Baby Photography | ollie | ireland
This little man stole my heart. These images from Ollies baby photography session, in my home studio in Belfast, really tells you everything you need to know about his personality. Sweet, happy, full of laughs, inquisitive and he is obviously adorable! Our session was nice and early in the morning so he was rested and ready to play.
take your time
I let my little visitors take their time to explore the new space. We always take some time out to make friends before we start the baby photography session. It is so important to me to make sure my kids always feel comfortable and relaxed during the session and to know that they are going to have fun. The worst thing is taking you children somewhere new and then demanding so much from them. A photography session can be very demanding for babies and small children. It is stressful, they don’t understand what is expected or you want from them and they are often in a new environment with new faces and distractions.
The more like play you can make it, the better! Keep them calm and always have back up poses and choices if the ones you plan aren’t working out. Never try to force a pose that a baby isn’t enjoying.
NATURAL IMAGES
Candids always capture the babies true personality and i think they have more life and energy in each image. I love lifestyle photography as well as portraits.
I used my nikon with my favourite ‘nifty fifty’ 50 mm lense and though had my studio lights with the softbox on hand, i always prefer to use natural light if i can. Natural light is always the most flattering and it is safer than having cables and stands set up everywhere with a baby crawling around.
Sweet and full of smiles as Ollie was his session didn’t leave me completely free of issues. He was suffering with a very congested sinus and he had developed slight conjunctivitis in his left eye. His parents hadn’t mentioned it prior to the session, it may have occurred that morning. So when he turned up on the day I felt very sorry for the poor little thing. I also knew it was going to take a bit of editing to clean up his face. However, not once did it stop him from smiling, having fun and playing with the toys we had laid out to keep him happy.
WHAT HAPPENS IF
Children get sick all the time and as a professional baby photographer it is something that you get used to and knowing quick editing tricks take the pressure off during the session as you know that the issue can be easily dealt with in post.
Just look at that cheeky face!!
I like to use Lightroom cc to edit, nice quick adjustments, great for any tiny edits and organising my files. However I turned to my photoshop cc, the clone stamp and the spot healing tool to clean up the eye and nose area. Keeping it looking sharp, natural and shine free.
I was very proud of how well Ollie coped with his session, baring in mind his must have been feeling rubbish. I have plenty of outtake of his sneezes and coughs, bless his cotton socks. So i think he was an absolute champ to sit through out 1.5 hour session. He cried once (which is nothing) and it lasted maybe 10-15 seconds. I always have my little tricks on hand to bring those smiles back to their faces! And if it means taking some time out from capturing to do it then that’s what you have to do.
connect
It is important to create a bond with the baby or child you are working with so that they react and respond to you not just the parents. I want to get the shots where I am getting their attention and more importantly their eye contact like the above image. To make Ollie laugh, I had been playing cars with him I had also giving him space to explore the studio and feel relaxed with me in it. All these tiny moments are so important to create a successful and happy baby session.
Ollies parents were delighted with their images! Nothing makes me happier than the parents talking about how they can’t choose which images to print. Because that means I have been ultimately successful. Ollies mum and dad have purchase a huge collage frame so they can put a large sample of their favourites on display to show off to friends and family!
I hope I get to see this little guy again soon. Blue eyes and ginger hair is a killer combination in my books. Plus his styling was just perfection and we had quick changes as well to capture a great variety of looks. But the blue jumper and gingham shirt layers are always going to be my personal favourites.
Em x