5 Top Baby Photography Mistakes
Baby photography, which is also called newborn photography, is a field of photography that has gained huge popularity in the last few decades. People are becoming more fascinated with documenting the growth of their babies in beautiful photos. From the time the baby is in the womb (maternity photography) to the first few days of the baby on earth, knowing what and how to shoot can distinguish you out from many photographers out there.
However, baby photography, like product photography and others, is a delicate filed where it is easy to make mistakes. A simple mistake can cost you a lot. That is why you need to avoid them at all costs. In this post, I have highlighted the 5 most common baby photography mistakes you need to avoid for the best result.
#1: Having Little Knowledge about Babies and Newborns
This I usually the first mistake most beginner newborn photographers make when starting out. You need to do enough research about newborns before you even go into that field in the first place. These little creatures require special care and attention. From room temperature to feeding times, sleep schedules, and handling, you need to know what they need. When you have enough knowledge about them, it will help you prepare ahead of time.
Know how your studio should be conditioned. Know how to carry and support them. All these will help you have a great session and you will be able to produce photos your clients will love.
#2: Expecting To Get It Right at the First Go
Baby photography is also a challenging field of photography. Both physically and emotionally, it can be draining, especially when you are a beginner. As a beginner, you will need to learn the curve to getting the best photos. Working with babies that just won’t cooperate, mastering poses, and setting your camera angles all require learning and experience. So don’t get discouraged or frustrated if things don’t work as you expected at the first go.
Understand that you are not going to be a professional straight away. So start simpler poses, perfect them and then try another one.
#3: Not Scheduling Enough Time for Baby Photography Sessions
When planning to shoot newborns, you need to plan enough time for the job. Babies have a certain sleeping and feeding schedule. And when you add in the time to change diapers and the time to rock them to sleep, you may be spending up to 2 hours or more for a session.
Ensure you schedule enough time to photograph the baby. Also, spare enough time for your client to feed, change, and lay the baby to sleep during the session. Doing this will convince your client that you really knew what their baby needed and you created time for that during the session. This is a good way of earning extra referrals for yourself.
If you will be having the shoot in your studio, it is recommended you have all your props ready to go. Make sure everything is ready before your client arrive so you can quickly start photographing the baby on arrival without wasting any time.
#4: Not properly using heaters and Heating Pads
The skin of babies and newborns is very thin and sensitive – even to natural direct sunlight. So using heating pads can burn the skin of the baby. If you must use heating pads, make sure you place them in the posing spot before you place the baby.
However, if you can get a space heater, that would be a better alternative. It will make the baby more comfortable while also reducing any form of accidents. But don’t keep the heater too close to where the baby will be posed. Better still, if you can use the space heater to heat up the space before your clients arrive will produce a warm and safer space.
#5: Only Taking Pictures of Sleeping Babies
Although sleeping babies do make the session a whole lot easier, not all babies will be asleep all through. Shooting babies while they are wide awake can also produce amazing and touching photos that the parents will love. It may seem difficult to get their attention when they are wide awake, you can use something close to their eyes to quickly catch their attention.
When the baby is awake, you can convert it to that perfect time when dad and mom get to hold the baby close to their faces. You can make baby and mommy interact or involve siblings in the shoot. Capturing the parents changing or feeding the baby can make for sweet memories during this time of the baby’s year.
Final thought
Although baby photography can be gratifying, it is important you avoid some mistakes that can prevent you from having a successful baby photo session. Don’t just make your clients love the photos; let them also enjoy the experience. Be sure to check out our Newborn section of our Wow Photo studios Site.
