kelly brown newborn posing guide

5/28/2018 Kelly Brown Newborn Posing Guide

1/36Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 1

posingnewbornsBy Kelly Brown



Creating the Perfect Environment

1

Using Natural Light Communicating with the Parents

Settling Techniques Posing on a Bean Bag Using Props

Posing with Siblings

2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11

Composite Images More on Safety Title of Chapter here

Posing with Parents Working with Multiples

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Chapter 1Creating the Perfect

Environment

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To create the perfect environment, it is importantto understand the environment that babies come

from.

Creating the

Perfect Environment

The temperature inside the mothers womb is 38 C /

100 Fahrenheit. Because newborns cannot regulate

their body temperature as well as an adult can it needs

to be protected from both cold and heat. Its best to

warm the studio to 28 degrees Celsius/ 82 degrees

Fahrenheit. You can do this with a small space heaterand another larger heater that has a thermostat.

Its important to keep an eye on the temperature

throughout the session and to also make sure the par-

ents are comfortable with the temperature.

The womb is also full of sounds, particularly the

whooshing of the mothers blood and digestive sys-

tem, and the thumping of her heart and voice, whichsounds louder than it would transmitted through the

air since it reverberates through the bones and fluids

in her body. Because of this, its good to play white

noise throughout the session on either an iPhone or

iPad and have a small heart beat rhythm playing as

well.



Chapter 2Use Natural Light



Using Natural Light

A great natural light scenario would be a large southeast facing window in

the studio with a sheer white curtain to diffuse the light.

Depending on where your studio is located and what your source of light is, you

may have to schedule your sessions around this. If the best light happens to

come in the morning, then youll want to try to book your sessions then. >>>

In this course,natural light is being used when working with newborns.



If your window has direct sunlight,

this can cause harsh shadows so dif-

fuse this with a sheer curtain.

Since the temperature of light may

vary depending on if its sunny or

cloudy, use a grey card in order to get

perfect white balance and exposure.

Angle your bag and props toward

the light so the light falls beautifully

across the babys face. By positioning

the baby at a 45-degree angle to the

light, you will softly highlight all of the

babys little features perfectly.

Use large reflectors to fill any shad-

ows when needed.


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Chapter 3Communicating with

the Parents



After the parents have contacted you for the first time,

send them information about what to expect from a new-

born session as well as when the session should take

place and where the session will be held. Refer to the sidebar

on the right for appropriate client information.

Communicating

with the Parents

Educate the client:Session

information & when to book

The best time to book a newborn session is

during the pregnancy. Make a tentative book-ing with the parents based on their due date

and then have them contact you when they

arrive home from the hospital with their new

baby. You can then arrange a suitable time and

date for the photo session.

The ideal time to photograph newborn babies

is around 6-10 days of age.

Its good to allow for plenty of time for feeding

and cuddling during the session, so it will take

between 2-4 hours. If your studio has lots of

props for you to choose from, involve the par-

ents in the styling of the session.

At Little Pieces Photography, the session fee

covers the custom-styled photography and a

private online gallery. The private online gal-

lery will display approximately 20 images, each

personally and creatively edited by Kelly. The

session fee does not include any prints or digi-

tal negatives but will be deducted from the cli-

ents choice of package when ordering.

Once a session time and date has been confirmed, let them

know to wear something cool and comfortable, and to try

and avoid logos and patterns on shirts that could be dis-tracting in the photographs.

At the beginning of the session, ask the parents if there is

anything in particular that they would like. Some will have

very clear ideas and others will say I love everything Ive

seen of yours! At the end of the day, they have come to

you as a professional photographer to capture the newest,

most precious member of their family so they can remem-

ber every little detail about them at that age. Talking to

your client and understanding what they want, as we are

all different, is very important. Its great to get the clients

involved in the styling of the session. At Little Pieces Pho-

tography, over the last couple of years, the sales have been

higher as the clients have had input on colour selection and

the choices in props used. >>>



Fill your studio with colours and props

that you love, and have fun with your

clients. Its better for them to love all of

the photos because they were involvedthan to have them be unhappy because

items were chosen without their input.

