For right now I just keep them warm and comfortable and pose them in simple, sweet ways that show off their faces, feet and hands.
For toddlers, patience is key. Remember that they don’t understand what it means to just sit still and pose for the camera. Catch them in their element as they run around and play (obviously this is advice for lifestyle type photos, not studio) and just try to keep up!
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