Some clients will come to you because

they love your work and some will come

to you because you are the closest and

most convenient and others because of

your reputation. Understanding what

your client wants will not only help yoursales, but giving them the service they

deserve will encourage them to spread

the word about your business. The best

form of advertising is word of mouth!


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Chapter 4Settling Techniques


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Posing Newborns by Kelly Brown 12

Settling Techniques

When the family arrives, the baby may or may not already

be asleep. The baby should be asleep for the session, so

you may have to spend time getting the baby settled.

If the baby is hungry, it is best for them to feed before the ses-

sion starts so that the session doesnt have to be interrupted.

Ask the mom or dad to undress and loosely wrap the baby, leav-

ing the nappy between their legs before they feed so that they

are not disturbed if they fall asleep while feeding.

If the baby is sound asleep when they arrive, you can start the

session straight away.

When settling the baby while they are awake and fed, loosely

wrap the baby and gently rock him or her back and forth. This

is reminiscent of the movements they experienced in the womb,

as they had been gently tumbling and floating in amniotic fluid.

If the baby is upset with a pain or wind, place them upright onyour shoulder and move them gently from side to side, patting

their back. If they become too unsettled, you can pass them

back to their mother for comforting.

Once they are asleep, place them down gently either on the bag

or in a prop.


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Chapter 5

Posing on a bag


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Posing on a Bag

When setting the posing bag up, its good

to layer it with up to 5 blankets and clamp

them to the backdrop stand so its nice and

smooth.

As every baby is different, you should go

through a series of poses. If they are not

comfortable in one pose, move onto the

next one.

When working on the posing bag, use cloth

nappies, because they are firm when they

are folded, to raise and support the baby

into position from underneath the bottom

layer of blankets. >>>

A

ny beanbag would be good for posing

the newborns on, but it would be ideal

to use a posing pod. A posing pod is per-fect because of its flat-topped shape and large

size, making it safe and easy to pose on. You

can purchase posing bags at the following two

places:

Newborn Baby Posing Limited

Shoot baby

http://www.newbornbabyposing.com/%20http://www.shootbaby.com/http://www.shootbaby.com/http://www.newbornbabyposing.com/%20


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Its good to flow/transition from

the babys back, to side, to tum-

my. This helps to keep them set-

tled when posing them. Start

with the baby on their back,

usually with a wrap around the

baby to keep their legs and

arms secure.

When photographing down-

wards, always keep the camera

strap around your neck!

A 24-70mm lens is a good range,

allowing you to photograph

without standing on anything

where you could potentially be-

come unstable and fall.

With the baby posed on his or

her back, you can get a least 3

different angles for photos with

very small movements of the

babies hands.

>>>


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Chapter 6Use props to createvisual interest


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Using Props

U

sing props is a great way to add

visual interest to your images,

and to get the parents involved

in crafting the session. Refer to page 21

for resources on what kinds of props to

use and where to buy them. >>>


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Props Resources

When choosing props, Little Pieces Photography looks for items that are unique and in natural tones.

Anything wooden or metal is great. You can shop online, in antique shops or homeware stores.

For knitted and handmade items,

try the following:

Brand New Babe

Love That Prop

Monkey Moo Moo

Little Doe

Love that Prop

Faas Design

Handmadebylululu Sewing My Passion

For larger props like blankets, buckets, crates &

nests, visit the following:

Etsy

Ebay

Picsie Props

Drops and Props

JD Vinatage

Mr. & Mrs. And Co.

Local antique stores

Homeware stores


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Chapter 7Posing newborns with

the siblings


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When posing newborns with their older brothers or

sisters, keep it really simple and photograph them at

the beginning of the session while theyre nice and

interested.

Wrap the baby so they feel secure and so its easy

for the siblings to hold them. This will also prevent

the baby from startling.

For siblings under three, I like to lay them down and

place the baby in their arms, I have mom or dad nice

and close in case they move as well. By laying them

down, it avoids the baby from falling if the toddler

decides theyve had enough and jumps up.

With older siblings, I will place the baby in their arms

while theyre sitting comfortably on the floor.

Posing with Siblings

{ }Parents absolutely

love the sibling shots


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Chapter 8

Posing newborns withthe parents


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Posing with

the Parents

Not every parent will want to be in the

photos but its always encourage them

to be in them because its such a special

time. Tell them that if they dont like them they

dont have to buy them, but they always do.

Photograph the parents separately first,

and then together. Make it all about the

baby. This also helps the parents relax a bitmore as well. Take a series of images of the

parents looking at their baby, then looking

at the camera and then interacting with

their baby and each other.

When photographing the dads, show them

first how to hold the baby and then talk

them through the photo. Ask first if theyre

comfortable with taking their shirt off for askin-to-skin image. >>>


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When positioning the baby with

the Mum I like them to hold thebaby close to their face, this is

a great way to capture the con-

nection and love between them.

Most mothers will be feeling a

little self conscious about their

bodies after birth so this is a

great way to come in close and

shoot from the chest up.

When photographing the par-

ents together, bring the dad in

from the side and turn them to-

wards each other so the baby is

in the middle. Talking to them

during the images and guide

them on what to do.


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Chapter 9Working with Multiples


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Working with

Multiples

When photographing more than

one newborn, plan on doing 2-3

set ups with the babies together

and then photographing them separately

in an additional 2-3 set ups.

The perfect time to photograph babies

the babies together is when theyre

both asleep.

Try using larger baskets and props like

washtubs to pose twins and triplets in

together.

The length of the session and the ses-

sion fee can remain the same when

photographing multiples as its import-

ant to remember that the parents are

usually sleep deprived so its good to

get the session over as quickly as pos-

sible. You can do fewer individual set-

ups with twins as you will photograph

them together and those setups take a

little longer achieve.


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Chapter 10Composite images


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Composite Images

There are some poses that will require some

Photoshop compositing. This means that youwill have to take more than one image (with

the camera in the same exact location) and them

merge them later in order to remove things such as

a supporting hand. Whenever you see a newborn

photo where it appears that the baby is holding his

or her head up with their hands, the image was com-

posited. >>>


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Composite images are the best way to really ensure the safety

of the baby when it comes to this pose. You dont have to of-

fer certain poses like the wrapped sitting upright or the froggy

pose but every now and then a parent will request them.

Its important for the parent to understand how the images are

created and what they have to do to help.

Inform the parents that if the baby becomes uncomfortable at

any stage, you will move onto the next setup. It can be good to

leave these poses until the end of the session anyway. The baby

also needs to be extremely sleepy for these setups.

You dont want to attempt these images on your own for the

first time.


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Chapter 11Important Safety Tips


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More on Safety

T

he safety of the baby is the most important aspect of your

session. Parents will also feel more comfortable throughout

the session knowing their baby is in safe hands

Always have a spotter/parent next to your baby when using props.

Use a support hand or finger when posing the baby and clone it

out later in Photoshop.

Dont force a baby into any pose. Instead, move them to where they

are comfortable.

Have your camera strap around your neck when shooting above

the baby.

Never stand on anything above the baby in case you fall or it breaks.

Never put a baby inside or on an object that could potentially break

or fall.

Glass props should never be used.

Lastly, when photographing newborns, it doesnt have to be compli-

cated. More often than not, less is best. Capturing the tiny details

that parents want to remember about their baby is what sells, not

the most elaborate, tricky setups.


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P N b b K ll B 36

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kelly brown newborn posing guide

Documents

posing newborns

best light

source of light

temperature of light

props towardthe light

regulatetheir body temperature

mothers womb

sheer white curtain